May We Mock, Barack?  —  When I interviewed Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert for Rolling Stone a couple years ago, I wondered what Barack Obama would mean for them.  —  “It seems like a President Obama would be harder to make fun of than these guys,” I said.  —  “Are you kidding me?”  Stewart scoffed.

The Iron Timetable  —  BARACK OBAMA yesterday accused President Bush and Sen. John McCain of rigidity on Iraq: “They said we couldn't leave when violence was up, they say we can't leave when violence is down.”  Mr. Obama then confirmed his own foolish consistency.

So Popular and So Spineless  —  Much ink has been spilled lately decrying the decline in American popularity around the world under President Bush.  Polls tell us how China is now more popular in Asia than America and how few Europeans say they identify with the United States.

Obama Campaign Criticizes New York Times Story On Poll  —  The Obama campaign is taking issue with The New York Times this morning over the paper's front-page piece today on the Times poll released last night, critiquing the story for omitting a great deal of the paper's own poll polling data …

Elizabeth Dole Says “F**k You” To Americans Who Died From AIDS  —  This is unbelievable.  Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) wants to rename the the current AIDS relief bill after Jesse Helms. … Jesse Helms, the man who in 1987 described AIDS prevention literature as “so obscene, so revolting, I may throw up.”

Inflation: Price jump worst since '91  —  Record gas and higher costs prices spark a 5% annual jump in Consumer Price Index.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Record gas and higher food prices drove inflation to the biggest annual jump since 1991 and fanned fears about growing pressures on consumers.

On the Outside Now, Watching Fannie Falter  —  In the four years since he stepped down as Fannie Mae's chief executive under the shadow of a $6.3 billion accounting scandal, Franklin D. Raines has been quietly constructing a new life for himself.  He has shaved eight points off his golf handicap …

Olmert: We paid heavy price due to moral duty to our troops  —  The coffins of Israeli reservists Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser were delivered to an army base in northern Israel on Wednesday, where their families were waiting, hours after the soldiers' bodies were returned in a prisoner exchange …

US troops pull out of Afghan base after attack  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S. troops abandoned a remote outpost in eastern Afghanistan where militants killed nine American soldiers this week and insurgents briefly overran the area, officials said Wednesday, underlining the difficulties faced by forces in the border region.

Congressional Approval Hits Record-Low 14%  —  Democrats less positive than Republicans about Congress  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Congress' job approval rating has dropped five percentage points over the past month, from 19% in June to 14% in July, making the current reading the lowest congressional …

Breaking: What Else Jesse Jackson Said on That FNC Tape  —  Exclusive: TVNewser has been sent the transcript of what Jesse Jackson said Sunday morning July 6, as he prepared for an interview on Fox & Friends Weekend.  Below is the partial transcript we received in our tips box …

Hillary Clinton launches fundraising for 2012 already!  —  Just six weeks after reluctantly surrendering to Barack Obama in the brutal 2008 Democratic primary race, Sen. Hillary Clinton has begun raising money for what she says is her 2012 New York Senate reelection campaign.

Gay tourism ad causes uproar in S.C.  —  State cancels contract, faces investigation after posters plaster London  —  A state employee has resigned and officials have disavowed an international advertising campaign that led to calls for an investigation of tourism posters proclaiming “South Carolina is so gay.”

Planned Parenthood Action Fund: ‘Simple Question’  —  Planned Parenthood Action Fund is launching a televised campaign against Senator John McCain on cable in some swing states today.  —  The ad uses McCain's evident discomfort with a question about whether it's “unfair” …