Forced servitude in America?  —  The U.S. already has high rates of volunteerism, but that's apparently not good enough for our presidential candidates.  —  There's a weird irony at work when Sen. Barack Obama, the black presidential candidate who will allegedly scrub the stain of racism from the nation …

Murphy Not Likely To Join McCain Campaign  —  Republican strategist Mike Murphy, caught in a whirlpool of competing currents, does not expect to join the McCain campaign as a strategist, Murphy and people familiar with the situation said this morning.  —  Though Murphy has told associates …

Risky Business  —  The waiters were still clearing the breakfast dishes yesterday when John McCain's most prominent adviser raised the subject of erection enhancement.  —  Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard chief who is now the Republican National Committee's “Victory Chairman,” …

Mr. Obama on Iraq  —  BARACK OBAMA has taken a small but important step toward adjusting his outdated position on Iraq to the military and strategic realities of the war he may inherit.  Sadly, he seems to be finding that the strident and rigid posture he struck during the primary campaign …

America's special grace  —  To ascribe a special grace to America is outrageous, as outrageous as the idea of special grace itself.  Why shouldn't everyone be saved?  Why aren't all individuals, nations, peoples and cultures equally deserving?  History seems awfully unfair …

August 8, 1974 v. July 9, 2008  —  (updated below)  —  The votes in the Senate on various amendments to the FISA “compromise” bill and to the underlying bill itself were originally scheduled for today, but have been postponed until tomorrow (Wednesday, July 9) to enable Senators to attend the funeral of Jesse Helms.

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.

Adding up the cost of Obama's agenda  —  Some budget analysts say the Democrat's proposals for funding tens of billions of dollars in programs may not be enough.  —  WASHINGTON — In more than a year of campaigning, Barack Obama has made a long list of promises for new federal programs costing tens …

Former CIA Agent in Iran Comes In from the Heat  —  Going public for the first time in an article and interview on Pajamas Media, an Iranian who infiltrated Iran's Revolutionary Guard for the CIA accuses the mullahs of orchestrating — among other things — the 1988 explosion of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

Lurching With Abandon  —  In one of the numbers from “Fiddler on the Roof,” Tevye sings, with a mixture of emotions: “We haven't got the man ... we had when we began.”  —  Back in January when Barack Obama pulled off his stunning win in the Iowa caucuses, and people were lining up in the cold …

$40 Million Health Care Campaign Will Target Some Dems  —  A consortium of progressive groups, think tanks, trade unions and activists are set to launch a $40 million health care campaign to prepare the ground for the next president to sign expanded care early in 2009.

'US won't let Israel attack Iran'  —  The US did not okay an Israeli attack on Iran, Prof. Anthony H. Cordesman, a former Pentagon official and currently the top defense analyst at the ABC TV network, said Monday.  —  Cordesman was speaking during a meeting with Israeli defense analysts held …

Voters Perceive Obama Moving to the Middle  —  Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has done a far more effective job than Republican John McCain in recent weeks moving himself to the middle in the minds of voters, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone surveys.

In poll of pet owners, McCain tops Obama  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — If the presidential election goes to the dogs, John McCain is looking like best in show.  —  From George Washington's foxhound “Drunkard” to George W. Bush's terriers “Barney” and “Miss Beazley,” pets are a longtime presidential tradition …