The Obama Smears  —  There has been a lot of attention given in the last few days to Jerome Corsi's new book, The Obama Nation, which will debut at #1 on the New York Times best-seller list.  It seems pretty clear, I think, that conservatives should not hitch their hopes to it.

Jenna Bush Wedding Pastor Rips McCain  —  ABC News' Teddy Davis, Hope Ditto and Rigel Anderson report: The pastor who officiated Jenna Bush's wedding ripped into Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on Friday for jokingly volunteering his wife last week for a beauty pageant that often features contestants topless.

No Cold War, but Big Chill  —  CRAWFORD, Tex. — “The cold war is over,” President Bush declared Friday, but a new era of enmity between the United States and Russia has emerged nevertheless.  It may not be as tense as the nuclear standoff with the Soviet Union, for now, but it could become as strained.

Obama Camp Unveils “Buy American, Vote Obama” Campaign  —  The Obama camp is pushing a new theme in Pennsylvania tomorrow — it's called the “Buy American, Vote Obama” campaign.  —  Here's the new logo, to be unveiled tomorrow and to appear on stickers and flyers in select towns around the state:

Body proves Bigfoot no myth, hunters say  —  (CNN) — A policeman and a former corrections officer say that on Friday they will unveil evidence of what they claim is their biggest find ever: the body of Bigfoot.  —  Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer, a pair of Bigfoot-hunting hobbyists from north Georgia …

McCain Slimes Again; Obama Fades  —  McCain recycles the celebrity charge, sans Paris, and removes his lie about Obama's raising taxes on people earning $42,000 a year (while never acknowledging that it was a lie in the first place).  But the personal demonization of Obama …

Kerry For Vice President?  —  Keller's Blog: Kerry For VP Part II  —  BOSTON (WBZ) ― Barack Obama has yet to name a vice presidential nominee and some are wondering if he might turn to Massachusetts to round out the ticket.  —  John Kerry for vice president?  —  Don't dismiss the notion just yet.

Obama The Antichrist: It's All About Scaring The GOP Base  —  Last night CNN aired a segment wondering aloud whether or not Obama is the Antichrist.  It's just the latest step in making what ought to be an outrageous and nonsensical bit of religious nuttery into an actual campaign issue.

McCain Meets With T. Boone Pickens, Dodges Question About Anti-Obama Book  —  From CBS News' Ryan Corsaro:  —  (ASPEN, COLO.) - T. Boone Pickens was waiting for John McCain in a small conference room at the Aspen Meadows Resort, where the two, according to Pickens, were going to be “talking about the Pickens plan.”

Gallup Daily: McCain, Obama Tied at 44%  —  PRINCETON, NJ — If the election were held today, registered voters would be equally likely to vote for John McCain (44%) or Barack Obama (44%), according to the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update.  —  The Aug. 12-14 polling shows a slight dip …

The End of Placeness  —  The end of placeness is one of the features of the campaign.  I do not like it.  —  Pretend you are not a political sophisticate and regular watcher of the presidential race as it unfolds on all media platforms.  Pretend, that is, that you are normal.  —  OK, quick, close your eyes.

The Clintons Are Here to Stay  —  Get used to it.  They are not going away.  Anyone who thought that Barack Obama had sent Hillary Clinton back to the Senate to atone for her campaign's sins or banished her husband, baying at the moon, into the wilderness was deluded.

Friedman nails McCain on alternative energy hypocrisy  —  (Suck on this, McCain) Since he's trying to exploit the anger Americans are feeling at the pump by basing his entire domestic platform on an “all of the above” energy policy, don't you think John McCain would be wise to actually show …

Texas school district will allow teachers to carry guns  —  HOUSTON (Reuters) - A Texas school district will let teachers bring guns to class this fall, the district's superintendent said on Friday, in what experts said appeared to be a first in the United States.

Obama's Southern Strategy Omits Arkansas, So Far  —  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas has a Democratic governor, an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature, two Democratic United States senators and three Democratic Congressional representatives out of four.  —  The Democratic presidential primary …

RUSSIA THREATENS NUCLEAR ATTACK ON POLAND  —  Much is happening today in Georgia and other states formerly under the thumb of Russia.  President Saakashvili has signed a cease-fire agreement; Russian troops have nevertheless advanced within 35 miles of Tbilisi; President Bush denounced Russia for …