Obama: “America is no longer what it once was”; Update: Rush reacts  —  When presidential candidates answer questions from children about why they want the job, most will give an answer that uplifts the child and the candidate.  Not Barack Obama.  At a campaign stop in Elkhart, Indiana …

Bin Laden's Former Driver Sentenced to 5 1/2 Years  —  Hamdan Receives Credit for Time Served, Could Be Released in 5 Months  —  A former driver for Osama bin Laden was sentenced today to 5 ½ years in prison for his material support for terrorism, a relatively light sentence that means …

Obama condemns ad against Jewish candidate  —  Nikki Tinker race baits Steve Cohen.  @ Yahoo! Video  —  Obama — in his de facto new role as leader of the Democratic Party — just put out a statement condemning Nikki Tinker's attack on Stephen Cohen, which has been widely interpreted …

Suskind Revisited  —  Thursday, August 7th in War by Philip Giraldi  —  An extremely reliable and well placed source in the intelligence community has informed me that Ron Suskind's revelation that the White House ordered the preparation of a forged letter linking Saddam Hussein to al-Qaeda …

Exxon [Hearts] Obama  —  As we close up a week wherein Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, on the stump and in a TV ad accused rival Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., of being “in the pocket of big oil,” and doing the industry's bidding — not to mention a week during which the Democratic National Committee launched …

WPRI Poll: Barack Obama Leads John McCain in the Presidential Race  —  Senator Barack Obama holds a 44% to 38% lead in Wisconsin over Senator John McCain in the presidential race.  Senator Obama leads the race primarily because of a combination of the most important issues on the minds …

He Who Disassociates  —  Barack Obama's Gallery of Shady Former Associates is getting very crowded.  —  (Hat tip: Penetrating Insights into the Obvious.)

BILL CLINTON OFFERED SPEAKING ROLE  —  From NBC's Andrea Mitchell  —  NBC News has learned that the Obama campaign, in an effort to quiet talk of the Obama-Clinton drama, has offered Bill Clinton a speaking role on Wednesday night at the Democratic convention — before the vice presidential running mate speaks.

The Olympics: Unveiling Police State 2.0  —  So far, the Olympics have been an open invitation to China-bash, a bottomless excuse for Western journalists to go after the Commies on everything from internet censorship to Darfur.  Through all the nasty news stories, however, the Chinese government has seemed amazingly unperturbed.

Leaked McCain Memo: Paint Obama As A “Job Killing Machine”  —  John McCain was widely ridiculed several weeks ago for fielding reporter's questions in the cheese aisle of a grocery store.  But the location of the impromptu press conference was hardly random.

Let's Chat  —  I want to thank everyone for joining me here today for our live chat.  I'm so grateful to all of my online friends for the amazing support you continue to show me.  Your kind words mean so much to me, and you have been instrumental in working to help retire our campaign debt.

John McCain: My Pop-Culture Favorites  —  The presumptive Republican presidential nominee talks to EW about his picks in movies ("Viva Zapata!," Indiana Jones), TV shows ("Seinfeld," “The Wire"), singers (Roy Orbison, Usher), and a fictional president he admires

Schumer: ‘Hit McCain Harder’  —  One of the Democratic Party's leading electoral street fighters, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, said that Barack Obama should respond to John McCain's personal attacks with an equally personal slap.  —  “I would not be afraid to attack back,” said Schumer …

U.S. Attorney Scandal Probe Enters White House Circle  —  The Justice Department investigation into the firings of nine U.S. attorneys has been extended to encompass allegations that senior White House officials played a role in providing false and misleading information to Congress …

Man held in Fla. for threatening Obama's life  —  Suspect held without bail Thursday after a brief court hearing  —  MIAMI - A man who authorities said was keeping weapons and military-style gear in his hotel room and car appeared in court Thursday on charges he threatened to assassinate Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Win Points for McCain!  —  Spread John McCain's official talking points around the Web — and you could win valuable prizes!  —  That, in essence, is the McCain campaign's pitch to supporters to join its new online effort, one that combines the features of “AstroTurf” campaigning with the sort …

The Gang of 10: Obama's Checkmate?  —  I try and avoid using grandiose rhetoric of this kind.  But there is a potential checkmate scenario sitting on the board for Barack Obama, and it involves the ‘Gang of 10’ energy compromise bill currently being floated by a bipartisan group of ten senators.

Iraqis: Deal close on plan for US troops to leave  —  BAGHDAD - Iraq and the U.S. are near an agreement on all American combat troops leaving Iraq by October 2010, with the last soldiers out three years after that, two Iraqi officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.