Fight back against Bill Donohue!  —  So far today, I have received 39 pieces of personal hate mail of varying degrees of literacy, all because I was rude to a cracker.  Four of them have included death threats, a personal one day record.  Thirty-four of them have demanded that I be fired.

A Hint of New Life to a McCain Birth Issue  —  In the most detailed examination yet of Senator John McCain's eligibility to be president, a law professor at the University of Arizona has concluded that neither Mr. McCain's birth in 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone nor the fact that his parents …

Donors Asked To Give for Two  —  The fundraising machine Sen. Barack Obama is relying on to overwhelm Sen. John McCain this fall has shown signs of wear in recent weeks, as Internet contributions have slowed and efforts to recruit top donors to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign have been beset by lingering tensions.

Rangel Rents Apartments at Bargain Rates  —  While aggressive evictions are reducing the number of rent-stabilized apartments in New York, Representative Charles B. Rangel is enjoying four of them, including three adjacent units on the 16th floor overlooking Upper Manhattan in a building owned …

U.S. Considers Takeover of Two Mortgage Giants  —  WASHINGTON — Alarmed by the growing financial stress at the nation's two largest mortgage finance companies, senior Bush administration officials are considering a plan to have the government take over one or both of the companies and place …

Obama seeks info on Dodd in vice president search  —  WASHINGTON - Barack Obama's presidential campaign has requested information from Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd as part of its search for a possible vice presidential candidate.  —  The former White House hopeful and Connecticut lawmaker indicated Wednesday …

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.

Sudan Leader To Be Charged With Genocide  —  Peace Efforts in Darfur Could Be Hampered, Some U.N. Officials Fear  —  The chief prosecutor of the Internationals Criminal Court will seek an arrest warrant Monday for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, charging him with genocide and crimes …

McCain Adviser Refers to ‘Nation of Whiners’  —  BELLEVILLE, Mich. — Senator John McCain has spent the week trying to tell people that he feels their economic pain.  So it was more than a little unhelpful when one of his top economic advisers was quoted Thursday as saying that the United States …

EPA Won't Act on Emissions This Year  —  Instead of New Rules, More Comment Sought  —  The Bush administration has decided not to take any new steps to regulate greenhouse gas emissions before the president leaves office, despite pressure from the Supreme Court and broad accord among senior federal officials …

Wolfson: Clinton not being vetted ‘as far as I know’  —  On Fox, former Clinton chief strategist Howard Wolfson indicated that Hillary Clinton is not being formally considered as Obama's running mate, in that she has not been asked to undergo the formal vetting process.

Kennedy's Big Day  —  It was the worst of days, it was the best of days.  On Wednesday, Senate Democrats capitulated to the Bush administration on wiretapping — with Barack Obama joining the coalition of the craven.  —  Later that day, however, those same Senate Democrats won a huge victory on Medicare.

McCain Camp Pegs Total War Chest at $400 Million  —  Obama's Budget Put at $480 Million; Big September Hopes  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign said Thursday that Republicans anticipate raising a combined $400 million war chest for the general election campaign against Sen. Barack Obama this fall.

‘Nuts’ Case: How Did Media Cover Jesse Jackson's Choice of Words?  —  NEW YORK When a major political figure or celebrity utters a newsmaking, off-color, remark it is always interesting to observe how different news outlets handle the offending word or words.

Goodbye to “Sister Souljah”  —  I keep hearing that Nutsgate is a “Sister Souljah moment” for Obama.  Frankly, it's annoying me.  First - it's not a Sister Souljah moment at all.  Second - I'm sick of that term.  It's time to retire the Sister Souljah label altogether.  It's inaccurate, and even borderline racist.

How Hostages, And Nations, Get Liberated  —  WASHINGTON — On the day the Colombian military freed Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other long-held hostages, the Italian Parliament passed yet another resolution demanding her release.  Europe had long ago adopted this French-Colombian politician as a cause celebre.

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 …