Wow [Rich Lowry] From McCain campaign:  —  Please see comment from me on Barack Obama's new ad supposedly running in Georgia:  —  “Barack Obama's ad is ridiculous.  Because of John McCain, corruption was exposed and people like Jack Abramoff went to jail.

McCain unsure how many houses he owns  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said in an interview Wednesday that he was uncertain how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, own.  —  “I think - I'll have my staff get to you,” McCain told us in Las Cruces, N.M. “It's condominiums where - I'll have them get to you.”

Expertinent: Why Obama Could Use a Big Convention ‘Bump’  —  Right now, much of the political world is obsessing over a series of new polls indicating that the gap between Barack Obama and John McCain is shrinking.A just-released Quinnipiac survey, for example, shows McCain cutting Obama's lead …

U.S., Iraq Are Said to Have Set Withdrawal Timetable  —  BAGHDAD — U.S. and Iraqi negotiators reached agreement on a security deal that calls for American military forces to leave Iraq's cities by next summer as a prelude to a full withdrawal of combat troops from the country, according to senior American officials.

Exclusive: No single-term pledge for McCain  —  LAS CRUCES, N.M., — John McCain stated unequivocally in an interview with Politico Wednesday that he would not pledge to serve only a single four-year term, rejecting a suggestion that some allies believe would allay questions about his age …

Obama on His Veep Thinking  —  TIME: Your speeches seem to be getting far tougher.  —  Well, it's getting to be crunch time.  Now is the time where people are going to start paying attention, leading up into the convention, and we've got to make sure that people understand the choices that are at stake.

Clinton creates ‘whip team’ to quell anti-Obama protests  —  In an unusual move, Hillary Clinton's staff is creating a 40-member “whip team” at the Denver Democratic convention to ensure that her supporters don't engage in embarrassing anti-Obama demonstrations during the floor vote on her nomination …

New Guidelines Would Give F.B.I. Broader Powers  —  WASHINGTON — A Justice Department plan would loosen restrictions on the Federal Bureau of Investigation to allow agents to open a national security or criminal investigation against someone without any clear basis for suspicion …

Russia warns of response to US missile shield … MOSCOW (AP) - Russia says its response to the further development of a U.S. missile shield in Poland will go beyond diplomacy.  —  Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the U.S. missile shield plans are clearly aimed at weakening Russia.

Report from Tbilisi  —  Russia's invasion of Georgia has unleashed a refugee crisis all over the country and especially in its capital.  Every school here in Tbilisi is jammed with civilians who fled aerial bombardment and shootings by the Russian military—or massacres, looting …

Dem Supporters Asked To Buy Obama Speech Tickets  —  DENVER (CBS4) ― Two known Democratic supporters are outraged at their own party after being solicited to buy tickets to Barack Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco Field next Thursday, CBS4 reports.  The seats were distributed for free to the general public.

Republicans Plan to Grab Some Denver Limelight  —  John McCain and the Republican Party have their own plans for next week in Denver, including a parade of high-profile surrogates, a Web site touting new attack videos, and a tagline for the Democrats' convention: A Mile High and an Inch Deep.

Limbaugh: Obama's nomination “goes back to the fact that nobody had the guts to stand up and say no to a black guy” … On the August 19 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh said that “it is striking how unqualified [Sen. Barack] Obama is and …

Report Rejects Medicare Boast of Paring Fraud  —  Medicare's top officials said in 2006 that they had reduced the number of fraudulent and improper claims paid by the agency, keeping billions of dollars out of the hands of people trying to game the system.  —  But according to a confidential draft …