Obama camp: McCain would be committing “political malpractice” with veep leak tonight  —  Annoyed by all the mind-games and leaks meant to divert attention from their candidate's long-anticipated acceptance speech tonight, Barack Obama's campaign is hitting back this afternoon and accusing their counterparts of playing poltiical games.

Gallup Daily: Obama Moves Ahead, 48% to 42%  —  Democratic candidate gains in Monday through Wednesday interviewing  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Democratic candidate Barack Obama has gained ground in the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking average from Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday …

McCain's Prickly TIME Interview  —  For years, John McCain's marathon bull sessions with reporters were more than a means of delivering a message; they were the message.  McCain proudly, flagrantly refused direction from handlers, rarely dodged tough questions and considered those who did wimps and frauds.

Carter: McCain ‘milking’ POW time  —  DENVER — Former president Jimmy Carter called Republican presidential candidate John McCain a “distinguished Naval officer,” but said the Arizona senator has been “milking every possible drop of advantage” from his time served as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

MSNBC Anchors' Fights Go Live  —  Since the start of the Democratic National Convention, ratings have exploded for the cable news channel MSNBC.  —  So have tensions among the network's top anchors.  —  The convention was supposed to be the network's coming-out party as a hub for politics.

Fox: Bush might not speak at RNC on Monday because of Gustav.  —  President Bush is scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention on Monday, but with Tropical Storm Gustav expected to hit Gulf coast, the White House is beginning to hint that President Bush might not speak that day.

How McCain's VP Choice Will Be Perceived  —  Howard Wolfson, former communications director for Hillary Clinton, has been writing for us from Denver.  Here are his thoughts on McCain's upcoming v.p. selection.  —  What will John McCain's pick, due tomorrow, of his vice-presidential running mate, say about him to the American people?

Cindy McCain's Half Sister: “I'm Voting for Barack Obama”  —  Cindy McCain's half sister is planning on voting for Barack Obama, she tells Usmagazine.com.  —  “I'm not voting for McCain,” Kathleen Hensley Portalski tells Us.  “I have a different political standpoint.

Tuesday With Lanny  —  A DAY IN THE LIFE OF HILLARY CLINTON'S BIGGEST FAN.  —  When it comes to defending Hillary Clinton, Lanny Davis has no rival.  After Clinton had been mathematically eliminated from contention for the Democratic nomination, Davis continued to campaign for her.

What's missing from the Democratic convention?  —  (updated below - Update II)  —  As one would expect them to be, virtually all of the prime-time speeches at the Democratic Convention have been — from a rhetorical perspective — very well-crafted and well-delivered.

McCain Campaign Disavows Health Adviser (Updated)  —  The saga of John McCain and his official views on health care just keeps getting more interesting.  —  As you may recall, the Dallas Morning News recently quoted John Goodman suggesting that the problems of the uninsured were wildly exaggerated …

Economic Growth Stronger Than Expected  —  The economy expanded faster from April to June than originally thought, the government said on Thursday, catching many economists off-guard and cheering investors on Wall Street.  —  Gross domestic product rose at a 3.3 percent clip in the second quarter …

Putin accuses U.S. of orchestrating Georgian war  —  SOCHI, Russia (CNN) — Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of orchestrating the conflict in Georgia to benefit one of its presidential election candidates.  —  In an exclusive interview with CNN's Matthew Chance …

Veep Troubles  —  Ross acknowledges Romney isn't exactly a low risk pick and fumbles around for an appropriate McCain veep: … I think Pawlenty would be the best myself.  But Hutchison could be a smart move.  Ridge would drive the Christianists nuts.  Romney is just political poison.