MCCAIN BREAKING THE LAW IN PLAIN SIGHT  —  I mentioned earlier today that it was quite a thing to see John McCain denouncing Barack Obama for breaking his word on public financing when McCain himself is at this moment breaking the law in continuing to spend over the spending limits he promised …

The Two Obamas  —  God, Republicans are saps.  They think that they're running against some academic liberal who wouldn't wear flag pins on his lapel, whose wife isn't proud of America and who went to some liberationist church where the pastor damned his own country.

U.S. Says Exercise by Israel Seemed Directed at Iran  —  WASHINGTON — Israel carried out a major military exercise earlier this month that American officials say appeared to be a rehearsal for a potential bombing attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.  —  Several American officials …

CABLE GUYS LUST FOR TIM'S JOB  —  TIM Russert's body wasn't even cold in the ground before MSNBC anchors Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann started jockeying for his job, sources claim.  —  Matthews was heard loudly discussing what seemed to be his strategy for landing Russert's “Meet the Press” …

Obama's Decision Threatens Public Financing System  —  From the moment that the public financing system was created in the wake of the Watergate crisis, it was viewed as an imperfect way to rid politics of the excesses of special-interest money.  —  But now, with the decision by Senator Barack …

Dems excited, GOP wary of McClellan's testimony  —  House Democrats are eagerly preparing for Friday's testimony by former White House press secretary Scott McClellan, but Republicans seem unsure of how to handle the president's unlikely critic.  —  Both Democrats and Republicans …

EXCLUSIVE: Hezbollah Poised to Strike?  —  Officials Say “Sleeper Cells” Activated in Canada  —  Intelligence agencies in the United States and Canada are warning of mounting signs that Hezbollah, backed by Iran, is poised to mount a terror attack against “Jewish targets” somewhere outside the Middle East.

Guantanamo prisoner opens new era of court challenges  —  WASHINGTON — The Taliban tortured Abdul Rahim Abdul Razak al Ginco.  They thought he was a U.S. spy.  Then, U.S. soldiers called the Syrian native an enemy and shipped him to Guantanamo.  —  Now, Ginco will be turning a spotlight back on the Bush administration itself.

White Patches Found in Mars Trench Are Ice, Scientists Say  —  After a decade of shouting, “Follow the water!” in its exploration of Mars, NASA can finally say that one of its spacecraft has reached out, touched water ice and scooped it up.  —  Now, scientists will be able to tackle …

Webb splits with Obama over drilling  —  By pushing a bill that distances himself from the Democratic Party and its presidential candidate on offshore drilling, Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia is picking a curious time to exercise his well-known independence.  —  Webb wants his home state …

Obama Considering Olympic Games Ads on NBC  —  Is there such a thing as overexposure?  Barack Obama ads are everywhere on the internet.  They'll be coming to tv in 18 states and who knows how many radio stations.  —  Now, Obama is considering taking out ads on NBC for the Olympic Games.

House approves war funds, GI benefits  —  A $186.5 billion wartime appropriations bill cleared the House Thursday evening together with new aid for the jobless and a landmark expansion of education benefits for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.  —  Israel, Jordan and Mexico …

Former AG Accused of Playing Politics with Justice  —  Exclusive: Critic of Torture Policy Assured Job as US Attorney  —  Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, now under investigation for allegedly politicizing the Justice Department, ousted a top lawyer for failing to adopt …

McCain's Oil Epiphany  —  Gas is $4 a gallon.  Oil is $135 a barrel and rising.  We import two-thirds of our oil, sending hundreds of billions of dollars to the likes of Russia, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia.  And yet we voluntarily prohibit ourselves from even exploring huge domestic reserves of petroleum and natural gas.

A Life's Lesson  —  When somebody dies, we tell his story and try to define and isolate what was special about it—what it was he brought to the party, how he enhanced life by showing up.  In this way we educate ourselves about what really matters.  Or, often, re-educate ourselves, for “man needs more to be reminded than instructed.”