New McCain ad: Obama didn't visit the troops in Germany because he couldn't bring cameras  —  This is a sequel to the attack ad McCain dropped on him at the beginning of his trip, retaining some of the same points about Obama's NATO subcommittee and his having steered clear of Iraq for almost three years.

How Obama Became Acting President  —  IT almost seems like a gag worthy of “Borat”: A smooth-talking rookie senator with an exotic name passes himself off as the incumbent American president to credulous foreigners.  But to dismiss Barack Obama's magical mystery tour through old Europe …

Third of Muslim students back killings  —  Radicalism and support for sharia is strong in British universities  —  ALMOST a third of British Muslim students believe killing in the name of Islam can be justified, according to a poll.  —  The study also found that two in five Muslims …

Shiite Militia in Baghdad Sees Its Power Ebb  —  BAGHDAD — The militia that was once the biggest defender of poor Shiites in Iraq, the Mahdi Army, has been profoundly weakened in a number of neighborhoods across Baghdad, in an important, if tentative, milestone for stability in Iraq.

Sleaze scuppers Democrat golden boy  —  Gotcha: Senator John Edwards, whose wife has cancer, has been caught in a sex scandal that ends his vice-presidential hopes  —  SCRATCH John Edwards off the list of potential vice-presidential candidates.  The former White House contender …

Industry Gushed Money After Reversal on Drilling  —  Campaign contributions from oil industry executives to Sen. John McCain rose dramatically in the last half of June, after the senator from Arizona made a high-profile split with environmentalists and reversed his opposition to the federal ban on offshore drilling.

Obama's brother is in Bracknell  —  HE may be living in a Bracknell council house, but soon he could be dining with his brother at the White House.  —  The Sun was the first newspaper to track down and speak to Bernard Obama, 37.  —  And he said of Democrat candidate Barack: “I'm very proud of my big brother.

Black Radio on Obama Is Left's Answer to Limbaugh  —  ATLANTA — Warren Ballentine, one of black talk radio's new stars, was on a tear against Senator John McCain as he broadcast from the Greenbriar Mall here last week, blithely dismissing Mr. McCain's kind words about Senator Barack Obama at the recent N.A.A.C.P. national convention.

Defining “Victory” in Iraq  —  As recently as the first half of 2007, the idea of an American victory in Iraq seemed like a fantasy to just about everyone, including me.  General David Petraeus surged additional troops to Iraq, however, and he transformed the joint American-Iraqi counterinsurgency strategy …

Gallup Daily: Obama Retains Lead, 48% to 41%  —  Second day with Obama holding a significant lead over McCain  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama has stretched his lead over John McCain among national registered voters to seven percentage points, 48% to 41%, in Gallup Poll Daily tracking conducted July 23-25.

Obama's Sober Mood  —  Greeted by thousands of Europeans, Obama's world tour went smashingly well.  But the candidate says he's not letting any of it go to his head. … —Sen. Barack obama in Berlin, July 24, 2008  —  Even if he wins the election this fall, Barack Obama will have a hard …

This Time, It's Different  —  Global Pressures Have Converged to Forge a New Oil Reality  —  The two events, half a world apart, went largely unheralded.  —  Early this month, Valero Energy in Texas got the unwelcome news that Mexico would be cutting supplies to one of the company's Gulf Coast refineries by up to 15 percent.

Helicopter parents  —  The New York Times devotes some of its front page to a story about overbearing parents who torture summer camp administrators with their specific instructions, whiny demands for exceptionalism, and unreconstructed anxiety.  This is an excellent use of that newspaper's valuable real estate.