A Case Study in Conservative Mendacity  —  I noted last night that a supply of uranium from Iraq had been successfully moved to Montreal in secrecy.  —  If you check into this, you'll quickly find that the uranium a) was not weapons grade and b) was well known to the UN and IAEA and was being stored legally by Saddam's government.

The Obama “Forged Birth Certificate” Myth Is Busted  —  Welcome Hot Air and Little Green Footballs Readers  —  May I suggest much more important topics such as Our Pending Victory In Iraq, The Determination Of Our Soldiers To Succeed In Iraq, Obama's Flip-Flops, and Nagging Problems On Flight 93 Memorial.

Kerry: McCain's Judgment Is Dangerous  —  Says Republican Candidate Is A “Changed Man” For Siding With Bush On War, Economy, Energy  —  (CBS) Sen. John Kerry believes that the presumptive Republican nominee for president is adhering to the Bush Administration orthodoxy in ways that call …

$3 million ad targets Obama on energy  —  An independent-expenditure arm of the Republican National Committee has begun a 10-day, $3 million ad campaign in swing states attacking Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) as “just the party line.”  —  The 30-second ad, called “Balance,” …

Obama's cunning capture of the centre ground  —  Slowly and subtly, Barack Obama is wiping out every reason to vote for McCain  —  It is a telling sign of where American politics is now headed that last week several leading conservative voices proclaimed Barack Obama had seen the conservative light …

A Tipping Point In Iraq?  —  The Mosul campaign is a final and critical one, and Marie Colvin, an excellent and seasoned reporter, has very encouraging news: … The use of female suicide bombers - often the bereaved family members of, er, former suicide bombers - is another sign of the Jihadists' desperation.

Obama's own voice may haunt him  —  Barack Obama has proved to be a difficult target to hit — just ask Hillary Rodham Clinton.  Opposition researchers, though, hope that they've found a weapon to wound Obama in his own voice as recorded for the Grammy Award-winning audio version of his 1995 memoir, “Dreams from My Father.”

Yglesias Picks Up Shovel, Digs  —  In a more thoughtful followup (not hard!) to his earlier paean to Mother England, Yglesias goes on to say one sensible thing about patriotism: … He then drives directly off the rails. … No Matthew, you marvelous Harvard-trained Atlantic columnist you …

Supreme Slip-Up  —  A recent high court ruling is factually flawed.  The justices should correct it.  —  WHEN A NEWSPAPER gets its facts wrong, it's supposed to publish a correction, and, if someone's reputation has been harmed, a retraction and apology.  It can be embarrassing …

Bill Clinton On Unstable ex-POWs  —  Bill Clinton is speaking at the Aspen Ideas Festival, and he said just now, apropos of almost nothing (actually, during a long peroration on Nelson Mandela): “Every living soul on this planet has some highly-justified anger.  Everyone.

Thomas M. Disch, 1940-2008  —  Ellen Datlow writes: … Scott Edelman quotes John Clute's entry on Disch in the Science Fiction Encyclopedia: … I certainly read him; his SF novels of the 1960s and 70s, particularly Camp Concentration and 334, had an enormous impact on me.

Obama Strikes First  —  The campaign of 2008 started on July 1 when Obama launched his first national advertising buy of the season.  How McCain responds and whether or not he does, will have a big impact in determining whether Obama can solidify or expand his current lead in the polls.

First Person Singular  —  Jim Webb, U.S. senator (D-Va.) and author  —  The most disciplined thing I've ever done in my life is probably the act of writing a book — and novels are harder than nonfiction.  People tend to think, Oh, novels, you just start writing a story, and, you know, let the muse take you.