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.”

Obama says he's chosen his VP — won't reveal who it is yet  —  Barack Obama told USA TODAY this afternoon that “yes,” he has made up his mind about whom his running mate will be — but he would not reveal the name or just when he will tell the nation about his choice.  —  USA TODAY's Kathy Kiely writes that:

The Anatomy of a Deception: How The McCains Changed Their Baby Adoption Story Just Before 2008 Campaign Began  —  As was pointed out yesterday by the Christian Science Monitor, the McCain campaign was called out for lying about the purported urging of Cindy McCain by Mother Teresa herself …

International Olympic Committee launches probe into He Kexin's age  —  Tim Reid in Washington, Jeremy Griffin and Jane Macartney in Beijing  —  The International Olympic Committee has ordered an investigation into mounting allegations that Chinese authorities covered up the true age …

Missile Defense Agreement Unrelated to Russia, Rice Says  —  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Polish counterpart agreed to place 10 missile defense interceptors in Poland to defend against threats from Iran and North Korea, not to weaken Russia, the secretary said.

CAC Doc Drop: Obama Has More Than Ayers To Worry About Now  —  Continuing to follow up on what can be learned of Barack Obama's tenure as the Chairman of the Board of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge (CAC), evaluations of the program during his tenure available on line demonstrate …

Begala: Rooting for a Bill Clinton-Pickens ticket  —  Editor's note: Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist and CNN political contributor, was a political consultant for Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in 1992 and was counselor to Clinton in the White House.  Begala is the author of several best-sellers.

The ‘New York Times’ Votes Big for Obama Economics  —  As economist Arthur Laffer told me a while back, Obamanomics “should be a fascinating economic experiment.”  To see just how fascinating, you should check out the big (nearly 8,000 words) New York Times Magazine story on Obama's economic agenda …

The decay of serious journalism and Rachel Maddow's new show  —  (updated below)  —  As our political culture, economic security, standing in the world and our media institutions have all degraded beyond recognition after eight years of right-wing rule (much of it cheered on by The New Republic) …

More Americans Question Religion's Role in Politics  —  Some Social Conservative Disillusionment  —  Some Americans are having a change of heart about mixing religion and politics.  A new survey finds a narrow majority of the public saying that churches and other houses of worship should keep …

CNN Talks With McCain About His Extramarital Affairs  —  My jaw literally dropped when I saw this.  I'm still shocked CNN went there.  —  YouTube link

Kristol: A Vice Presidential Clue  —  Here's what Barack Obama told Time's Karen Tumulty and David Von Drehle earlier this week, when asked what we would learn about him from his vice presidential pick: … Is there a clue here as to Obama's pick?  Perhaps not—he'll claim these nice statements would apply to anyone he chooses.

Who Has The Cooler Podium?  — SUSPENDED  —  This vote suspended until I get an official picture of the DNC podium...  The GOP...  Or the DNC?  —  (image courtesy of Reuters)

Report Says Fire, Not Explosion, Felled 7 W.T.C.  —  GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Fires in the 47-story office tower at the edge of the World Trade Center site undermined floor beams and critical structural columns, federal investigators concluded Thursday, as they attempted to curb still-rampant speculation …

Cross Nunn's name off the list?  —  (CNN) — It appears Sam Nunn, the former Georgia senator and a leading Democratic expert on foreign policy issues, can safely be crossed off the list of Barack Obama's potential running mates.  —  Nunn spokeswoman Kathy Gwin confirms to CNN the former senator …