GOP's celeb-Obama message gains traction  —  Barack Obama's critics laid down the foundations of the strategy months ago: The Republican National Committee started the “Audacity Watch” back in April, and Karl Rove later fueled the attack by describing the first-term Illinois senator as “coolly arrogant.”

US judge: White House aides can be subpoenaed  —  WASHINGTON - President Bush's top advisers are not immune from congressional subpoenas, a federal judge ruled Thursday in an unprecedented dispute between the two political branches.  —  House Democrats called the ruling a ringing endorsement …

Obama's Veep Vetting Enters New Stage  —  Barack Obama's vice presidential vetting process has moved into a new stage in which a larger than previously reported group of candidates is being exposed to a “deeper dig” into their backgrounds — in the words of a source familiar with the process.

Exxon posts record $11.68 billion profit  —  World's largest publicly traded oil firm makes $1,485.55 a second in the quarter, but misses forecasts.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Exxon Mobil once again reported the largest quarterly profit in U.S. history Thursday, posting net income …

What's the Word, John?  —  Miscegenation (Latin miscere “to mix” + genus “kind") is the mixing of different racial groups, that is, marrying, cohabiting, having sexual relations and having children with a partner from outside of one's racially or ethnically defined group.  —  Obama.  Britney.

On Having Your (Political) Heart Broken  —  The e-mail came when I was in Mexico, at a fitness resort that — in pursuit of wellness — confines BlackBerry use to guests' rooms.  —  “Need to chat briefly with you regarding John Edwards and the effects of this scandal on his future political career.”

Obama-Clinton ticket advocacy group shuts down  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — An effort to urge Barack Obama to pick former rival Hillary Rodham Clinton as his running mate is shutting down under the assumption she is not a contender for the No. 2 spot.  —  The two former Clinton staffers who started …

McCain Tries to Britney-fy Obama  —  I haven't been spending much time picking apart campaign ads in this election, because I know enough about what I don't know about that I don't want to pretend to be factcheck.org.  But in his newest ad, John McCain has come into Tuned In's house …

Police Raid Berwyn Heights Mayor's Home, Kill His 2 Dogs  —  A police SWAT team raided the home of the mayor in the Prince George's County town of Berwyn Heights on Tuesday, shooting and killing his two dogs, after he brought in a 32-pound package of marijuana that had been delivered to his doorstep, police said.

Homeward Bound: Recent Immigration Enforcement and the Decline in the Illegal Alien Population  —  Monthly data collected by the Census Bureau through May 2008 shows a significant decline in the number of less-educated, young Hispanic immigrants in the country.

The McCain Behind the Curtain  —  The saddest sight on “Straight Talk Air,” the sleek flying successor to John McCain's one-time rolling caravan of candor, is the couch.  It's a soft, tan leather shelf, custom-fitted for high altitude truth-telling when McCain, a former Navy pilot, took his act from the road to the skies this summer.

Clinton to speak Tuesday at Democratic convention, sources say  —  (CNN) — Sen. Hillary Clinton has agreed to speak on the second night of next month's Democratic convention, headlining on the 88th anniversary of the day women earned the right to vote, sources say.