New and Not Improved  —  Senator Barack Obama stirred his legions of supporters, and raised our hopes, promising to change the old order of things.  He spoke with passion about breaking out of the partisan mold of bickering and catering to special pleaders, promised to end President Bush's abuses …

Response from Barack on FISA and Discussion with Policy Staff  —  Barack is on the road today, but he wrote a response that he asked be posted on the blog.  You'll find it below.  —  In addition, for the next 30 minutes or so, three members of our policy staff will be in the comments on this post to respond to any questions you have.

Obama: Mental distress can't justify late abortion  —  WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says “mental distress” should not qualify as a justification for late-term abortions, a key distinction not embraced by many supporters of abortion rights.

White House says ruling could free detainees in US  —  WASHINGTON - The White House said Thursday that dangerous detainees at Guantanamo Bay could end up walking Main Street U.S.A. as a result of last month's Supreme Court ruling about detainees' legal rights.

How did you spend Independence Day?  —  BAGHDAD - How are you spending your 4th of July holiday?  While most Americans probably slept, 1,215 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines raised their right hands and committed to a combined 5,500 years of additional service during the largest reenlistment ceremony …

American Flags as Big as Fields  —  On the field before the All-Star Game, Major League Baseball plans to assemble the largest gathering of Hall of Fame players in baseball history.  And as fans salute their heroes, the former players will join the crowd in saluting the American flag …

Muslims in Britain should be able to live under Sharia, says top judge  —  Muslims in Britain should be able to live according to Sharia, the country's most senior judge has said.  —  Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, the Lord Chief Justice, strongly backed Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury …

Celebrity Passport Records Popular  —  State Dept. Audit Finds Snooping Was Frequent  —  Government workers repeatedly snooped without authorization inside the electronic passport records of entertainers, athletes and other high-profile Americans, a State Department audit has found.

The Economy?  Words Fail Me.  —  Think you're worried about the economy?  Phillip Swagel is a wreck.  —  The assistant Treasury secretary for economic policy, Swagel came out for his monthly economic briefing yesterday, 90 minutes after the Labor Department reported that the country …

Barack Obama's policy switches are giving the Left whiplash  —  The Democratic nominee's policy pivots are causing anguish among liberals.  He is no fool  —  Change, it turns out, wasn't all that it was cracked up to be.  Having campaigned for the past year as the agent of transformation …

PLEASE, PLEASE, REPORTERS WITH BRAINS  —  I spent most of today in bed with some kind of nasty cold.  So I only caught up on any news this evening.  And I must confess to being little short of astounded by the avalanche of press BS I'm reading on Barack Obama's position on Iraq.

Commentary: Your gas money for a flat screen?  —  NEW YORK (CNN) — 1.733.  —  This number should put our skyrocketing gas prices into perspective.  To explain: In January 2007, gas prices were at a measly $2.17 a gallon.  Since then they've skyrocketed to more than $4.