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 …

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.

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.

Election Central Morning Roundup  —  New Obama Ad: McCain Has Voted Against Fixing Energy For 26 Years  —  Barack Obama has a new ad on energy issues, following through on one of the key attack lines from his speech yesterday — that John McCain can't be trusted on energy …

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?

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.

Radical Iraq Cleric in Retreat  —  Sadr, Power Waning, Plans Moderate Course; Retaining Militia  —  BAGHDAD — Anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr — long a thorn in the side of the U.S. military and Iraqi government — intends to disarm his once-dominant Mahdi Army militia and remake it as a social-services organization.

At Freddie Mac, Chief Discarded Warning Signs  —  The chief executive of the mortgage giant Freddie Mac rejected internal warnings that could have protected the company from some of the financial crises now engulfing it, according to more than two dozen current and former high-ranking executives and others.

Why Cover the Edwards Scandal?  —  PROTECTING ELIZABETH VS. TELLING THE TRUTH.  —  Why write about the Edwards scandal?  Here's a short clip-and-save response to those (including many friends) who argue the Edwards scandal shouldn't be pursued—or at least pursued too vigorously— even if it is true:**

Awkward/Sad/Funny Typo from Novak AP story on NYTimes.com  —  digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/politics/Funny_Sad_ Typo_on_Robert_Novak_Retirement_Story_ on_NYTimes’; They've already fixed it, but the error above in the Associated Press story about Robert Novak's immediate retirement was live …

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.

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.

In WH race, strong is often wrong  —  In many recent presidential elections, Americans have had a choice: pick the candidate they think is a stronger leader or pick the candidate they believe is right on the issues.  Almost always, they have chosen the stronger leader — even though they have often come to regret that decision.

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 …

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.

The Unavoidable Issue  —  Last week's dust-up over race between John McCain and Barack Obama was entirely disappointing.  Obama spoke first about how his opponents would try to “make you scared of me,” noting that he “doesn't look like all those other presidents” on our currency.

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 …

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.