After Mixed U.S. Messages, a War Erupted in Georgia  —  WASHINGTON — One month ago, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Tbilisi, Georgia, for a high-profile visit that was planned to accomplish two very different goals.  —  During a private dinner on July 9, Ms. Rice's aides say …

SEX, MORE LIES & VIDEOTAPE  —  The ENQUIRER has uncovered bombshell new details about the John Edwards sex scandal after the former presidential candidate finally admitted he'd cheated on his cancer-stricken wife Elizabeth!  —  Edwards' headline-making admission confirmed …

Obama tickets come with a catch  —  Some of those hoping to wrangle a seat for Barack Obama's speech were told this week they have to put in six hours of volunteer work for his campaign by Friday to have a shot at a ticket.  —  And that ruffled at least a few feathers.

NY Times tries to torpedo anti-Obama book; succeeds in spreading its message  —  Oh dear, Oh dear, Oh dear.  Jerome Corsi, author of the bestselling Unfit for Command in 2004, a book that turned the phrase “swift boat” into a verb and helped defeat John “Reporting for Duty” Kerry …

Yes, She Can  —  While Obama was spending three hours watching “The Dark Knight” five time zones away, and going to a fund-raiser featuring “Aloha attire” and Hawaiian pupus, Hillary was busy planning her convention.  —  You can almost hear her mind whirring: She's amazed at how easy it was to snatch Denver away from the Obama saps.

Beijing Is All Dressed Up, But No One Is Going  —  Chinese Olympic organizers acknowledged Tuesday they were struggling to handle an unforeseen and baffling problem inside Summer Games venues and at the showpiece Olympic Park.  —  Not enough people.  —  Two weeks after announcing …

Daughter: Rev. Wright NOT publishing book in October  —  A New York magazine cover story last week reignited the debate over Rev. Jeremiah Wright when it stated - without attribution - that the former pastor of Sen. Barack Obama was releasing a new book.  —  But his daughter, Jeri, told me today that the story is absolutely false.

PHELPS' PIG SECRET: HE'S BOY GORGE  —  Swimming sensation Michael Phelps has an Olympic recipe for success - and it involves eating a staggering 12,000 calories a day.  —  “Eat, sleep and swim.  That's all I can do,” Phelps, who won two more gold medals today, told NBC when asked what he needs to win medals.

FIRST THOUGHTS: THE KEY(NOTE) MASTER  —  From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro  —  *** I am the key(note) master: The Obama campaign has announced that former Virginia Gov. — and current Senate candidate — Mark Warner will deliver the keynote address on the Tuesday of the Democratic convention.

Eight Strikes and You're Out  —  John McCain recently tried to underscore his seriousness about pushing through a new energy policy, with a strong focus on more drilling for oil, by telling a motorcycle convention that Congress needed to come back from vacation immediately and do something about America's energy crisis.

Poll: Obama leads in Pa., but not by much  —  BUOYED by a widespread disdain for President Bush and concern about the economy, Democrat Barack Obama holds a lead over Republican John McCain in the latest Daily News/Franklin & Marshall Poll.  —  Obama leads McCain by eight points …

Judge says UC can deny religious course credit  —  (08-12) 17:25 PDT SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge says the University of California can deny course credit to applicants from Christian high schools whose textbooks declare the Bible infallible and reject evolution.

A Virginia-Centric Convention  —  The selection of ex-VA Gov. Mark Warner to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention comes on the heels of a secret, last-minute effort to convince Warner to submit his name and record for vice presidential vetting.

Erasing The Race Factor  —  Obama's Best Hope Is To Face the Issue Directly  —  Barack Obama has a problem.  He really, really doesn't want this campaign to be about race.  He wants it to be about change, President Bush, the economy, gas prices, Iraq, Afghanistan — almost anything else.