Smothering the Hatchet  —  Hillary's former communications director on how to close the Clinton-Obama rift.  —  The New Republic has asked me what advice I would give to Senator Obama to improve relations with the Clintons during this convention week.  —  To be clear, I believe …

Zombie: The Denver Games — Opening Ceremony  —  (Zombie's reports are cross-posted at Pajamas Media.)  —  Although the Democratic National Convention doesn't start until today, Monday, August 25, the protests against the convention started the day before on Sunday.

Accentuate the Negative  —  So the Obama campaign has turned to the politics of personal destruction, attempting to make a campaign issue out of John McCain's inability to remember how many houses he has.  And the turn comes not a moment too soon.  —  Over the past month or so many Democrats …

Focused  —  I attended a Frank Luntz focus group consisting of 21 undecided voters yesterday and the results were stunning: bad news for both Obama and McCain, but slightly worse—I think—for Obama.  Some observations:  —First, these were truly undecided voters, only a few leaners at the margins.

The International Space Station Was Booked Solid  —  Vice President Cheney will travel abroad beginning September 2, 2008 [i.e., immediately after he addresses the Republican National Convention].  President Bush has asked the Vice President to travel to Azerbaijan, Georgia …

A Liberal's Lament  —  To win, Obama must convince the country that he is a man of substance, not just style.  History suggests this won't be easy.  —  A Bold Agenda: Kennedy, at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1960, outlined the framework of his New Deal update, the New Frontier, to a standing ovation

McCain Campaign Tries the Chicken Prank  —  I almost feel like a dupe writing about the second pro-Hillary ad McCain released today at 6am: It's a stunt, a trick meant to keep him in the press during the Democratic convention and gin up more Hillary-Obama-tension media storylines.  Message: neener neener neener.

DeLay might be cleared of charges  —  Appeals court says money-laundering law didn't apply to checks.  —  Money-laundering charges against former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay and two indicted co-conspirators may be dismissed because the 2002 campaign finance case involved checks and not cash, a lawyer for DeLay said Sunday night.

I'm a Brilliant, Original, and Idiosyncratic Thinker But Don't Ever Disagree With Me  —  Much like Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen, I write for a living.  Primarily about U.S. politics and public policy.  I write about these things because I think they're important.

Durbin: McCain's a baller, too  —  Barack Obama may be able to drain a three pointer when the cameras are rolling, but John McCain has at least some metaphorical game.  So said Obama's own Illinios colleague and campaign co-chair, Sen. Dick Durbin, at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast with reporters on Monday morning.