Vanity Fair Covers The New Yorker  —  We here at Vanity Fair maintain a kind of affectionate rivalry with our downstairs neighbors at The New Yorker.  We play softball every year, compete for some of the same stories, and share an elevator bank.  (You can tell the ones who are headed …

McCain gaffes pile up; critics pile on  —  Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) said “Iraq” when he apparently meant “Afghanistan” on Monday, adding to a string of mixed-up word choices that is giving ammunition to the opposition.  —  Just in the past three weeks, McCain has also mistaken “Somalia” …

Obama , Couric Spar Over Surge  —  Check out this exchange between CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric and Sen. Barack Obama about why Obama says he still wouldn't have supported the surge back then had he known it would help reduce violence so significantly.

Novak: “I Just Put Something on the Internet” (!!)  —  Prince of Darkness tells Fox News Channel: His report about McCain announcing his running mate this week may have been “a dodge” by the campaign to grab some headlines from Obama.  —  The conservative columnist goes on to say he'd gotten the tip from a …

The lowdown on offshore oil reserves  —  (07-21) 21:03 PDT — U.S. offshore oil fields could hold enough crude to supply all of the country's needs for more than 11 years.  —  Or they might not.  No one knows for certain because, with new offshore oil drilling banned on the East and West coasts …

OBAMA ON THE SURGE....Over at the Corner, Andy McCarthy berates Barack Obama's explanation for the reduction in violence in Iraq ("What you had is a combination of political factors inside of Iraq that then came right at the same time as terrific work by our troops"): … Hmmm.  Let's roll the tape:

Why Jesse Jackson Hates Obama  —  A few weeks ago, the Rev. Jesse Jackson made something of a fool of himself.  There he was — a historical figure in his own right — threatening the castration of Barack Obama.  It was sad to see.  —  If I have often criticized Mr. Jackson, I have also, reservedly, admired him.

Maliki's Endorsement: Not Lost in Translation  —  German magazine Der Spiegel caused quite a commotion this week by printing an interview with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki in which he endorsed Obama's Iraq plan by name.  Some tried to downplay the significance of this endorsement …

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS CAUGHT WITH MISTRESS AND LOVE CHILD!  —  Vice Presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards was caught visiting his mistress and secret love child at 2:40 this morning in a Los Angeles hotel by the NATIONAL ENQUIRER.  —  The married ex-senator from North Carolina …

Is the Media Trying to Elect Obama?  —  Tomorrow, CBS's Katie Couric will interview Barack Obama from Jordan.  On Wednesday, ABC's Charlie Gibson will chat with him from Israel.  And on Thursday, NBC's Brian Williams will do the honors from Germany.  Call it the presidential campaign equivalent of Shooting the Moon.

Analysis: Obama's Gravitas  —  Barack Obama's press conference this morning in Amman, Jordan, was a major moment — perhaps the major moment — of the Illinois senator's much-ballyhooed trip abroad this week.  —  All eyes were on Obama to see how he would perform on a world stage …

Young Republicans, Blue About the Prospects Ahead  —  Gen-Nexters Are Feeling Left Out of the Party  —  David All glanced around Top of the Hill bar and saw the future of the Republican Party.  It looked dim.  A who's who of young conservatives had gathered, but they were few, and they were frustrated.

Too young for the No. 1 job?  —  Barack Obama is too young to be president.  Yes I know he is 46 and the Constitution sets the presidential age qualification at 35 or higher, but Obama has said that we ought not to interpret the Constitution woodenly and formalistically.

City gives DNC host committee pass on gas tax  —  The committee hosting the Democratic National Convention is using the city's gas pumps to fill up on fuel, avoiding state and federal highway taxes, officials said today.  —  “There's something there that just doesn't seem right to me because …