Live from DNC: Bill Get His Digs In  —  Biden's speech?  Surprisingly good.  Bill Clinton's?  Read between the lines and you see what he thinks of Obama...  I've never been called a man of few words, but let me say this as short as I can — yes, yes, yes I accept the nomination.

Rove tried to kill Lieberman VP pick  —  Republican strategist Karl Rove called Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) late last week and urged him to contact Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to withdraw his name from vice presidential consideration, according to three sources familiar with the conversation.

Obama camp blasts National Review writer as “slimy character assassin”  —  Barack Obama's campaign hasn't advertised this a great deal this week, but the campaign's “Action Wire” has been waging large-scale campaigns against critics.  That includes tens of thousands of e-mails …

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.

Dems nervous over Invesco risks  —  DENVER - Senior Democratic officials are expressing serious concerns about the political risks posed by Barack Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium Thursday evening.  —  From the elaborate stagecraft to the teeming crowd …

MSNBC prez defends convention team  —  DENVER — Amid a spate of awkward on-air conflicts among MNSBC anchors at this week's Democratic convention, some staff members say there are sharp internal disputes at the cable network over whether its opinion and personality-driven political coverage has crossed the line.

Mount Olympus...  Just heard Obama Manager David Plouffe's view of the world at a groovy TIME magazine event.  I'll post some thoughts on it a bit later.  But for now, a quick review of last night's Hillary speech and a dire prediction about tomorrow's planned spectacular at Invesco field.

JOHN KERRY — WOW!  —  Most of the nets aren't showing it.  But John Kerry's giving a really good speech on the foreign policy front.  Knocking McCain for standing on an aircraft three months after 9/11 and calling out ‘next stop Baghdad.’ He's going through the list of McCain's foreign policy goofs …

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.

The Master Has Arrived  —  In the time-honored tradition of the notebook dump, some thoughts and observations on the Democratic convention so far:  —  As for Bill Clinton's speech, halfway through I thought: The Master has arrived.  Crazy Bill, the red-faced Rageaholic, was somewhere else.

Economy rebounds in 2Q, mostly spurred by exports  —  WASHINGTON - The economy shifted to a higher gear in the spring, growing at its fastest pace in nearly a year as foreign buyers snapped up U.S. exports and tax rebates spurred shoppers at home.  —  The Commerce Department reported Thursday …

Video: A new McCain spokesman for Obama's unreadiness  —  John McCain went to the vault from the Democratic primaries and found a treasure trove of comments from Democrats on the unreadiness of Barack Obama to lead the nation.  It includes the comments we've seen before from Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden …

The Optimism of Fools  —  Following my sour take on the forthcoming election, and my follow-up posting that practically all my emailers agree with me, a dissenting reader chid me thus, under the subject line “Why you aren't getting disagreeable emails”: … This gladdens my heart, because it tells me I am doing my job.

Biden Fumbles Military Terms  —  Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden might be the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but for at least a split second Wednesday, he got confused about some very simple military terminology.  —  Speaking at the Democratic National Convention …

McCain rally tickets still available  —  DAYTON — Tickets are still available for Sen. John McCain's Friday, Aug. 29, rally at Wright State University's Nutter Center in Fairborn.  —  McCain and his wife Cindy will appear at the event, dubbed the “Road to the Convention Rally.”