Obama adviser blames McCain ad for poll dip  —  By Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington and Edward Luce in Elkhart, Indiana  —  A senior adviser to Barack Obama has blamed recent attack advertisements comparing the Democratic presidential hopeful to celebrities Britney Spears and Paris Hilton …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

FBI/DOJ Briefing on the Case Against Bruce Ivins Oh, PS: Ivins was a Registered, Real, Vote-in-Every-Primary Democrat; Lefty Blogs Begin Doubting His Guilt Based on This  —  An NPR report details evidence already mentioned.  —  Some highlights from the briefing:  —  * “Sole suspect” in investigation

“The Oil Companies Shut Us Down”—Obama Campaign  —  It was a neat idea for targeting a political ad—hit people with a Barack Obama campaign ad about gas prices and big oil companies on those new TV screens that are appearing atop the pumps at gas stations.

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.