Alaska's Sen. Ted Stevens indicted by federal grand jury  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in the U.S. Senate and one of the chamber's most powerful members, was indicted Tuesday in Washington, a result of a year-long investigation into corruption in Alaska politics.

Things I learned today about democracy  —  (updated below - Update II - Update III)  —  Here's what I learned today about democracy and ideology as a result of my debate with Ed Kilgore and having read the comments to the piece I wrote about targeting Blue Dogs:

Obama the Unknown  —  “Just tell me one thing Barack Obama has done that you admire,” I asked a prominent Democrat.  He paused and then said that he admired Obama's speech to the Democratic convention in 2004.  I agreed.  It was a hell of a speech, but it was just a speech.

It's The Aseity  —  Our modern metaphor for Republicans who wear their frustrations on their sleeve is Bob Dole, as Jonathan Martin points out.  Just what about John McCain's past two weeks are so irksome to the political class? … To be fair, McCain's campaign tried this …

Earthquake rocks Los Angeles  —  LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — A magnitude-5.8 earthquake has struck just east of Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.  —  The quake's epicenter was about 2 miles southwest of Chino Hills and about 5 miles southeast of Diamond Bar, the USGS said.

Gallup Daily: Obama 47%, McCain 41%  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama's lead over John McCain, having reached a nine percentage point margin a few days ago, has been reduced for the second Gallup report in a row, and is now at a 6-point, 47% to 41%, margin among registered voters in Gallup Poll Daily tracking conducted July 26-28.

From the Fact Check Desk: Did Obama Say During the Debate Over the Surge That “There's No Doubt that Additional U.S. Troops Could Temporarily Quell the Violence?”  —  Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, on January 10 2007 predicted (watch HERE) that the surge of troops in Iraq would fail.

A Few Thoughts  —  I'm just back from a week's vacation.  A few thoughts by way of catching up:  —The best thing about Obama's Europe trip was the images, and that's because Obama is a politician of physical genius.  He looks great, moves with grace, and holds himself with a natural authority.

Discussion: An Elite Backlash Against McCain's Tone? … A question from “Scott” in New York is just the start of it.  USA Today calls a new McCain ad “a marker on the path toward the kind of simplistic, counterproductive demonizing that many expect will poison the fall campaign.”

What Do Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity And Michael Savage Have In Common?  —  digg it  —  Jim David Adkisson, the right wing terrrorist whose rampage left 2 dead and 7 wounded Knoxville, was a fan of all three.  —  The vitriol these three have hurled at progressives over the years is sickening.

Sebelius, Kaine, Bayh, Biden  —  The following three Democrats are being vetted by Eric Holder and Caroline Kennedy and there is independent evidence that Obama is taking a serious look at them:  —  Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Gov. Tim Kaine, Sen. Evan Bayh.  —  Additionally, allies …

Sad State of the RNC  —  A few minutes ago, I received an email alert from the Republican National Committee with the following title:  —  ***MEDIA ADVISORY***  —  RNC Launches New Web Video: “Obama TV Ad In Berlin”  —  Curious, I clicked through to watch the video …

Officials: Al Qaeda's Mad Scientist Killed  —  CIA Drone Targeted Chemical Weapons Expert Abu Khabab Al-Masri On Afghanistan-Pakistan Border  —  (CBS) Written for CBSNews.com by Farhan Bokhari, reporting from Islamabad.  —  One of al Qaeda's top chemical and biological weapons experts …

Toby Keith's Pro-Lynching Publicity Tour Hits Colbert, CBS, And More!  —  Despite his background as a comedian, Stephen Colbert is known by many of the authors who have appeared on his show as one of the toughest interviewers in the business.  But on July 28, when country music superstar Toby Keith stepped …

Obamanomics Is a Recipe for Recession  —  What if I told you that a prominent global political figure in recent months has proposed: abrogating key features of his government's contracts with energy companies; unilaterally renegotiating his country's international economic treaties …

Reid plan splits Dems  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has split the Democratic front opposed to drilling with a plan that would open new areas for exploration.  —  Reid's proposal was meant to insulate Senate Democratic candidates from public anger over gas prices.

China spying on Olympics hotel guests-US senator  —  China has installed Internet-spying equipment in all the major hotel chains serving the 2008 Summer Olympics, a U.S. senator charged on Tuesday.  —  “The Chinese government has put in place a system to spy on and gather information …

John Edwards Among the Wikipedians  —  non-coverage of the John Edwards scandal and highly active Wikipedia articles, I can't believe I've so far missed out on the controversy over what to do with said scandal on said politician's entry on said reference website.