McCain Meltdown  —  John McCain said this today in Rochester, New Hampshire: … This is the ninth presidential campaign I've covered.  I can't remember a more scurrilous statement by a major party candidate.  It smacks of desperation.  It renews questions about whether McCain has the right temperament for the presidency.

Obama Ignorance Watch (A Very Special Edition!)  —  As you know, Barack Obama is still trotting across the globe, sinking three pointers, ignoring military counsel and healing the occasional leper.  Amidst all the hullabaloo, these Obama comments regarding Israel and terrorism have been sadly overlooked:

So Presidential.  So Supremely Confident.  So Confidently Striding.  The Jacket...  The New York Times critic Alessandra Stanley, last mentioned in the Corner for her assertion that Rev. Jeremiah Wright “revealed himself to be the compelling but slightly wacky uncle who unsettles strangers …

All Hail ‘McBama’  —  John McCain needs to wake up and smell the Arabic coffee.  —  I know this is not an easy time for him.  When you have been beaten up for four years because of your support for the Iraq war, and then you get something big right — your support for the surge — you want to be able to savor that for a while.

Obama tour staged for political pop  —  JERUSALEM - Democrat Barack Obama doesn't travel light.  —  Halfway around the world, the Obama campaign machine appears as sprawling and seamless as it is on its home turf.  As the presumptive Democratic nominee tours five countries in five days …

Is McCain inching towards Pawlenty?  —  ROCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN) - It's VP tea leaf reading season, and a Republican source who attended a small private meeting with John McCain Tuesday in New Hampshire tells CNN that the GOP candidate dropped a serious hint about Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.

CBS covers-up humiliating McCain error, misleads national audience  —  Following up on the last post, John McCain, in response to a question from CBS anchor Katie Couric, demonstrated bizarre confusion about the basics of the U.S. surge policy in Iraq.  McCain got the basic timeline and history …

Obama Campaign Prints German-language Flyers for Berlin Rally  —  This is pretty extraordinary.  A candidate for the American Presidency is using flyers printed in German to turn people out for his campaign rally in Berlin on Thursday.  This flyer can be found on a bilingual page on BarackObama.com advertising the event:

What did Bush say at Olson Fundraiser?  —  The President's folks didn't let the press in, but we got some exclusive video of POTUS talking up a storm at Pete Olson's fundraiser on July 18th.  Click and take a look. transcript below the video.  —  What President Bush said:

Breaking: Novak cited after hitting pedestrian  —  Syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak was cited by police after he hit a pedestrian with his black Corvette in downtown Washington, D.C., Wednesday morning.  —  A Politico reporter saw Novak in the front of a police car with a citation in his hand …

Rangel to file complaint against self — first official grievance since 2004  —  Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday will formally ask the House ethics committee to investigate allegations that he misused his congressional office.  —  Aides to the powerful chairman of the Ways …

HALPERIN'S TAKE: What John McCain Needs to Win  —  What McCain needs to win:  —  Stuff he can't control:  —For Obama to make a substantive mistake on his overseas trip that changes the vector direction of the coverage — especially while he is in Israel.

Excuse Me While I Get My Gun  —  Washington, D.C. defies the Supreme Court's Second Amendment ruling  —  Last month the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the District of Columbia had violated the Second Amendment by making armed self-defense in the home impractical and banning the most popular weapons used for that purpose.

Tales From The JV Squad: No Press Avail  —  WILKES-BARRE, PA — The one scheduled McCain press conference of the week has just been canceled, we are told.  No word as to why.  Grumble, grumble.  —  Why?  Scheduling.  Which is like answering “food” to “what did you eat for breakfast.”

The Fannie Mae Gang  —  Angelo Mozilo was in one of his Napoleonic moods.  It was October 2003, and the CEO of Countrywide Financial was berating me for The Wall Street Journal's editorials raising doubts about the accounting of Fannie Mae.  I had just been introduced to him by Franklin Raines …