NYT REJECTS MCCAIN'S EDITORIAL; SHOULD ‘MIRROR’ OBAMA  —  An editorial written by Republican presidential hopeful McCain has been rejected by the NEW YORK TIMES — less than a week after the paper published an essay written by Obama, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

Re: Maliki's “Inartful” Statement  —  If the New York Times account is to be credited, McCain should stick with the “Maliki was ‘inartful’” explanation.  “Mistranslated and taken out of context” is not gonna fly.  —  The Times indicates that, after Maliki's interview comments in Der Spiegel became known, U.S. diplomats complained.

TRANSLATION ISSUE OR MORE WAPO HACKERY?  —  We noted over the weekend that the Washington Post all but ignored the initial story of Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki announcing his support for Barack Obama's 16 month withdrawal plan.  Now that the Iraqi government's de facto embrace of Obama's timetable …

Obama roars with $25M one-day haul  —  After locking up his party's presidential nomination, Barack Obama's fundraising operation came roaring back to life in June, generating more than a million dollars on five days, including a whopping $25 million that came in on the last day of the month.

Obama's Revenge: New Yorker Banned From Press Plane For Overseas Trip  —  It led with the report that Lara Logan had scored the first overseas sit-down with Barack Obama, but here's the most interesting nugget from yesterday's Mike Allen piece about the trip: … Wow.  So it's gonna be like that, is it?

Mukasey: We need detainee hearing rules  —  In the aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling last month that detainees at Guantanamo Bay have a constitutional right to challenge their detention in federal court, Attorney General Michael Mukasey today called on Congress to spell …

Obama: Go to Mecca, not Berlin  —  The travel itineraries of the candidates for President have been interesting to analyze.  A couple of weeks ago it was announced that Cindy McCain was going to travel to Rwanda as part of a group to discuss the effects of poverty and disease on the people in that country.

McCain Warns Of ‘Hard Struggle’ On The ‘Iraq-Pakistan Border’  —  Today on Good Morning America, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) refused to call the situation in Afghanistan “precarious and urgent,” but admitted that “We have a lot of work to do.”  He warned of a “very hard struggle …

The Road To Serfdom?  —  That's what President Bush has put us on, according to Peter Robinson, who cites, to prove his point, the following chart:  —  Note that the increase looks roughly twice as shocking as it actually is because the chart-makers, John Cogan and Glenn Hubbard …

The “Inartful” Maliki  —  Andy: Nothing in any of Maliki's “inartful” statements is the least bit surprising to a “To Hell With Them” Hawk.  This absurd and insane desire to be loved and admired by foreigners will be the death of this republic.  —  Now that our American blood and money …

Times Columnist Uncovers His Darkest Story  —  David Carr's latest subject is a pathetic human being, a thug, a manipulative jerk who uses people and puts his own kids in danger.  —  The New York Times media columnist is writing about himself.  —  He is unsparing as he rips the protective bark off …

Their Fair Share  —  Washington is teeing up “the rich” for a big tax hike next year, as a way to make them “pay their fair share.”  Well, the latest IRS data have arrived on who paid what share of income taxes in 2006, and it's going to be hard for the rich to pay any more than they already do.

A Strategy For McCain  —  EDITOR'S NOTE: A longer version of this piece appears in the new issue of National Review.  —  The good news for Republicans is that Obama can be beaten.  The bad news is that the McCain campaign has embarked on a course that — although it has some of the right elements — seems likely to fail.

One simple way to predict a victor  —  One cannot help but be struck by the current disconnection in US presidential politics between, on one hand, the excitement and enthusiasm that attend Barack Obama's candidacy and, on the other, the tightness of the race according to recent polls.