Especially the blacks and the Jews pt. 233231  —  TPM knocks Nikki Turner's ad in which claims, “While he's in our churches, clapping his hands and tapping his feet ... he's the only senator who thought our kids shouldn't be allowed to pray in school.”  Turner's opponent Steve Cohen is Jewish …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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

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.

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 …

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 …

Exploding The Edwards Mistress Scandal  —  The Raleigh News & Observer, which unlike other newspapers has never declared itself too good for the John Edwards love-child scandal, is first with the angle that will probably at long last propel the sordid tale into the Times and Washington Post …

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.

Bush Begins Beijing Visit as China Rebukes His Rights Speech  —  President Bush arrived in Beijing late today to begin his Olympics visit, even as the Chinese government reminded the world that it opposes interference from other countries on human rights issues.

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 …

Fake names get voter registration workers investigated  —  Criminal investigations could be launched against at least six voter registration workers who tried to add dead, imprisoned or imaginary people to the voter rolls, according to the Milwaukee Election Commission and the organization that employed them.