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 …

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.

Stephanie Tubbs Jones has died, sources say  —  U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first African-American woman to represent Ohio in Congress, has died after suffering a brain aneurysm, said sources familiar with the situation.  —  She was removed from life support at 12:19 p.m. at Huron Road Hospital, the sources said.

Obama's Rice, Clarke Drill McCain Over and Over  —  The Obama advisers light into McCain, his support for the Iraq War and his general attitude toward combat on afternoon media call.  —  Listen to the full call here. … McCain camp response here.

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 …

Rare Video: Barack Obama Circa 1995  —  Curious to see what Barack Obama was like before he got into politics?  —  This rare TV interview from 1995 will give you some insight.  One thing is clear - the guy is consistent.  He's been talking about post-racial, non-polarized politics for over a decade now.

FREE ADVICE, WORTH EVERY PENNY  —  Don't ever demand someone stop attacking you.  Doesn't work.  Don't do it.  Sounds weak.  Sounds pathetic.  And a lot else.  —  Look at John McCain attacking my patriotism.  It's sad what he's become.  He'll do anything to get elected.  Attack my patriotism.

Obama campaign set to release TV ad linking McCain, Reed  —  A newly aggressive Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is set to release a new TV ad in Georgia tomorrow, drawing a connection between Republican John McCain's decision not to call Ralph Reed before a Senate panel …

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.

Obama team to hold ‘major’ event Saturday in Bayh's Indiana  —  Campaign team gathering for possible veep announcement  —  NashvillePost.com has learned that senior campaign officials from the Barack Obama Presidential campaign are being dispatched from various locations around the country …

Does McCain Favor a Draft?  Nope.  —  Liberals are having a conniption over Sen. John McCain's purported endorsement of a draft today.  —  In Las Crucas, New Mexico, a woman asked McCain about the “horrible conditions” that veterans often see when return from combat.  Here's the last few sentences:

Key U.S. Iraq strategy in danger of collapse  —  BAGHDAD — A key pillar of the U.S. strategy to pacify Iraq is in danger of collapsing because the Iraqi government is failing to absorb tens of thousands of former Sunni Muslim insurgents who'd joined U.S.-allied militia groups into the country's security forces.

American Health Care System More Broken Than You Imagined  —  Today comes word from the Commonwealth Fund that the effect of the American health care system on the finances of Americans is more dire than you might have thought: … This is the number Democrats need to talk about when the topic …

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 …

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 …