No. 44 Has Spoken  —  Anyone who saw Barack Obama at Berlin's Siegessäule on Thursday could recognize that this man will become the 44th president of the United States.  He is more than ambitious — he wants to lay claim to become the president of the world.

Secret torture memo released  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Bush administration told the CIA in 2002 that its interrogators working abroad would not violate U.S. prohibitions against torture unless they “have the specific intent to inflict severe pain or suffering,” according …

What Bush and Batman Have in Common  —  A cry for help goes out from a city beleaguered by violence and fear: A beam of light flashed into the night sky, the dark symbol of a bat projected onto the surface of the racing clouds . . .  Oh, wait a minute.  That's not a bat, actually.

End of the Affair  —  Barack Obama and the press break up.  —  Around midnight on July 16, New York Times chief political correspondent Adam Nagourney received a terse e-mail from Barack Obama's press office.  The campaign was irked by the Times' latest poll and Nagourney …

HE COULD BE A SERIAL LIAR  —  Maybe there is another explanation for Barack Obama's trouble with the truth, but I'm not sure what it would be.  He did it again today, loosing a palpable falsehood on NBC.  Not that it's a surprise; Obama coming out with a whopper has become pretty much a daily occurrence.

Did today's Obama speech remind anyone else of ...  This groundbreaking moment?  Which reminds us of what Republican consultant Doug Heye said on FNC over the weekend: “We don't want President Hasselhoff.”

OBAMA'S MISSING ‘THESIS’  —  NBC Senior Investigative Producer Jim Popkin looks at “Obama and the case of the missing ‘thesis’” in an item on NBC blog Deep Background.  —  Conservative provocateurs have been hunting for it.  Investigative journalists have been on the prowl, too.

Barack Obama Attacked In First National Political Ad Ever To Air On MTV  —  Conservative group reaches out to younger voters with ‘Both Ways Barack’ ad.  —  There have been a lot of firsts in the 27-year history of MTV, but beginning Wednesday night (July 23), the channel will begin airing something …

MCCAIN QUESTIONS SPEECH, FORGETS CANADA  —  From NBC's Mark Murray  —  In his interview with NBC's Kelly O'Donnell, which will air on NBC's Nightly News tonight, McCain questions whether Obama should have given a speech in Berlin before becoming president.

2008 National Survey of Latinos: Hispanic Voter Attitudes  —  Hispanic registered voters support Democrat Barack Obama for president over Republican John McCain by 66% to 23%, according to a nationwide survey of 2,015 Latinos conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center, from June 9 through July 13, 2008.

GOPers Wait a Lifetime for a Moment Like This … GOPers may have a field day with at least one oft-used-line from Obama's speech today, which he amended slightly for his Berlin audience:  —  “America, this is our moment.  This is our time” - Obama, speaking in MN the night he officially won the Dem nomination (6/3).

McCain talks up Pawlenty  —  BETHLEHEM, Pennsylvania (CNN) - Reluctant at first to wade into the vice presidential selection process, John McCain Wednesday was coaxed into offering more praise for one of the hotter names in the speculation game this week.  —  Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty drew …

Man Hit by Novak Has Hurt Shoulder but Is ‘Doing Fine’  —  The homeless pedestrian who was struck by a car driven by syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak said in a radio interview yesterday that he is “doing fine,” recovering from a dislocated shoulder, and voiced surprise and amusement …

Gays in Iraq terrorized by threats, rape, murder  —  Editor's note: CNN agreed to change the names of the two men in this article to protect their identities.  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Kamal was just 16 when gunmen snatched him off the streets of Baghdad, stuffed him in the trunk of a car and whisked him away to a house.

Just Curious  —  If Obama could go to Germany and give a speech in English and be not only understood but well-received, why does he say we all need to learn another language?  —  I say that as a big proponent of Latin learning.  But I'm guessing Obama had other languages in mind ...

Price for Obama tickets?  Activism  —  The crowd enveloping Barack Obama when he accepts the Democratic nomination for president at Invesco Field at Mile High will be asked to get to work for the privilege of witnessing the historic event live.  —  In a half-hour interview Wednesday with The Denver Post …

Americans on American Soil  —  It's a small passage from Obama's Berlin speech, but this formulation, common in some circles, grates on some ears, like mine: … Yes, the victims were from all over the globe — places like Brooklyn, and the Bronx, and Manhattan, and Queens, and Staten Island, and New Jersey — all over.