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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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:

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.

Laser Gunship Fires; ‘Deniable’ Strikes Ahead?  —  Boeing announced today the first ever test firing of a real-life ray gun that could become US special forces' way to carry out covert strikes with “plausible deniability.”  —  In tests earlier this month at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico …

Charismatic Governor Rises to the Short List  —  The turning point in Tim Kaine's campaign for Virginia governor in 2005 was an advertisement by his opponent featuring a father whose son had been murdered by a man Mr. Kaine represented on death row.  —  “Tim Kaine says that Adolf Hitler …

Leave It To Weaver  —  What John McCain's former chief strategist thinks of his campaign. … The place where I was meeting John Weaver was all wrong—a nondescript office building on F Street in downtown Washington, near Ford's Theatre, where Lincoln was shot.

Detention center for protesters won't free them nearby  —  Denver officials and the sheriff's department said Wednesday that they will not release prisoners taken into custody during the Democratic National Convention into the neighborhood surrounding a temporary detention facility.

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 …