Some on left target McCain's war record  —  The highest voltage third rail of this presidential campaign may not be race, sex, or age, but Senator John McCain's military service.  —  McCain's campaign Sunday issued a pair of outraged statements after retired general and Barack Obama supporter Wesley Clark …

GOP Sharpens Attacks on Obama  —  Allies of McCain Casting Democratic Candidate as Unprincipled, Opportunistic  —  CLEVELAND — Sen. John McCain's allies have seized on a new and aggressive line of attack against Sen. Barack Obama, casting the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee …

The Obama Agenda  —  It's feeling a lot like 1992 right now.  It's also feeling a lot like 1980.  But which parallel is closer?  Is Barack Obama going to be a Ronald Reagan of the left, a president who fundamentally changes the country's direction?  Or will he be just another Bill Clinton?

Lack of funds hobbling the ‘Republican attack machine’  —  WASHINGTON — Democrats and the media have used the term so much that it's almost an article of faith.  But the so-called “Republican attack machine” waiting with piles of unregulated cash to chew up Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is anything but.

Feds probe S.F.'s migrant-offender shield  —  San Francisco juvenile probation officials - citing the city's immigrant sanctuary status - are protecting Honduran youths caught dealing crack cocaine from possible federal deportation and have given some offenders a city-paid flight home with carte blanche to return.

Who's responsible for shutting down a number of anti-Obama Blogspot accounts?  —  When Carissa Snedeker went to log into her Blogspot account Wednesday evening at about 7:30, she had no idea what would be waiting for her.  She had created her blog, Blue Lyon, three years ago and up until …

The Choice They Made  —  Half a century ago the philosopher Leo Strauss remarked that the passage in which the Declaration of Independence proclaims its self-evident truths “has frequently been quoted, but, by its weight and its elevation, it is made immune to the degrading effects …

In Flag City USA, False Obama Rumors Are Flying  —  FINDLAY, Ohio — On his corner of College Street, Jim Peterman stares at the four American flags planted in his front lawn and rubs his forehead.  Peterman, 74, is a retired worker at Cooper Tire, a father of two, an Air Force veteran and a self-described patriot.

OBAMA'S IRAQ PROBLEM  —  In February, 2007, when Barack Obama declared that he was running for President, violence in Iraq had reached apocalyptic levels, and he based his candidacy, in part, on a bold promise to begin a rapid withdrawal of American forces upon taking office.

Amid Policy Disputes, Qaeda Grows in Pakistan  —  WASHINGTON — Late last year, top Bush administration officials decided to take a step they had long resisted.  They drafted a secret plan to make it easer for the Pentagon's Special Operations forces to launch missions into the snow-capped mountains …

U.S. Advised Iraqi Ministry on Oil Deals  —  A group of American advisers led by a small State Department team played an integral part in drawing up contracts between the Iraqi government and five major Western oil companies to develop some of the largest fields in Iraq, American officials say.

Obama to tell his ‘only in America’ story  —  Presidential campaign to ratchet up patriotic themes  —  To some ears, his name sounds foreign.  His father was not an American citizen.  Many of his relatives live overseas.  And a portion of his own childhood was spent abroad.

Pentagon Fights EPA On Pollution Cleanup  —  The Defense Department, the nation's biggest polluter, is resisting orders from the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up Fort Meade and two other military bases where the EPA says dumped chemicals pose “imminent and substantial” dangers to public health and the environment.

The Voters of Appalachia ...  A - Are Hicks, B - Are Hillbillies, C - Are Rednecks, D - Don't appreciate where you're going with this  —  “Hick.”  “Hillbilly.”  “Redneck.”  “Inbred.”  “Cracker.”  “Ridge Runner.”  I heard and self-effacingly used them all when I left the mountains …