NO MORE MISTER NICE GUY  —  The latest campaign kerfuffle is Obama's effort to make hay out of John McCain's inability to tell a reporter how many houses he owns.  McCain mumbled something about condos and said the reporter should talk to his wife.  Predictably, Obama is trying to spin …

Source: Obama calling also-rans on VP shortlist  —  (CNN) — Sen. Barack Obama called some people on his shortlist for the vice presidential slot Thursday night to tell them he had not selected them as a running mate, a highly placed Democratic Party source said.  —  The source did not say which people got the call.

2 GOP Sources: It's Romney  —  Two Republicans close to the situation say McCain has apparently settled on Mitt Romney as his running mate.  —  Two additional GOP sources say McCain had not offered the slot to anyone as of Thursday night, and that he could still change his mind.  —  Developing...

Exclusive: Obama's lost law review article  —  As president of the Harvard Law Review and a law professor in Chicago, Senator Barack Obama refined his legal thinking, but left a scant paper trail.  His name doesn't appear on any legal scholarship.  —  But an unsigned — and previously unattributed …

Hoping It's Biden  —  Barack Obama has decided upon a vice-presidential running mate.  And while I don't know who it is as I write, for the good of the country, I hope he picked Joe Biden.  —  Biden's weaknesses are on the surface.  He has said a number of idiotic things over the years and …

Iraq Takes Aim at Leaders of U.S.-Tied Sunni Groups  —  BAGHDAD — The Shiite-dominated government in Iraq is driving out many leaders of Sunni citizen patrols, the groups of former insurgents who joined the American payroll and have been a major pillar in the decline in violence around the nation.

They're Paying Attention Now  —  Why is it a real race now, with John McCain rising in the polls and Barack Obama falling?  There are many answers, but here I think is an essential one: The American people have begun paying attention.  —  It's hard for our political class to remember …

Hints Of Major McCain Rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan On Or About 8/31  —  So there's apparently going to be a major political event in Grand Rapids, Michigan on or about 8/31.  —  A McCain campaign event, say two sources.  (Cautioning as always...plans could change, but...)

Born in the U.S.A.  —  The truth about Obama's birth certificate.  —  In June, the Obama campaign released a digitally scanned image of his birth certificate to quell speculative charges that he might not be a natural-born citizen.  But the image prompted more blog-based skepticism about the document's authenticity.

Obama has 7-point lead on McCain in Michigan  —  But lead is shaky: 31% say they could change their minds  —  Independents, women and Wayne County voters helped boost Democrat Barack Obama to a 7-point lead over Republican John McCain in the presidential race in Michigan …

Veep Picks  —  Veep Day is tomorrow, by all accounts.  My against-the-grain prediction: Sebelius.  What do you think?