Robert Novak Hospitalized  —  Robert Novak was admitted yesterday to a Boston hospital where he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  In a written statement given to his publisher, Novak said:  —  “On Sunday, July 27, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  I have been admitted to Brigham …

Police: Accused shooter hated liberals, expected to be killed  —  4-page letter outlines frustration, hatred of ‘liberal movement’  —  Please download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player, or enable JavaScript for your browser to view the video player.

Be Afraid.  Please.  —  Life is full of disappointments.  —  Early Friday, I went to the Real Clear Politics Web site, as I do every morning, for my fix of political news and commentary.  I perked up when I saw the third entry on the list of that day's notable articles — “No. 44 Has Spoken.”

Justice Officials Repeatedly Broke Law on Hiring, Report Says  —  Former Justice Department counselor Monica M. Goodling and former chief of staff D. Kyle Sampson routinely broke the law by conducting political litmus tests on candidates for jobs as immigration judges and line prosecutors …

Go take a hike, injured vets tell nervy Cheney  —  WASHINGTON - Vice President Cheney's invitation to address wounded combat veterans next month has been yanked because the group felt his security demands were Draconian and unreasonable.  —  The veep had planned to speak to the Disabled American Veterans …

FIRST THOUGHTS: ANALYZE THIS  —  From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro  —  *** Analyze this: We've now crossed the 100-day mark before Election Day, and the chattering class is going to obsessed with two things this week: 1) over-analyzing the veepstakes and 2) over-analyzing any overseas bounce for Obama.

Double Entendre Kisses Off MoveOn's Youth Moblization Effort  —  MoveOn.Org claims this is the first political ad to air on Comedy Central:  —  “I've been living with it for a while now.”  —  No, not the syph.  —  It's “hope.”  The guy on the right is Rider Strong from “Boy Meets World.”

McCain Has Mole-Like Skin Removed  —  ABC News' Bret Hovell reports: John McCain had a small piece of mole-like skin removed from his right temple this morning at a regularly scheduled dermatological checkup in Phoenix.  —  “It was just a precautionary measure,” a campaign aide …

KENNETH POLLACK'S GRAND STRATEGY FOR THE MIDDLE EAST.  —  In recent years, former CIA analyst and Clinton-administration National Security Council staffer Kenneth Pollack has found himself so close to Bush administration Middle East policies—like regime change in Iraq and Gen. David Petraeus' surge strategy …

U.S. Deficit to Reach Record $490 Billion in 2009  —  The U.S. budget deficit will widen to a record of about $490 billion next year, an administration official said, leaving a deep budget hole that will constrain the next president's tax and spending plans.

Bonnie Fuller on Team Obama's Tabloid Strategy  —  Portraying Barack and Michelle as Brangelina Is Working  —  It's official.  The Obamas are just like us.  With their latest PR move — being photographed as a family for this week's People magazine cover story titled “The Obamas At Home” …

U.S. Headed for ‘Heightened Alert’ Stage  —  Exclusive: Major Events on the Horizon Prompt a Surge in Anti-Terror Efforts  —  Government officials have been quietly stepping up counterterror efforts out of a growing concern that al Qaeda or similar organizations might try to capitalize …

The Streisand interview  —  “She sometimes answers questions by e-mail,” said one of Barbra Streisand's trusted confidants, when asked if the star would consent to an interview with Politico.  Streisand, who occasionally posts political statements on her own website, rarely does print Q …