Obama Addresses Critics on ‘Centrist’ Moves  —  POWDER SPRINGS, Ga. — Barack Obama had heard quite enough of the complaints that he is pirouetting, leaping, lurching even, toward the political center.  —  He is at heart, he told a crowd in suburban Atlanta, a pretty progressive guy …

McCain Responds to Maliki's Call for an Iraq Withdrawal Timetable  —  Sen. John McCain, who has repeatedly derided anyone who advocated a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, now suddenly finds himself in a political box as the American-backed Iraqi leadership yesterday raised the prospect of exactly that.

Analysis: Obama won't try for McCain's budget goal  —  WASHINGTON - Barack Obama says John McCain's plan to balance the budget doesn't add up.  Easy for him to say: It's not a goal he's even trying to reach.  —  Not only does Obama say he won't eliminate the deficit in his first term …

McCain Campaign Screening Questioners?  —  WASHINGTON DISPATCH: Political reporters are wondering if McCain aides are vetting the journalists who ask questions during campaign conference calls for the media.  The evidence suggests they are; the campaign won't say.

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Energy bill out of gas  —  House Democrats are in a bind on the focal point of their energy plan.  —  Worried that a floor vote on any energy-related measure would trigger a Republican-forced vote on domestic drilling, the leadership has scrubbed the floor schedule of the energy legislation …

Barack Obama's Berlin visit sparks German diplomatic row  —  Berlin, a city torn apart by war, is the perfect setting for an American president preaching peace.  Ronald Reagan famously stood metres away from the Brandenburg Gate and called on the Soviet Union to tear down the Wall dividing Europe.

How Much Does It Cost You in Wages if You “Sound Black?”  —  Fascinating new research by my University of Chicago colleague, Jeffrey Grogger, compares the wages of people who “sound black” when they talk to those who do not.  —  His main finding: blacks who “sound black” …

McCain jokes about killing Iranians with cigarettes  —  PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - Presidential candidate John McCain, who once sang in jest about bombing Iran, on Tuesday reacted to a report of rising U.S. cigarette exports to the country by saying it may be “a way of killing 'em.”

Obama Slams Hoop Dreams for High School Diplomas  —  ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Barack Obama took a “tough love” message to African American youth, telling that finishing high school is a better route to success in life than an unlikely trip to the NBA or the top of the rap industry.

Our Full Page Ad in the Washington Post Against FISA Bill  —  The vote in the Senate on FISA is scheduled for this week.  Debate starts today, but the vote will probably be pushed until Wednesday due to Jesse Helms' funeral.  —  Today, thanks to your contributions, we're taking out a full page ad …

Back From War, Into Tabloid Territory  —  Foreign Affairs Correspondent Lara Logan's Public Private Life  —  After four years of living in Baghdad, war was taking its toll on Lara Logan.  —  As CBS's chief foreign affairs correspondent, she regularly risked her life by accompanying American forces in combat.

The NY Times sends a Dittohead to interview Rush Limbaugh  —  In his Sunday profile of right-wing talker Rush Limbaugh, New York Times Magazine contributor Zev Chafets set the scene by describing his visit to Limbaugh's studio in Palm Beach, Florida.  Chafets wrote that when he was buzzed …

Warner: Obama Has Strong Chance of Capturing Virginia  —  Reaffirms Desire Not to Serve as Running Mate  —  Former Virginia governor Mark Warner today reaffirmed that he wasn't interested in serving as Sen. Barack Obama's vice presidential runningmate because of family concerns, but he left the door wide open to a future national bid.