Never Underestimate McCain, But ...  John McCain might seem like a long shot.  He's the Republican nominee at a time when the two-term Republican President is wildly unpopular and Republicans are losing elections in perennially Republican districts and the party base isn't exactly drooling over him.

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” …

Maliki Bets That Obama Will Prevail  —  Reception of Democrat Shaped by Chalabi Advice  —  WASHINGTON — In throwing his support behind Senator Obama's plan for a 16-month timetable for an American withdrawal from Iraq, Prime Minister al-Maliki is calculating that Mr. Obama …

Coverage of ‘Netroots’ Confab Draws Protest— Snarky Article Spiked — Editor's Note Apologizes  —  NEW YORK (Commentary) It started innocently enough, over coffee in a hotel lobby, with me (as usual at that hour) huddled over a newspaper—in print, not on a laptop, unlike everyone else in the vicinity.

Obama Far More Popular Among Jews Than Lieberman  —  If Barack Obama has a problem among Jewish voters, then Sen. Joseph Lieberman is in monumental trouble.  —  Among the most high-profile Jews in Congress, Lieberman is viewed far more unfavorably than the presumptive Democratic nominee, according to a new poll.

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 returns to NH with visit to Rochester  —  MANCHESTER - “Mac” is back.  —  Sen. John McCain returned to New Hampshire last night, flashing an “OK” sign at an aide as he stepped out onto an airport tarmac in Manchester.  —  The Arizona Republican will be in Rochester today.

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.

Andrea Mitchell says Obama gave fake interviews in the Middle East  —  On Hardball today, Matthews talked about Obama's excellent interaction with the military in Afghanistan and Iraq.  The Politico's Roger Simon, a Villager extraordinaire said that the middle east trip is going swimmingly so far.

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.

Ink-Stained Wretchedness  —  Tattoos are the emblems of our age.  They bristle from the biceps of men in summer shirts, from the lower backs of women as they ascend stairs, from the shoulders of basketball players as they drive toward the basket, and from every inch of certain celebrities.

Election 2008: Ohio Presidential Election  —  McCain Opens Modest Lead in Ohio  —  John McCain has opened a modest lead over Barack Obama in the key swing state of Ohio.  The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the Buckeye State shows McCain attracting 46% of the vote while Obama earns 40%.

Attack injures 5 near Obama's Jerusalem hotel  —  JERUSALEM (CNN) — The driver of a backhoe was shot and killed after driving the construction machine over a number of vehicles near the Jerusalem hotel where Sen. Barack Obama is scheduled to stay Tuesday night, according to police.

A PREDICTION: If Barack Obama is elected President, he'll be far more warlike than President Bush, and far more warlike than his pre-election rhetoric suggests.  Because before he's elected President, attacks on America are just attacks on America.  But after he's elected President …

Richardson to McCain: Stop whining about editorial  —  New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is “overreacting” and “whining” in response to The New York Times refusing to run his editorial about Iraq.  —  Richardson, who supports Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) …

Flip Obama Treatment  —  I have MSNBC on and I'm not listening to Barack Obama's Jordan press conference.  Which is the point of this post.  —  I'm not proud, but the truth is, he is so not-impressive off-script that you easily forget that this is SOMETHING BIG you're watching.

GOP senators scramble for life boats  —  Republican Senate leaders — terrified by the prospect of losing five or more seats in November — have freed their members to vote however they need to vote to get reelected, even if that means bucking the president or the party's leadership.