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.”

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.

McCain finally endorses campaign to end racial preferences...or does he?  —  Over the past year, I've blogged repeatedly about true maverick and civil rights pioneer Ward Connerly's Super Tuesday for Equality campaign to end discriminatory government race/gender preferences across the country …

For Obama, Hurdles in Expanding Black Vote  —  MACON, Ga. — Amanda Bass, a volunteer for Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign, had already tried once to get Wilmer Gray to register to vote.  But when she glimpsed him in a black T-shirt and White Sox cap again on a recent weekday …

Funds for Highways Plummet As Drivers Cut Gasoline Use  —  An unprecedented cutback in driving is slashing the funds available to rebuild the nation's aging highway system and expand mass-transit options, underscoring the economic impact of high gasoline prices.

Senate's ‘Dr. No’ Spurs Showdown Over Spending  —  Instead of a keepsake photo of a political hero or his family, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has a large framed picture next to his desk that serves as a constant reminder of his political ideology.  Inside the black frame and matting is a single word, in large white letters: “No.”

Petraeus won't join bandwagon for Iraq withdrawal timetable  —  BAGHDAD — The top U.S. military commander in Iraq isn't buying the increasingly popular idea of a publicly stated timetable for American troop withdrawal.  —  Gen. David Petraeus, the Iraq commander, said in an interview …

Docking Paychecks for Politics  —  The mighty Service Employees International Union (SEIU) plans to spend some $150 million in this year's election, most of it to get Barack Obama and other Democrats elected.  Where'd they get that much money?  —  That's a question the Departments of Labor …

TOO HARD FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND.  —  For reasons that I try not to speculate on before 9am, the media likes to make policy disputes sound incredibly complicated.  Much too complicated for mortals to understand, or base electoral behavior on.  Take this Time article on the various tax plans floating around the election.

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 …

Cuomo to Obama: Be specific  —  Former governor, at FBI fete, says he's unhappy with presidential race  —  COLONIE — Former Gov. Mario Cuomo expressed concern Friday night that Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, is not offering specific policy positions.

Closer Than He Should Be  —  In the contest for president, Barack Obama is a magnetic candidate supported by a disciplined, well-organized campaign.  John McCain seems wooden, with a campaign that appears to be in shambles.  Yet Obama's lead in the polls over McCain is fragile because he so far …

TOP TEN THINGS THAT CREEP ME OUT ABOUT OBAMA  —  I know it is not politically correct to say that Obama “creeps me out.”  That's because immediately after uttering such blasphemy, our friends on the left would put me on the couch and matter of factly inform me that I am suffering from …

McCain has reason to smile as he visits state  —  He's been portrayed by Democrats as the grumpy old man of foreign policy and the “McSame” candidate.  But even after a brutal week that put his competitor, Barack Obama, in a glowing international spotlight, Republican Sen. John McCain is coming …