China Inspired Interrogations at Guantánamo  —  WASHINGTON — The military trainers who came to Guantánamo Bay in December 2002 based an entire interrogation class on a chart showing the effects of “coercive management techniques” for possible use on prisoners, including …

Obama Got Discount on Home Loan  —  Shortly after joining the U.S. Senate and while enjoying a surge in income, Barack Obama bought a $1.65 million restored Georgian mansion in an upscale Chicago neighborhood.  To finance the purchase, he secured a $1.32 million loan from Northern Trust in Illinois.

Iran ‘seriously considering’ new international nuclear offer  —  UNITED NATIONS — Iran's senior diplomat said Tuesday that Tehran was seriously considering a new offer from six world powers to resolve the dispute over its nuclear program, and he praised the package as “constructive.”

You've Got To Have Faith  —  Barack Obama makes a pitch in Zanesville, OH, today to expand President Bush's faith based programs, while affirming his belief in the separation between church and state.  He'll propose a Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships to help these groups apply …

The far-right's patriotism problem...  Jonah Goldberg continues to demonstrate how the right-wing is manipulating public discourse in order to confuse and conflate patriotism with rabid nationalism.  Make no mistake, this is a coordinated effort to deliberately replace substance with its symbol …

Reid: ‘Coal makes us sick!’  —  Reid: ‘Coal makes us sick!’  —  The Crypt reports that the video of an appearance by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) on the Fox Business Network has gone viral on YouTube, attracting over 270,000 views and earning a spot on the site's “most viewed” list.

“Dig it!”:  A short video about Barack Obama's friends  —  Paul Budline, a Princeton-based writer and producer of documentaries, got to thinking this afternoon about Barack Obama's friendship with Chicago radicals Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn.  Out came this crisp little video, “Dig it!”.

Obama over fist bumping?  —  (CNN) — Is Obama ditching his signature fist bump?  —  According to Tuesday's press pool report, the Illinois senator refused to bump fists with a boy as he was touring the Eastside Community Ministry in Zanesville, Ohio.  —  As the boy outstretched his first …

McCain: Obama Should Cut Wesley Clark Loose.  —  ABC News' Bret Hovell Reports: John McCain, taking questions from reporters aboard his Straight Talk Express: The Airplane Edition, said it was time for the campaign of Sen. Barack Obama to cut retired Gen. Wesley Clark loose.

McCain not fundraising down-ballot  —  John McCain has begun to raise eyebrows in Republican circles for his lack of fundraising help on behalf of his party's House and Senate campaign committees.  —  The Arizona senator has yet to send a fundraising appeal for those committees nearly four months …

We Interupt This Orgy Of Self-Congratulation...  Henry Farrel of Crooked Timber posts a late draft of a research paper on blog readership.  From his summary this passage has caught attention: … Jon Chait of TNR interpreted this as an opportunity to have a bit of fun:

Why more Jews won't be voting Democrat this year  —  Defenders of Barack Obama, and sometimes Obama himself, seem frustrated that some American Jews refuse to assume their traditional role of support for the Democratic presidential nominee.  The Obama defenders are irked that not all Jews accept …

Who's smearing whom?  —  The only obstacle between Barack Obama and the presidency is the mountain of smears that will no doubt come his way.  That's the narrative that Obama supporters — and his swooning chroniclers in the mainstream media — would have us believe.

In Court Ruling on Executions, a Factual Flaw  —  WASHINGTON — When the Supreme Court ruled last week that the death penalty for raping a child was unconstitutional, the majority noted that a child rapist could face the ultimate penalty in only six states — not in any of the 30 other states …

A not-so-glorious Fourth  —  U.S. atrocities are unworthy of our heritage.  —  Put the fireworks in storage.  —  Cancel the parade.  —  Tuck the soaring speeches in a drawer for another time.  —  This year, America doesn't deserve to celebrate its birthday.  This Fourth of July should be a day of quiet and atonement.

Obama opposes proposed ban on gay marriage  —  (07-01) 19:35 PDT — Gay rights moved to the forefront of the presidential campaign Tuesday after Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's announcement that he opposes a November ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriage in California.

Smart Dissent  —  Yesterday, in Independence, Missouri, Senator Obama delivered this speech on patriotism, titled “The America We Love”:  —  If you've been sprouting Chicken Little feathers in recent days, gnashing teeth over the nominee's reported “move to the center” (or “to the right") …

The 10 Most Awesomely Bad Moments of the Bush Presidency  —  A shorter version of our long national nightmare.  —  Share and save this post:  —  Also in Election 2008  —  Ari Berman  —  10 Things You Should Know About McCain Advisor Charlie Black  —  Jon Ponder