Comedian George Carlin dies in Los Angeles at 71  —  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian George Carlin, a counter-culture hero famed for his routines about drugs and dirty words, died of heart failure at a Los Angeles-area hospital on Sunday, a spokesman said.  He was 71.

Three women who might join the GOP ticket  —  While the vice presidential slot may be John McCain's best means of wooing those Hillary Rodham Clinton supporters who remain loath to embrace Barack Obama, the Republican party is a thin source of politically viable women, leaving McCain with few top-tier options.

First Obama attack book in the works  —  The same publisher that distributed the 2004 best-seller that took aim at John Kerry's Vietnam service is planning a summer release of what's scheduled to be the first critical book on Barack Obama.  —  Conservative journalist David Freddoso's …

Someone Else's Alex  —  The people at MoveOn.org have a new Iraq ad that is, if they do say so themselves, their most effective ever.  Then again, for the group that brought us the “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?” ad last September, that might not be saying much.

Barack Obama inspires Milan men's runway styles  —  MILAN, Italy - The latest “first” for Barack Obama comes off the Milan runway.  —  Calling the U.S. presidential hopeful “the man of the moment,” Donatella Versace dedicated her Spring-Summer 2009 collection presented Saturday evening to Obama …

Reporters Say Networks Put Wars on Back Burner  —  Getting a story on the evening news isn't easy for any correspondent.  And for reporters in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is especially hard, according to Lara Logan, the chief foreign correspondent for CBS News.  So she has devised a solution when she is talking to the network.

ANTI-TERROR OOPS  —  BARACK BUMBLES LEGAL QS  —  SPEAKING without a text in front of him, Barack Obama betrays a troubling lack of knowledge on important issues - such as the law and terrorism.  —  In his ABC interview last Monday, for example, Obama attacked the Bush approach on fighting terror.

‘I despise Islamism’: Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview  —  He defends fellow writer Martin Amis against racist charge and condemns religious hardliners  —  The novelist Ian McEwan has launched an astonishingly strong attack on Islamism, saying that he “despises” it and accusing it of …

Obama campaign targets black voters — carefully  —  Strategists believe they've identified a new and potentially decisive Democratic electorate in at least five battleground states.  The trick lies in wooing them without alienating whites.  —  WASHINGTON — As they ponder a political map …

Obama Moves To Reintroduce Himself to Voters  —  In the opening weeks of the general-election campaign, Sen. Barack Obama has moved aggressively to shape his campaign and offered a clear road map for the kind of candidate he is likely to become in the months ahead: an ambitious gamer of the electoral map …

Is He the Ticket?  —  As the popular governor of Florida and a Republican known for supporting relatively progressive causes, you are often mentioned as a possible running mate for Senator McCain.  It's been said that you could deliver Florida for him in the November election and lend him some overall centrist appeal.

Lost in Translation: Alhurra—America's Troubled Effort to Win Middle East Hearts and Minds  —  An Arab-language television network and radio station, founded by the Bush administration to promote a positive image of the United States, has aired anti-American and anti-Israeli viewpoints …

Marines Recruiting Office Protest and Counter-Protest  —  Yes, they're at it again.  Supporters and detractors of the United States military battled it out in Berkeley for at least the sixth time this year: the latest in a relentless series of protests and counter-protests trying to seize …

Roadside bombs decline in Iraq  —  WASHINGTON — Roadside bomb attacks and fatalities in Iraq are down by almost 90% over the last year, according to Pentagon records and interviews with military leaders.  —  In May, 11 U.S. troops were killed by blasts from improvised explosive devices …