Gramm Stands by Recession Comments  —  Former senator Phil Gramm — under fire for saying the United States has “become a nation of whiners” — said in an interview today that he meant the nation's leaders were whiners, not its citizens.  —  But the top adviser to Sen. John McCain repeated …

Jackson's Obama comments almost went unnoticed  —  A Fox News technician transcribing the tape overnight heard it, and it took off from there.  —  NEW YORK — The news that the Rev. Jesse Jackson took a crude swipe at Sen. Barack Obama this week put renewed scrutiny on the relationship between …

Pelosi says House Judiciary may hold hearings on Kucinich impeachment resolution  —  Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said this morning that the House Judiciary Committee may hold hearings on an impeachment resolution offered by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio).

The Hubris Of Obama?  —  A few things have unsettled me these past couple of weeks about the Obama campaign.  It is not the small adjustments to previously-held positions - FISA, the Second Amendment, Iraq.  It's a sense that Obama's ample self-regard is lapsing into hubris.

President George Bush: 'Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter'  —  George Bush surprised world leaders with a joke about his poor record on the environment as he left the G8 summit in Japan.  —  The American leader, who has been condemned throughout his presidency for failing to tackle climate change …

In an Iranian Image, a Missile Too Many  —  Updated, 9:33 a.m., Agence France-Presse has retracted the image as “apparently digitally altered.”  —  As news spread across the world of Iran's provocative missile tests, so did an image of four missiles heading skyward in unison.

Rangel Rents Apartments at Bargain Rates  —  While aggressive evictions are making rent-stabilized apartments increasingly scarce in New York, Representative Charles B. Rangel is enjoying four of them, including three adjacent apartments in a sprawling penthouse overlooking Upper Manhattan …

McCain has best fundraising in June, $22M  —  WASHINGTON - Republican presidential candidate John McCain raised more than $22 million in June, his best fundraising performance of the year, and ended the month with nearly $27 million cash on hand.  —  Campaign manager Rick Davis said Thursday …

Obama Reacts to Debate in Berlin  —  Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she finds Barack Obama's plan to give a speech at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin a bit “odd.”  Obama's spokesman now says Obama will find a Berlin location for his speech that makes the most sense for him and his hosts.

Election 2008: North Dakota Presidential Election  —  North Dakota: McCain and Obama Tied  —  North Dakota is as safe a Republican state as any in Presidential elections.  George W. Bush carried the state by twenty-seven points in Election 2004 and twenty-eight points four years earlier.

OPEC warns against military conflict with Iran  —  VIENNA: The head of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries warned Thursday that oil prices would see an “unlimited” increase in the case of a military conflict involving Iran, because the group's members would be unable to make up the lost production.

Mound Of Parchment … I think Washington's wise words were proven, in spades, this week.  The constitution is only an idea, written down, that has meaning if we all agree to honor it.  It requires our leaders to think in larger terms than momentary political needs.

In Pennsylvania, McCain Tells a New Version of Heroic P.O.W. Story — Subbing the Pittsburgh Steelers for the Green Bay Packers  —  Yesterday in Pittsburgh, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., professed his love for the Steelers to KDKA-TV.  —  Watch HERE.  —  Asked what first comes to his mind …