MCCAIN'S BACK IN THE SADDLEBACK  —  From NBC's Chuck Todd  —  Normally, on a night like tonight, we here at First Read would have been liveblogging every moment of Rick Warren's presidential forum.  But with the Olympics and the fact this is THE Saturday Michael Phelps will be making history, we kept our liveblogging in check.

Ukraine Baits the Bear While Condi and Dubya Do Nothing  —  This is the stuff that makes me want to claw my eyes out: … Repeat after me “this is a treaty violation and the Russians can use it as a pretext to break the treaty acknowledging Sevastopol as yours.  Are you sure you can win a war with Russia?

EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Barack Obama  —  Attention Brody File readers.  —  I was just granted an exclusive one on one interview with Barack Obama here at the Saddleback Civil Forum.  CBN News was the only media outlet to go behind the scenes and conduct an interview.

79 Days — Obama wouldn't have nominated Thomas  —  Prime time last night: Faith, Phelps and Favre - whatacountry ... At Rick Warren forum, McCain is blunt and sometimes electric, Obama is calm and reassuring ... McCain quips “$5 million” when asked his definition of rich, then immediately …

GEORGIA UPDATE....The latest on the ceasefire: … Well, we'll see.  I guess this all depends on whether the Russians have blown up enough Georgian infrastructure by then to satisfy their promise of leaving only after implementing those mysterious “extra security measures” they insisted on inserting into the ceasefire text.

McCain As Good As Obama Was Bad  —  I don't want to get to overheated about what occurred tonight, but I do think McCain had a clear and decisive victory over Obama.  It all comes down to something that Phil Bredesen, the Democratic governor of Tennessee recently said about Obama …

Bill Kristol's weekly moment of shame “...if countries don't have confidence in our ability to help them, it's going to be a much more dangerous world.”  —  By: John Amato @ 10:00 AM - PDT  —  (video and post sent in by PublEuS via email)

Kaine's Push for Obama Rolls Into Loudoun  —  U.S. Is ‘Ready for Excellence,’ Governor Says, Adding That State Will Play Key Role in November  —  Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine spoke with groups of ardent Barack Obama supporters yesterday in Washington's outer suburbs …

What Does Michael Phelps Do For An Encore?  —  What will Michael Phelps do after winning eight gold medals in Beijing?  He plans on going to London - in 2012.  And why not?  He won six gold medals at age nineteen, another eight at age twenty-three, and there is no reason …

GOP rejects Pelosi's energy proposal  —  Republicans lambasted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) energy plan Saturday advising her to “get out of the way” if she was not going to accept GOP solutions to the energy crisis.  —  In her Saturday radio address Pelosi announced that Democrats …

Justice Dept. Moves Toward Charges Against Contractors in Iraq Shooting  —  Federal prosecutors have sent target letters to six Blackwater Worldwide security guards involved in a September shooting that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead, indicating a high likelihood the Justice Department will seek …