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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.”

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.

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 …

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.

Freddie Mac's Next Hurdle: Raise Cash  —  Treasury Working to Make Sure Debt Sale Succeeds  —  Treasury Department officials were working the telephones yesterday to make sure that Freddie Mac, one of the nation's two troubled mortgage giants, will be able to sell $3 billion of its securities tomorrow …