We Are All Georgians  —  For anyone who thought that stark international aggression was a thing of the past, the last week must have come as a startling wake-up call.  After clashes in the Georgian region of South Ossetia, Russia invaded its neighbor, launching attacks that threaten its very existence.

Clinton's Name Likely To Be Placed In Nomination; Agreement Near With Obama Campaign  —  Reports of strife between negotiators for Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama are exaggerated and the two sides are nearing an agreement on how Clinton's delegates will participate …

Troops Deployed Abroad Give 6:1 to Obama  —  During World War II, soldiers crouching in foxholes penned letters assuring their sweethearts that they'd be home soon.  Now, between firefights in the Iraqi desert, some infantrymen have been sending a different kind of mail stateside …

I See Four Key Battleground States  —  Presidential campaigns ultimately come down to who can win 270 Electoral College votes.  With most states favoring one candidate or the other, this year's contest could come down to a few battleground states.  —  Based on visits this past week …

The Neocons And The Soviets  —  It's very bizarre to read the neocons' speaking about Russia as if the Soviet Union were still in existence.  Here's a classic slice of the mindset from Max Boot, who wants a third little war in the Caucasus: … Condi Rice, who really should know better, said:

Johnny, I hardly knew ye  —  After covering John Edwards — and liking him — for years, what I thought I knew about him was wrong.  But reporters often misjudge candidates.  —  John Edwards at his South Carolina primary night rally in Columbia, S.C., on Jan. 26, 2008.

New Books Aim To Unweave the Obama Narrative  —  In two autobiographies and dozens of speeches, Barack Obama has weaved the narrative that defines his campaign: An introspective boy gradually comes to terms with his mixed-race heritage and emerges with an “unprejudiced” worldview.

The Obama Tax Plan  —  Even as Barack Obama proposes fiscally responsible tax reform to strengthen our economy and restore the balance that has been lost in recent years, we hear the familiar protests and distortions from the guardians of the broken status quo.

High energy costs hike consumer prices in July; inflation up  —  The inflation rate, at 5.6%, is the highest in 17 years, a Labor Department report says.  —  WASHINGTON — Consumer prices took another sharp jump last month with high energy prices fueling a 0.8% monthly increase …

U.S. to Grow Grayer, More Diverse  —  Minorities Will Be Majority by 2042, Census Bureau Says  —  The nation's population will look dramatically different by mid-century, becoming more racially and ethnically diverse and a good deal older as it increases from about 302 million to 439 million by 2050 …

Hair Samples in Anthrax Case Don't Match  —  Strands From Mailbox in Princeton Are Not From Ivins, Investigators Say  —  Federal investigators probing the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks recovered samples of human hair from a mailbox in Princeton, N.J., but the strands did not match the lead suspect …

Conventional Nonsense  —  MAKING THE CASE FOR A PRESS BOYCOTT OF THE NATIONAL POLITICAL CONVENTIONS.  —  With just one exception over the last three decades, the two major parties have known the identity of their likely presidential candidate weeks or even months before gaveling their national political conventions open.