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 …

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 …

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

Obama: “America is no longer what it once was”  —  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, a seven-year-old girl asked …

Oil Industry Leans Toward McCain, But Big Producers Favor Obama  —  Much has been made of Barack Obama's TV ad this week that accuses John McCain of being “in the pocket” of the oil industry, and yesterday the Democratic Party launched a website pairing McCain and Exxon Mobil as running-mates.

Kilpatrick will spend night in jail  —  Giles unmoved by mayor's apology  —  Judge Ronald Giles just sent Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to jail moments after the mayor pleaded for forgiveness and admitted he made an unauthorized trip to Windsor on city business.

Guilty as Ordered  —  Now that was a real nail-biter.  The court designed by the White House and its Congressional enablers to guarantee convictions of high-profile detainees in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba — using evidence obtained by torture and secret evidence as desired — has held its first trial.

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 …

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.

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.

SPEAKER OF THE FLOP: PELOSI SELLS 2,737 COPIES OF BOOK  —  The most powerful woman in the history of American politics is suffering a humiliating defeat at the nation's bookstores, sales figures show.  —  In her first week at market, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi sold just 2,737 copies …

Evangelicals, Catholics and Abortion  —  Ed Kilgore asks a good question: Why are evangelicals more pro-life than Catholics? … As Kilgore notes, there's nothing obvious or inevitable about this breakdown: … Kilgore proposes a couple of possible explanations for this phenomenon …

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.

The Tax Rebate Was a Flop.  Obama's Stimulus Plan Won't Work Either.  —  Congress enacted the tax rebate program earlier this year because it perceived a growing risk of recession.  In addition, it feared monetary policy alone would not be effective because of the dysfunctional credit markets.

Suddenly being green is not cool any more  —  As the credit crunch bites, environmental policies are being ditched.  But oddly we are doing better at saving the planet  —  Julie Burchill can't stand them.  According to her new book, Not in my Name: A Compendium of Modern Hypocrisy …