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.

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 …

Pelosi: 'I'm trying to save the planet'  —  Just call her Nancy the Navigator.  —  “I have always loved longitude,” Nancy Pelosi says before breaking into laughter.  “I love latitude; it's in the stars.  But longitude, it's about time. ...  Time and clocks and all the rest of that have always been a fascination for me.”

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 …

Let's give “Blue Dogs” the boot  —  Pushing conservative Democrats out of Congress could help the party stand up to the GOP.  —  In American politics, exceedingly few positions generate overwhelming agreement across the ideological spectrum.  Even propositions that ought to be uncontroversial …

The campaign is all about Obama  —  If you made a movie about the general election campaign so far, John McCain would be a supporting actor.  —  Despite vulnerabilities that have kept the race closer in polls than most analysts expected - and McCain even jumped to a four-point lead among likely voters …

Obama: Odds of winning are very good  —  ARLINGTON, Virginia (CNN) - Barack Obama told donors at a Monday night fundraiser just across the Potomac River from Washington that “the odds of us winning are very good.”  —  Obama was reflecting on how far the campaign had come since its early days when …

McCain defends his tech smarts in S.F.  —  He says he's using computer more each day  —  GOP presidential candidate John McCain, fundraising in the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the nation's technology capitals, acknowledged Monday that he isn't a “tech freak” or entirely comfortable with the Internet, BlackBerrys or e-mail.

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 …

House poised to pass apology for slavery  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — The House of Representatives was poised Tuesday to pass a resolution apologizing to African-Americans for slavery and the era of Jim Crow.  —  The nonbinding resolution, which is expected to pass, was introduced by Rep. Steve Cohen …

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.

The Price of RomneyCare  —  Gearing up for 2009, liberals are eager to claim Massachusetts as a Valhalla of health reform.  Their enthusiasm is apparently evidence-proof.  —  Even Mitt Romney, who should know better, took to these pages recently to proclaim, “Health-care reform is working in Massachusetts.”

Bradley says ‘no’ to Obama VP job.  What about Clinton?  Not her.  Him!  —  Just in case you're keeping score, yet another Democratic politician has said he would decline to be the vice presidential running mate of Sen. Barack Obama.  —  This one was a surprise, too, because, to be honest …

Low Standards  —  I see Eric Alterman paid closer attention than I did to Jamie Kirchick's missive about J Street from last week and found this important nugget.  Kirchick writes: … Eric responds: … I'm fairly certain I have said that Israel should negotiate with Hamas …

Check Point: A Canceled Obama Visit, and the Story Behind It  —  John McCain has sought to keep alive a story about Barack Obama calling off a visit to troops recuperating from wounds in Germany.