Mrs. McCain, San Diego County Would Like a Word  —  When you're poor, it can be hard to pay the bills.  When you're rich, it's hard to keep track of all the bills that need paying.  It's a lesson Cindy McCain learned the hard way when NEWSWEEK raised questions about an overdue property-tax bill …

Obama Supporters Take His Middle Name as Their Own  —  Emily Nordling has never met a Muslim, at least not to her knowledge.  But this spring, Ms. Nordling, a 19-year-old student from Fort Thomas, Ky., gave herself a new middle name on Facebook.com, mimicking her boyfriend and shocking her father.

Crisis grows in Iraq over U.S. raid that killed Maliki relative  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq — Senior Iraqi government officials said Saturday that a U.S. Special Forces counterterrorism unit conducted the raid that reportedly killed a relative of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki …

Bill Clinton says Barack Obama must ‘kiss my ass’ for his support  —  By Tim Shipman in Washington and Philip Sherwell in New York  —  Bill Clinton is so bitter about Barack Obama's victory over his wife Hillary that he has told friends the Democratic nominee will have to beg for his wholehearted support.

PREPARING THE BATTLEFIELD  —  The Bush Administration steps up its secret moves against Iran.  —  L ate last year, Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran, according to current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources.

MoJo Convo: Iran Panic?  Talk About It With the Experts  —  MoJo writer Laura Rozen asked an Israeli intel correspondent, an Iranian American activist, an arms expert, a former peace negotiator, and an anti-war intellectual:  —  How likely is a scenario in which the US or Israel strikes Iran before Bush leaves office?

“The Puppy Had A Fee!”  —  And other mysteries from India:

LIARS' ROUND-UP  —  ON SECURITY, FACTS MATTER  —  THE facts about your security are being torn to shreds by activist liars.  And they think that you're too stupid to know the difference.  —  Let's lay out the worst current examples of media make-believe and election-year truth-trashing:

McCain: I 'Don't See How It Matters' That I Don't Know The Price Of Gas  —  McCain: I 'Don't See How It Matters' That I Don't Know The Price Of Gas  —  In a telephone interview with the Orange County Register earlier this week, John McCain acknowledged he was unaware of the price of gas.

Law School Pays the Price in 'Don't Ask' Rule Protest  —  SOUTH ROYALTON, Vt. — A renewed fight over the military's “don't ask, don't tell” policy is being watched closely here on the campus of the Vermont Law School, a 600-student institution on the banks of the White River.

Louisiana passes first antievolution “academic freedom” law  —  As we noted last month, a number of states have been considering laws that, under the guise of “academic freedom,” single out evolution for special criticism.  Most of them haven't made it out of the state legislatures, and one that did was promptly vetoed.