The Real FISA Vote Passes 80 to 15 With the Presidential Nominees Passing  —  They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.  - Benjamin Franklin  —  The FISA Cloture vote just passed.  The Senate will now consider the motion …

Netroots feel jilted by Obama's FISA stand  —  When former Sen. John Edwards dropped out of the presidential race, the progressive Netroots took their affections to Barack Obama, defending him against attack from Hillary Rodham Clinton and others.  —  But with his support of a government surveillance bill …

What the child rapist, saved today by Supreme Court liberals, did to his 8-year-old stepdaughter  —  Anthony Kennedy and the leftists on the Supreme Court ruled this morning that what child rapist Patrick Kennedy did to his 8-year-old stepdaughter is a crime that should not be punishable by death.

KEITH GOES NUTS OVER KETCHUP  —  MSNBC blowhard Keith Olbermann couldn't even control his temper at a memorial reception for beloved Tim Russert.  —  Network sources told Page Six Olbermann was furious last week when MSNBC didn't get him a first-class ticket to Washington, DC …

Gallup Daily: Obama, McCain Tied at 45%  —  Obama had held at least a slim advantage for most of June  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update on the presidential election finds John McCain and Barack Obama exactly tied at 45% among registered voters nationwide.

HALPERIN'S TAKE: What Smart Republican Strategists Think Should Be on John McCain's To-Do List  —  1. Prove to your staff you can drive a message for more than one consecutive day.  —  2. Tell Americans what the one, key difference is between you and Obama.

Law ‘will ban age discrimination’  —  The government is to bring forward new legislation to outlaw all forms of age discrimination, the BBC has learned.  —  Equalities Minister Harriet Harman is expected to announce the plan on Thursday as part of a package of measures in an Equalities Bill.

A Conversation With Barack Obama  —  The Candidate Talks About The Youth Vote, What's On His iPod and His Top Three Priorities As President  —  Shortly after Barack Obama claimed victory in the fight for the Democratic nomination, I joined him aboard his chartered 757 campaign plane as a member of the press corps.

The Latest NIE Scandal  —  A friend on the Hill writes:

BREAKING ELECTION NEWSGAYPATRIOT EXCLUSIVE:John McCain Meets with Log Cabin Republicans President  —  GayPatriot has exclusively learned that presumptive Republican Presidential nominee Senator John McCain held a personal meeting with the head of the national gay Republicans organization, the Log Cabin Republicans.

BlueDogs seek a hunting ground in upper chamber  —  Blue Dog Democrats, frustrated that their fight to end deficit spending has been stymied by the Senate, may endorse candidates running for the upper chamber.  —  Leaders of the group told The Hill on Wednesday that they are considering plans …

Parties Split on How to Expand Offshore Drilling  —  HOUSTON — The two political parties have settled on markedly different strategies for improving domestic oil supplies to help lower gasoline prices.  —  Republicans want to end the 27-year ban on offshore drilling along much of the nation's coastline …

Queen Strips Mugabe of Knighthood  —  Queen Elizabeth II has stripped Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's strongman president for nearly 30 years, of his honorary knighthood as a “mark of revulsion” at the human rights abuses and “abject disregard” for democracy over which he has presided, the British Foreign Office announced Wednesday.

McCain Declares Energy Independence by 2025  —  From CBS News' Jamie Farnsworth:  —  Las Vegas, NV - Senator John McCain unveiled the name of his energy project in Las Vegas today as he wrapped up the western swing of his two week energy tour.  Deemed the Lexington Project …

The Nader Way  —  Via Andrew Sullivan, Ralph Nader's not very taken with Barack Obama: … I would find this more persuasive were it not for the fact that Obama does want to crack down on predatory lending and other forms of financial exploitation of the poor.  And then there's this:

Shock of the Old  —  Belle Waring returns to the United States from Singapore where she lives: … I believe it's the Pulaski Skyway (pictured above).  In part, a country like the United States just isn't going to be able to compete infrastructure-wise with a newly-prosperous country like Singapore …

Why it's time to lay off NAFTA  —  Campaign season is just getting warmed up, but looking back on the primaries we've already seen plenty of the usual fare: candidates shaking hands, hanging out at diners, and scaring voters about foreigners who are taking your jobs.