What McCain Should Do Next  —  Notwithstanding the hype about Barack Obama, here is where the presidential race stands: John McCain was within an average of 1.9% of his Democratic opponent in last week's daily Gallup tracking poll.  —  It shouldn't be this close.  Sen. Obama should be way ahead.

Sen. Hillary Clinton Seeks Democratic Convention Voice  —  Sen. Hillary Clinton Not Ruling Out Having Name Put Up for Vote in Denver  —  Sen. Hillary Clinton told a gathering of supporters last week that she's looking for a “strategy” for her delegates to have their voices heard and …

Tabloid's claims threaten Edwards' role at party's convention  —  RALEIGH, N.C. — Former Sen. John Edwards has a deadline to save his spot on the national stage.  —  With two weeks to go before their national convention, a number of Democrats are saying that Edwards needs …

500: Deadly U.S. Milestone in Afghan War  —  Not long after Staff Sgt. Matthew D. Blaskowski was killed by a sniper's bullet last Sept. 23 in eastern Afghanistan, his mother received an e-mail message with a link to a video on the Internet.  A television reporter happened to have been filming …

Obama's View on Abortion May Divide Catholics  —  WASHINGTON — Sixteen years ago, the Democratic Party refused to allow Robert P. Casey Sr., then the governor of Pennsylvania, to speak at its national convention because his anti-abortion views, stemming from his Roman Catholic faith …

A Way Back to the High Road?  —  The first question I asked John McCain and then Barack Obama was: How do you feel about the tone and direction of the campaign so far?  —  No surprise.  Both men pronounced themselves thoroughly frustrated by the personal bitterness and negativism they have seen …

Race Takes Central Role in a Memphis Primary  —  In the culmination of a racially fraught Congressional campaign in Memphis, a black candidate is linking her liberal-leaning white primary opponent in Thursday's contest, Representative Steve Cohen, to the Ku Klux Klan in a television advertisement.

Re-tiresome  —  Oh, so now McCain says it's a good idea to inflate your tires.  This is something new: He has taken to attacking Obama on positions where he agrees with Obama.  Another example: he flayed Obama for his proposal to withdraw from Iraq, then said it was a “pretty good” timetable.

Obama Hits Back, Too Softly For Some  —  Barack Obama released a television advertisement yesterday that questions John McCain's claims to be a “maverick,” and he charged in a campaign appearance that the Republican displays independence only when it suits him politically.

Potential McCain VP pick slams Obama's ‘life oratory’  —  (CNN) - Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is widely rumored to be on Sen. John McCain's short list of potential vice presidential picks, displayed his skills as a political attack dog Wednesday.  —  “Senator McCain's life experiences are epic …

Justice Department Subpoenas Its Former Lawyers In Civil Rights Probe  —  A federal grand jury has subpoenaed several former senior Justice Department attorneys for an investigation into the politicization of the Department's own Civil Rights Division, according to sources close to the investigation.