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 …

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 …

Georgia, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia  —  I wrote a couple of weeks ago about my experiences in Georgia in the early 1990s, monitoring the various conflicts - Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and the then-Georgian civil war in Tbilisi - and noting that the secessionist conflicts were marked on each side …

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.

Man arrested carrying weapons at Pelosi hotel  —  DENVER—House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was briefly evacuated from her downtown Denver hotel on Saturday when a man carrying two hunting rifles and two pistols tried to check in to the hotel.  —  Secret Service spokesman Malcolm Wiley …

SOME MCCAIN CAMP INSIGHTS...  From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell  —  Reporting on the road with the McCain campaign...  The “Biden” ad: Advisors say that spot has been ready for “a couple days.”  The McCain team says they assessed that Kaine “utterly disqualified himself” on the basis …

NBC Censors Sexual Orientation Of Openly Gay Gold Medalist Diver  —  According to OutSports.com, of the 10,708 athletes at the Olympics this year, just 10 have identified themselves publicly as being gay.  Of the 10, Australian diver Matthew Mitcham is the only male gay athlete.

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 …

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 …