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.

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 …

McCain Camp's New Attack: Obama Is The One Who's The Same As Bush  —  The McCain campaign is taking their effort to distance their candidate from the unpopular President Bush to a whole new level: McCain's advisers are now openly attacking Bush on Iraq — and not only that …

Now Obama is Promising to Get Rid of All Nuclear Weapons  —  Barack Obama has a plan to get rid of all the nuclear weapons in the world.  —  He's going to achieve this amazing feat by making sure the US adheres to nonproliferation treaties. … Because Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong-Il …

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.

Mr Bernanke, tear down this inflation  —  Consumer inflation rose at 1.1% last month, with even the dreaded core inflation posting higher than expected increases.  I'd say it was clear before, but if it wasn't then, it sure is now: the attempt to ride out the oil and monetary shocks with monetary stimulus is not a good idea.

Tom Friedman doesn't understand why America is unpopular in the world  —  Tom Friedman is befuddled.  He cannot understand “the decline in American popularity around the world under President Bush” and is specifically upset about the fact that “China is now more popular in Asia than America …

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.”

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.

Gates Warns of Militarized Policy  —  Defense Secretary Stresses Civilian Aspects of U.S. Engagement  —  Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates warned yesterday against the risk of a “creeping militarization” of U.S. foreign policy, saying the State Department should lead U.S. engagement with other countries …

US troops poised to cross Afghan border for raid on bases  —  US troops in Afghanistan massed close to the border yesterday for a possible attack on al-Qaeda and Taleban bases in the lawless North Waziristan tribal belt in Pakistan.  —  Reports from the area said that hundreds of Nato troops …

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 …

9/11 billboard draws flak from Florida Dems, GOP  —  (CNN) — A Florida man is using billboards with an image of the burning World Trade Center to encourage votes for a Republican presidential candidate, drawing criticism for politicizing the 9/11 attacks.  —  “Please Don't Vote for a Democrat” …

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.”

Election 2008: Oregon Senate  —  Oregon Senate: Merkley tops Smith for first time 43% to 41%  —  Democratic challenger Jeff Merkley for the first time has edged ahead of Republican Senator Gordon Smith 43% to 41% in Oregon, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey.

Our creative mortgage crisis?  —  Here is a really good creative capitalism idea.  All Americans benefit from increases in home ownership because of the values like hard work, community, and respect for property that ownership instills.  Families want desperately to own their own homes and accumulate equity.

Naral: Pro-choice t-shirt-wearers barred from McCain event [UPDATED]  —  [UPDATED WITH MCCAIN CAMPAIGN RESPONSE]  —  The McCain campaign is sharply disputing a claim by the New Mexico arm of NARAL Pro-Choice that it had three of the group's members barred from the Arizona Senator's event in Albuquerque yesterday.