Payback?  Obama snubs Rangel  —  The Obama campaign is denying House Ways and Means Chairman Charles B. Rangel a speaking role at this month's Democratic National Convention — a move those close to the powerhouse Harlem congressman view as a spiteful snub.

Breaking the Press  —  With the polls continuing to show John McCain giving Barack Obama a run for his money, much of the press has seemed flummoxed by the turn of events.  After all, the narrative of this campaign was supposed to be how a triumphant Obama rode discontent against the Bush administration to an overwhelming victory.

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.