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.

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.

Bill Clinton Has Regrets on Campaign for Wife  —  Insists, ‘I Am Not a Racist,’ Despite Anger Over His S.C. Comments  —  In his first broadcast interview since his wife dropped out of the Democratic presidential race, former President Bill Clinton said he still has regrets, and insisted he's …

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.

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%.

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 …

[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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

McCain's Celebrity Ad: Frivolous, A Waste Of Money, A Waste Of Time  —  I've been asked again and again for my response to the now infamous McCain celebrity ad.  I actually have three responses.  It is a complete waste of the money John McCain's contributors have donated to his campaign.

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 …