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 …

Justices Bar Death Penalty for the Rape of a Child  —  WASHINGTON — The death penalty is unconstitutional as a punishment for the rape of a child, a sharply divided Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday.  —  The 5-to-4 decision overturned death penalty laws in Louisiana and five other states.

Democrats in Delicate Talks to Unify Party  —  WASHINGTON — With the help of one of Washington's best-connected lawyers, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are negotiating a thicket of complicated issues, like how to repay Mrs. Clinton's campaign debt and her role at the Democratic convention.

While Fundraising, Bush Mounts Attack on Obama  —  LIVONIA, Mich. — President Bush came to suburban Detroit Wednesday to mount a clear attack on Sen. Barack Obama, though he never actually mentioned the Democratic candidate's name.  —  Instead, Bush suggested through red-meat GOP rhetoric …

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 …

John McCain doesn't work weekends  —  Since effectively capturing the Republican nomination when Mitt Romney dropped out of the race on February 7, John McCain has held just one public campaign event on a weekend.  —  Instead, after workweeks full of fundraisers, town hall meetings and interviews …

Pretty Girls...Rock and Roll...America....RULES!  —  I'm in America!  So, New York is wonderful, my children are horribly jet-lagged...uh, what was I talking about again?  Need...more...coffee—hey, it's thin, old school, regular New York coffee, I forgot about that.

Obama Camp Disavows Last Year's ‘Inartful’ Statement on D.C. Gun Law  —  ABC News' Teddy Davis and Alexa Ainsworth Report: With the Supreme Court poised to rule on Washington, D.C.'s, gun ban, the Obama campaign is disavowing what it calls an “inartful” statement to the Chicago Tribune last year …

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.

“Optical intercourse”  —  TPM Muckraker adds to the rogues gallery that made up the Justice Department's God-Squaders: … Thanks to TPM reader Citoyen92, we learn a few things about Pensacola Christian College which makes the Yearning For Zion Ranch look like Hef's mansion:

Top McCain Adviser Has Found Success Mixing Money, Politics  —  As Sen. John McCain's top presidential campaign adviser, Richard H.  “Rick” Davis has worked for almost a year without compensation, telling reporters that the sacrifice shows his dedication to the cash-strapped Arizona Republican.

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 …

Senate Debates Rewrite of '78 Law That Created Secret Intelligence Court  —  The Senate, clearing a key parliamentary hurdle, yesterday voted to begin debating a broad revision of U.S. intelligence laws that includes a controversial plan to grant immunity to telecommunications companies …

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.

75% blame Bush's policies for deteriorating economy  —  The figure includes large numbers of dissatisfied Republicans and represents a sharp increase in pessimism over the last year.  Higher fuel prices have sharpened the criticism.  —  WASHINGTON — Three out of four Americans …