U.S., Iraq Scale Down Negotiations Over Forces  —  Long-Term Agreement Will Fall to Next President  —  U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have abandoned efforts to conclude a comprehensive agreement governing the long-term status of U.S troops in Iraq before the end of the Bush presidency …

EGO-BAMA, SWALLOW SOME OF THAT PRIDE  —  In his pre-campaign book, “The Audacity of Hope,” Barack Obama proclaims, “I find comfort in the fact that the longer I'm in politics the less nourishing popularity becomes, that a striving for rank and fame seems to betray a poverty of ambition …

What if the Candidates Pandered to Economists?  —  IN the months to come, John McCain and Barack Obama will be vying for the support of various voting blocs.  It is safe to say, however, that one group won't get much attention: economists.  —  The American Economic Association represents …

The Real-Life ‘24’ of Summer 2008  —  WE know what a criminal White House looks like from “The Final Days,” Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's classic account of Richard Nixon's unraveling.  The cauldron of lies, paranoia and illegal surveillance boiled over, until it was finally every man …

No Ice Cream, Senator?  —  Barack Obama may make it to the Rose Garden, but he'll still be an orchid.  For all his attempts to act like a sturdy American perennial, he's a genuine hothouse flower, and everything he is and does is cultivated.  —  He has been trying of late to show off his dad cred …

Dick Cheney: Tony Snow ‘the best’  —  In an homage to Tony Snow, who had not always agreed with President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney says he too has not always agreed with the president - but that he and Snow, the late former press secretary of the president - “the best” he has known - were part of a team.

US Treasury rescue for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac  —  Treasury secretary looks at $15 billion cash injection for crisis-hit mortgage lenders  —  US TREASURY secretary Hank Paulson is working on plans to inject up to $15 billion (£7.5 billion) of capital into Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac …

OBAMA ROCKED BY SCANDAL: Is Presidential Bid Over?  —  I know we're not supposed to directly quote AP stories without paying them serious cash, but this story is so important and has such major ramifications for this election — which will of course decide the leader of the free world …

Bush Homeland Security Aide Caught On Tape Offering High-Level Access For Donations To Bush Library  —  The Sunday Times reports Stephen Payne, a Bush pioneer and a political appointee to the Homeland Security Advisory Council, was caught on tape offering access to key members …

Global Warming Led to ‘Black Hawk Down,’ Congressman Says  —  On the Spot (CNSNews.com) - A top Democrat told high school students gathered at the U.S. Capitol Thursday that climate change caused Hurricane Katrina and the conflict in Darfur, which led to the “black hawk down” battle between U.S. troops and Somali rebels.

Nouri al-Maliki ready to oust US from Iraq green zone  —  The green zone of Baghdad, a highly fortified slice of American suburbia on the banks of the Tigris river, may soon be handed over to Iraqi control if the increasingly assertive government of Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, gets its way.

Obama, McCain agree on many once-divisive issues  —  Their similar stances on immigration, nuclear weapons, global warming and stem-cell research are evidence of a centrist shift in the political landscape.  —  WASHINGTON — For Amy Rick, the 2008 presidential election is a win-win situation.

In Deep South, Obama sees new shades of blue  —  Conservative Dems a factor in strategy  —  ATLANTA — At first glance, the political mailer showing Sen. Barack Obama standing next to a U.S. Senate candidate, both with microphones in hand, gives the impression that the two men were hitting the campaign trail together.