MAKING IT  —  How Chicago shaped Obama.  —  Barack Obama on the South Side during his first campaign, for the State Senate.  An outsider in Chicago's system, he was meticulous about constructing his own political identity and coalition.  Photograph by Marc PoKempner.

The Enthusiasm Gap, Part II  —  Conservative voters remain uninspired by the McCain campaign.  —  Standing on a stage at an auto-parts manufacturing facility in this small town west of Detroit, John McCain reacquainted himself with his enthusiasm gap.  —  Rich Keenan owns the Old Glory Flags …

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 …

Nine US soldiers killed in Afghanistan as Taliban attacks base  —  Taliban insurgents killed nine US troops when they attempted to overrun an American base as bloody fighting broke out in several parts of Afghanistan today.  —  Nato reported that the small American Combat Outpost in Dara …

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 …

Rescue Sought for Fannie and Freddie  —  WASHINGTON — Alarmed about the sharply eroding confidence in the nation's two largest mortgage finance companies, the Bush administration will ask Congress to approve a rescue package that would give the government the authority to buy billions …

Shocker: More than 1 in 10 Army Recruits Now Given “Moral Waivers”  —  It has been rumored by some time that the U.S. Army has had to lower its standards to get enough recruits for its expanded war-fighting needs in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Now firm evidence has emerged, and it is not pretty.

Arnold may consider Obama energy post  —  California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in an interview aired Sunday that he would be open to the idea of serving as energy czar in a Barack Obama administration.  —  Regardless of whether he takes that particular job, Schwarzenegger, a Republican …

George Will Sticks Up For Gramm: Americans Are ‘The Cry Babies Of The Western World’  —  Last week, Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) economic adviser Phil Gramm sparked controversy by stating that the U.S. is in a “mental recession” created by a “nation of whiners.”

The Shame of Postville, Iowa  —  Anyone who has doubts that this country is abusing and terrorizing undocumented immigrant workers should read an essay by Erik Camayd-Freixas, a professor and Spanish-language court interpreter who witnessed the aftermath of a huge immigration workplace raid at a meatpacking plant in Iowa.

A Man Who Loved People, the Gritty Nature of Life and All of the Human Comedy  —  NPR Senior Correspondent/FOX News Political Contributor  —  Tony Snow and I traveled parallel paths through Washington.  We are a year apart in age -Tony is a year younger at 53 -and both loved politics and debate.

Stephen Payne: a hotshot lobbyist who can get you into White House  —  A lobbyist offered access to Dick Cheney and other US leaders in return for a donation to the Bush library  —  The images on the tiny screen of Stephen Payne's personal organiser told a clear story: this was a man with connections at the highest level.