ALEXANDER SOLZHENITSYN, RIP: Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the great Russian dissident and exposer of communist crimes, has passed away.  —  In books such as The Gulag Archipelago and A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, he did more than any other Russian writer to expose the crimes of communism.

David Gergen: McCain's “Moses” ad is code for calling Obama “uppity”  —  In which the single dumbest, most paranoid racial charge of the campaign is recycled on national television by a former presidential advisor and current Harvard professor.  I said it before but it bears repeating …

O-Force One  —  From CBS News' Allison O'Keefe:  —  Barack Obama's new campaign plane is nothing short of grand.  Well, for the candidate that is.  —  Obama's section of the plane rivals that of any first class.  Recently the front cabin of the Boeing 757 was retrofitted to install four individual chairs that resemble La-Z-Boys.

VP pick may chafe Hillary supporters  —  Many of the foremost activists in the women's movement ardently believe that Hillary Rodham Clinton should be Barack Obama's running mate — and primary wounds that are just beginning to heal may be torn back open should the Democratic nominee select someone else, as it seems very likely he will.

John Kerry rebukes Wesley Clark on Meet the Press: Brokaw loses his memory too  —  In one segment Kerry can be really good on NBC and then be equally bad the next.  On Meet the Press today, Tom Brokaw asked John Kerry about Wesley Clark's Face the Nation segment.

Mining Racism and Murder in a Northeastern Pennsylvania Town (Guest Voice)  —  This is a Guest Voice original-report post is by journalism professor and author Walter Brasch who is also an award-winning syndicated newspaper columnist and radio commentator, and president of the Pennsylvania Press Club.

House Republicans go back on the floor Monday to talk gas prices  —  Continuing with their guerilla tactics from last week, House Republicans will be back on the floor Monday to talk gas prices, even though Congress is in recess, and they may stay there all week.

Poll finds little support for Obama  —  TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A new poll found little support among Oklahoma voters for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.  —  The Oklahoma Poll found that Republican John McCain has broad support in the state to lead Obama by 32%age points, 56% to 24%.

[POLE AXED] OR NOT  —  TPM Reader RY keeps us posted ...  Here's the video:  —  Late Update: A reader writes in to dispute that Tapper looks “pole axed” in response to Gergen's comment.  And looking again he may be right, though it's possible he was pole axed on the inside.

How to Pick a V.P.  —  When you try to talk with McCain staffers about vice-presidential prospects, as I did last week, the normally garrulous become guarded and the usually talkative turn taciturn.  Still, here's what I was able to discern.  —  John McCain apparently intends to announce his pick after the Democratic convention.

Housing Lenders Fear Bigger Wave of Loan Defaults  —  The first wave of Americans to default on their home mortgages appears to be cresting, but a second, far larger one is quickly building.  —  Homeowners with good credit are falling behind on their payments in growing numbers …

Obama Leads, Pessimism Reigns Among Key Group  —  Democratic Sen. Barack Obama holds a 2 to 1 edge over Republican Sen. John McCain among the nation's low-wage workers, but many are unconvinced that either presidential candidate would be better than the other at fixing the ailing economy …

Obama Wants Full Voting Rights for Florida and Michigan Delegates  —  It seems like another lifetime ago, but remember all the fuss about Michigan and Florida?  —  After those states held their primaries in violation of Democratic Party rules, the party cracked down on them and said their delegates …

ABC Has Major Questions to Answer in Anthrax Story  —  ABC News' behavior during and after one of its biggest “scoops” is already an object lesson of what's wrong with American journalism.  The news organization's has proved unwilling — so far, at any rate — to come clean about how it was manipulated …