Rep.: Half of House Dems may vote Hillary at DNC  —  Rep. Loretta Sanchez says she's happy for the chance to vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton at the Democratic National Convention—and she predicts that as many as half of the Democrats in the House could join her.

Manhunt backlash  —  The executives of a gay sex site are apparently more concerned about the perception that they're associated with John McCain than McCain is about the association with them.  —  The chairman of the board of Manhunt, the Cambrige-based hook-up site, was forced to resign after reports that he gave $2,300 to McCain.

Barack Obama campaign soliciting ‘soft money’ for convention  —  The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has decried the practice and vowed to reform convention funding, but the Denver Host Committee was facing a budget shortfall.  —  WASHINGTON — Facing a large deficit …

Faith and values on center stage with McCain and Obama  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — The political spotlight will shine on Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama on Saturday night when the two candidates are expected to face tough questions on personal values, presidential leadership and international affairs.

Mythmaking in Moscow  —  THE EVENTS of the past week in the small Caucasus republic of Georgia will prompt animated debates about Russia and U.S.-Russian relations.  We view the events as confirmation of the dangerous challenge posed by an authoritarian regime unwilling to recognize the sovereignty of its former imperial possessions.

Old legal feuds divided, linked McCain and ex-wife  —  ALEXANDRIA, Va. - An old lawsuit on record at the city courthouse reveals a moment of friction between John McCain's mother and his ex-wife.  Years later, McCain and his former wife presented a united front in a lawsuit of their own.

GOP Hack Tries To Attack Obama, But Slams McCain Instead  —  GOP strategist John Feehery attacks Barack Obama for proposing a UN Security Council resolution to deal with the crisis in Georgia...but John McCain has the exact same position.  —  It provided for a funny moment on Hardball — but only if you knew the facts.

Allies Ask Obama to Make ‘Hope’ More Specific  —  As Senator Barack Obama prepares to accept the Democratic presidential nomination next week, party leaders in battleground states say the fight ahead against Senator John McCain looks tougher than they imagined, with Mr. Obama vulnerable …

JUDGE NULLIFIES JUROR NULLIFICATION: A very interesting post today by Tim Lynch on Cato @ Liberty on a recent jury trial in a drug case: … To read his analysis go to Juror Becomes Fly in the Ointment.  —  For those with a serious interest in jury nullification, I highly recommend Jury Nullification …

To Drill, or Not to Drill  —  Will McCain change his mind about Alaskan oil?  —  Pontiac, Michigan  —  Republican presidential candidate John McCain says that he's taking another look at the possibility of drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska …

Michael Ledeen Leaves AEI  —  Neoconservative historian and writer Michael Ledeen has left the American Enterprise Institute, his intellectual base for well over a decade, Mother Jones has learned.  The decision for Ledeen, a veteran of the Iran contra affair, and AEI to part ways …

History's Back  —  Ambitious autocracies, hesitant democracies.  —  One wonders whether Russia's invasion of Georgia will finally end the dreamy complacency that took hold of the world's democracies after the close of the Cold War.  The collapse of the Soviet Union offered …