Iraqi Leader Stirs up US Campaign  —  Obama is pleased, but McCain certainly is not.  In an interview with SPIEGEL, Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki expressed support for Obama's troop withdrawal plans.  Despite a half-hearted retraction, the comments have stirred up the US presidential campaign.

Rendering public opinion irrelevant  —  One of the most striking aspects of our political discourse, particularly during election time, is how efficiently certain views that deviate from the elite consensus are banished from sight — simply prohibited — even when those views are held by the vast majority of citizens.

Closed Mouths, but Open Tryouts to Make the Team  —  For all the lengths Senators Barack Obama and John McCain have gone to in keeping their hunt for a vice president under wraps, their deliberations are in some ways being conducted in plain sight.  —  There was Mr. McCain appearing yet again …

Given a Shovel, Americans Dig Deeper Into Debt  —  The collection agencies call at least 20 times a day.  For a little quiet, Diane McLeod stashes her phone in the dishwasher.  —  But right up until she hit the wall financially, Ms. McLeod was a dream customer for lenders.

Obama: Situation in Afghanistan is ‘urgent’  —  KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) — Sen. Barack Obama said Sunday that United States needs to focus on Afghanistan in its battle against terrorism.  —  “The Afghan government needs to do more.  But we have to understand that the situation is precarious and urgent here in Afghanistan.

Day 1 of Obama's Magical Media Tour: All Air from Outside the Paint!  —  A great first day on national television news for Barack Obama as he began his much-hyped overseas trip with a stop in Kuwait before moving on to Afghanistan.  CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, seemingly channeling the media's own excitement …

Dan Rather: Jesse Jackson paved the way for...Osama bin Laden?!  —  When asked for his opinion on the whole Jesse Jackson/Barack Obama dust up, Dan Rather talks about his admiration for the legendary civil rights activists, and says Osama bin Laden wouldn't be possible without him.  Say what?

Palestinians: Israel uses rats against J'lem Arabs  —  The Palestinian Authority's official news agency Wafa says Israel is using rats to drive Arab families out of their homes in the Old City of Jerusalem.  —  In the past the news agency, which is controlled and funded …

Inauguration tix selling fast in Illinois  —  Like Cubs or White Sox fans booking their World Series seats at the All-Star Break, Illinois residents are snapping up tickets to celebrate Barack Obama's potential inauguration in Washington next year.  —  Never mind that native-son Obama …

Obama's steady centrism  —  Throughout the left-wing blogosphere, the cry has come: Barack Obama is moving away from them, and to the center.  “Moving to the middle is for losers,” cried the politically ambidextrous Arianna Huffington.  He's “betraying his claims of being a new kind of politician …

The Tautology of Hope  —  I'm pretty sure this is photoshopped, but either way it says volumes about Obama's vapid sloganeering: