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.

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.

OBAMA CAMPAIGN DENOUNCES KURTZ TO A MUCH GREATER EXTENT THAN AYERS.— As some of you may remember, I previously explained why I didn't put too much stock in the stories about Barack Obama's ties to Bill Ayers, a position for which I received some positive comments at Huffington Post and elsewhere.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

TEMPLE OF DEM ON MT. O-LYMPUS  —  GOP MOCKS GRAND STAGE FOR BAM AS GREEK HUBRIS  —  DENVER - Democrats will kneel before the “Temple of Obama” tonight.  —  As if a Rocky Mountain coronation were not lofty enough, Barack Obama will aim for Mount Olympus when he accepts his party's nomination atop …

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.

Texas still leads nation in rate of uninsured residents  —  jroberson@dallasnews.com  —  Texas once again led the nation with the highest percentage of residents without health insurance, a U.S. Census Bureau report showed Tuesday, although the same study also reports a slight dip last year …

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 …

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 …

Biden's Exaggerations  —  Inflating Obama's record will not resolve doubts.  —  THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION exposed the central defect of Senator Barack Obama's candidacy: the absence of compelling evidence he is up to the job of president.  The exposé comes courtesy …

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.

Avoiding A Long, Disappointing Fall  —  A thorough diagnosis of what's been ailing the Obama campaign.  And suggestions for a cure.  —  I.  —  RELATED CONTENT  —  Judis (4/23/08): The Next McGovern?  —  Judis (5/7/08): It's All Over Now, Baby Blue  —  The Barack Obama campaign has been floundering.

7 Years to Climate Midnight  —  The world may have only seven years to start reducing the annual buildup in greenhouse gas emissions that otherwise threatens global catastrophe within several decades.  That means that between Inauguration Day in January 2009 and 2015, either John McCain …