Book says White House ordered forgery  —  A new book by the author Ron Suskind claims that the White House ordered the CIA to forge a back-dated, handwritten letter from the head of Iraqi intelligence to Saddam Hussein.  —  Suskind writes in “The Way of the World,” to be published Tuesday …

Secret deal kept British Army out of battle for Basra  —  A secret deal between Britain and the notorious al-Mahdi militia prevented British Forces from coming to the aid of their US and Iraqi allies for nearly a week during the battle for Basra this year, The Times has learnt.

Peter W. Rodman, 1943-2008  —  A patriot and a gentleman.  —  PETER'S FORMER COLLEAGUES at National Review have done him justice with their tributes at NRO.  John O'Sullivan in particular knew Peter well, and his is a lovely memoir.  —  So I'll just add a word about this patriot and gentleman.

THE LATEST MEME  —  Truly a Kuhnian moment.  John McCain is so honorable and straight-shooting that the only explanation for his campaign's headlong dive into sleaze, xenophobia and gonzo bamboozlement is that McCain is so out of it and controlled by his advisors that he doesn't actually know what they're doing in his name.

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.

Obama's Overstatement  —  An Obama ad says McCain's campaign got $2 million from “Big Oil.”  The total is actually $1.3 million.  —  Obama released a TV spot saying McCain's campaign got $2 million from “Big Oil” while McCain proposed “another $4 billion in tax breaks” for the industry.

ATV/Zogby Poll Toss-Up!  McCain 42%, Obama 41% as Undecided Voters Increase...  Obama loses support among his strongest demographic groups  —  UTICA, New York - A national Associated TV/Zogby International telephone poll of 1,011 likely voters conducted July 31-Aug. 1 finds Republican …

Iran Threatens Strait of Hormuz  —  Key Oil Shipping Passage Could Be Blocked for a Month  —  WASHINGTON — Two days after a diplomatic deadline passed for Iran to end the reprocessing and enrichment of uranium, the chief of the country's Revolutionary Guard force is threatening to close …

Where's the Landslide?  —  Why isn't Barack Obama doing better?  Why, after all that has happened, does he have only a slim two- or three-point lead over John McCain, according to an average of the recent polls?  Why is he basically tied with his opponent when his party is so far ahead?

Bob Herbert: Why is everyone missing the phallic symbols in McCain's Britney ad?  —  Between this and last week's Godwin-ing of the crowd scenes, I'm honestly curious to see where the left takes the critique next.  One would think they'd either run out of cards to play or would quietly pocket …

McCain Gets Bikers' Motors Running in S.D.  —  STURGIS, S.D. — If there was any question whether this is John McCain country, that doubt ended Monday as thousands of motorcycle riders repeatedly revved their Harleys upon his arrival here, creating a massive roar of approval and a cloud of exhaust fumes.

While Diplomats Dither, Iran Builds Nukes  —  This weekend, yet another “deadline” passed for Iran to indicate it was seriously ready to discuss ending its pursuit of nuclear weapons.  Like so many other deadlines during these five years of European-led negotiations, this one died quietly …

The Meaning of Capitalism  —  I've received an enormous amount of email, mostly positive, about my capitalism column (the most common complaint from the friendly readers was that capitalism is a Marxist term we shouldn't concede.  A fair complaint).  But I thought this email is worth responding to:

Now, 2 Obama backers, Bernie Mac and Morgan Freeman,hospitalized  —  A bad day for Barack Obama donors.  —  Morgan Freeman, the iconic voice of God in several films and reliable good-guy co-conspirator of Christian Bale's Batman in “The Dark Knight,” is in serious condition in a Memphis hospital …

Hess Corporation “Office Manager” And Her Husband Both Gave $28,500 To Elect McCain  —  As we reported below, ten Hess Corporation executives and Hess family members each gave $28,500 to the RNC's committee to elect John McCain president, just days after he reversed his previous opposition to offshore drilling.

The Molten Core of Barack: Why Obama Can't Win  —  In which science-fiction movie do aliens visit the people of earth and insist, “Take me to your leader”?  If they landed today, America's news media would direct them to Barack Obama, the first American to run a global campaign for President.

G.O.P. Drops in Voting Rolls in Many States  —  Well before Senators Barack Obama and John McCain rose to the top of their parties, a partisan shift was under way at the local and state level.  For more than three years starting in 2005, there has been a reduction in the number of voters …