New poll shows Obama losing support among young, women  —  Barack Obama has lost ground among some of his strongest bases of support, including young people, women, Democrats and independents, according to a new ATV/Zogby poll.  —  The Illinois Democrat has also lost some support among African-Americans …

The Other Half of the Letter  —  Everyone is buzzing this morning about Ron Suskind's claim—in his new book—that a letter purportedly written to Saddam Hussien by one of his intelligence officers in 2001 was in fact a forgery authorized by the White House.

The Tire-Gauge Solution: No Joke  —  How out of touch is Barack Obama?  He's so out of touch that he suggested that if all Americans inflated their tires properly and took their cars for regular tune-ups, they could save as much oil as new offshore drilling would produce.

McCain makes the rounds at biker rally  —  STURGIS, South Dakota (CNN) - Standing on the main stage at a world famous motorcycle rally in rural South Dakota on Monday, John McCain looked out on a sea of denim-wearing bikers and told them he enjoyed their company much more than that of the 200,000 Germans …

CAN TAKE THE BLOG FROM THE BOY...  The blogless life was going okay for Matt Yglesias until he ran across the Pollack, O'Hanlon, and Biddle op-ed from Foreign Affairs and got on Gchat: … That guy should get a blog.  Possibly at the Center for American Progress.

Going for Gold?  McCain Makes $6 Million Olympic Buy  —  Tops Obama Buy by $1 Million  —  WASHINGTON (AdAge.com) — Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign is buying into NBC Universal's Olympics coverage.  —  The McCain campaign made a last-minute $6 million ad buy …

Stevens Won't Attend GOP Convention  —  Don't look for Sen. Ted Stevens at the Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota in September.  —  The indicted Alaska Republican won't attend the Republican Convention, planning instead to campaign ahead of his toughest reelection bid of his four-decade Senate career.

Pelosi: At-risk Dems back drilling  —  California Democrat Nancy Pelosi may be trying to save the planet — but the rank and file in her party increasingly are just trying to save their political hides when it comes to gas prices as Republicans apply more and more rhetorical muscle.

GOP: Oil markets ‘responding’ to our protest  —  House Republicans issued the boldest claim yet in their three-day energy protest, insinuating on Tuesday morning that their demonstration may in fact have already begun to lower gas prices.  —  “The market is responding to the fact that we are here talking …

McCain takes populist turn, offers new theme in ad  —  A week after airing a mocking ad about Barack Obama, John McCain's campaign is going up with a wholly different commercial aimed at reinforcing the GOP nominee's “maverick” reputation.  —  Obama's name is not mentioned once …

In touch with reality?  —  Toeing the Administration Line, Ignoring the Facts  —  Smith: “I Don't Think We're in a Recession.”  The Business Journal reported, “According to a Bloomberg report, Fred Smith, CEO of FedEx Corp., said the U.S. economy is not suffering through a recession despite the nation's current financial woes.

McCain's Problem Isn't Bush  —  When John McCain stands before the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis one month from now, the American people will see more than a United States senator.  They will see a man who served his nation as a young officer and suffered for it as a prisoner of war.

Obama: ‘National Priority’  —  Here's a second contrast ad on the subject of energy from the Obama campaign, which seeks to paint McCain as the candidate of the past, of Washington, and of Bush, while Obama is the candidate of “new energy.”  —  The script: … I don't have details on where the ad is airing.