In Obama's Choice, a ‘Very Personal Decision’  —  WASHINGTON — In the beginning, Senator Barack Obama was not entirely sold on Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. And Mr. Biden told friends that he was pessimistic of his chances of becoming Mr. Obama's Democratic running mate.

Halperin: McCain's Houses Gaffe ‘One Of The Worst Moments’ Of The Campaign For...Barack Obama  —  Last week Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told Politico that he did not know how many homes he and his wife Cindy own.  “I'll have my staff get to you,” McCain said.  ThinkProgress noted …

Support for Each Candidate Holds Steady  —  Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain are locked in a highly competitive race for the White House, with voters giving McCain a clear edge as a potential commander in chief but Obama a sizable advantage on economic issues …

Too Much of a Bad Thing  —  My mom did not approve of men who cheated on their wives.  She called them “long-tailed rats.”  —  During the 2000 race, she listened to news reports about John McCain confessing to dalliances that caused his first marriage to fall apart after he came back from his stint as a P.O.W. in Vietnam.

Colin Powell in McCain mix  —  Retired Gen. Colin Powell is among the potential running mates who have been considered by John McCain, campaign advisers told Politico.  —  Powell was among the possible vice presidential choices the Arizona Republican senator was thinking of when he said he would not rule …

Biden's Son, Brother Named in Two Suits  —  A son and a brother of Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) are accused in two lawsuits of defrauding a former business partner and an investor of millions of dollars in a hedge fund deal that went sour, court records show.

Anti-war protesters marching to Pepsi Center  —  The first major protest at the Democratic National Convention, which starts Monday, went off peacefully Sunday at noon.  —  Police officers, some on mountain bikes, escorted hundreds of war protesters from the steps of the Capitol down Colfax Avenue …

I'm literally intrigued by Joe Biden's speech  —  Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama's choice for running mate, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, used the word “literally” literally eight times in his speech Saturday afternoon, suggesting we're in for a metaphorical deluge of misuses of …

“We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him”  —  Lynn Sweet has a great picture of the stage at the [manger] Pepsi Center in Denver:

Pastor to Obama, flock: Don't get ‘cocky’  —  Ken Vogel reports:  —  The reading at the Wisconsin church service Barack Obama attended  —  Sunday morning was Romans 12:1-8, and the pastor summarized its lesson  —  as one of humility.  —  One should not become “cocky” just because one is a good singer or

Finding the Mess Behind the Mess  —  A BURSTING real estate bubble set off the Japanese recession of the 1990s, which deepened as ailing banks languished.  It took Japan's economy more than a decade to resume steady, noticeable growth.  —  Will this happen to the United States?