The Democrats' Glass Ceiling  —  So Hillary Clinton gets about 18 million votes in 2008, and isn't even considered for—she apparently isn't even given the courtesy of being consulted—the vice presidential pick.  Joe Biden manages to persuade a few thousand (if that) Iowans to support him.

New McCain Ad Uses Clinton Attacks  —  Amy Chozick reports on the presidential race in Springfield, Ill.  —  No sooner had Barack Obama publicly announced his new running mate had John McCain's campaign produced an attack ad asking: Why not Hillary?  —  “Passed Over” will hit the airwaves at (you guessed it) 3 a.m. Sunday.

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 …

What Does This Really Tell Us?  —  Leaving aside all the necessary gaming of how this affects the election, what does the selection of Biden tell us about Obama's potential decision-making as president?  This is the second big decision of the national campaign (the first was opting out of public financing).

Some Comic Relief And A Real Problem  —  Share This: Digg!  —  Provided by Frank Rich: … Of course, Rich is so for Obama, that he hurts him like this: … Relatedly, Todd Beeton provides an interesting anecdote from Denver: … It is this arrogance that could sink Obama's campaign.

Biden on Haditha  —  In June 2006, straight-talking Joe Biden went on Meet the Press and demanded accountability from the administration for the so-called Haditha massacre.  Biden spoke about the incident as if the accused marines were guilty (before a trial) and called on the administration to proceed …

Social Security — government report shows that program is healthy for decades to come  —  The Congressional Budget Office, the agency charged with providing Congress with objective analyses of federal programs, released a new report today that shows the Social Security program is in good financial shape and will be for decades to come.

U. of C. shunning poor patients?  —  Sen. Barack Obama's wife and three close advisers have been involved with a program at the University of Chicago Medical Center that steers patients who don't have private insurance — primarily poor, black people — to other health care facilities.