Why Obama's Health Plan Is Better  —  The big threat to growth in the next decade is not oil or food prices, but the rising cost of health care.  The doubling of health insurance premiums since 2000 makes employers choose between cutting benefits and hiring fewer workers.

Obama's character assassins target another National Review journalist  —  David Freddoso attempted to appear on Milt Rosenberg's WGN radio show last night, and just as when Stanley Kurtz tried to talk on the same show, the Barack Obama campaign organized a disruption of the show.

Why Experience Matters  —  Philosophical debates arise at the oddest times, and in the heat of this election season, one is now rising in Republican ranks.  The narrow question is this: Is Sarah Palin qualified to be vice president?  Most conservatives say yes, on the grounds that something …

Palin and the Teleprompter  —  At a fundraiser in Canton, Ohio, this evening, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin had an interesting description of her speech to the Republican convention.  —  “There Ohio was right out in front, right in front of me,” Palin said.  “The teleprompter got messed up …

The Ugly New McCain  —  Following his loss to George W. Bush in the 2000 South Carolina primary, John McCain did something extraordinary: He confessed to lying about how he felt about the Confederate battle flag, which he actually abhorred.  “I broke my promise to always tell the truth,” McCain said.

IF OBAMA LOSES.  —  In this weekend's Washington Post, Randall Kennedy considers the effect of an Obama loss on the black community: … There's been a some racist fearmongering from the usual suspects about riots about the aftermath of an Obama loss (something that is extremely unlikely).

On Sex-Ed Ad, McCain Is Right  —  In recent days, a consensus has developed among the Obama campaign and commentators in the press that John McCain has decided to lie his way to the White House.  Exhibit A in this new consensus is McCain's ad, released last week, claiming that Barack Obama's …

With White Support, McCain Nips At Obama's Heels In NJ, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Women Stay With Dem, But Men Move To GOP  —  Fueled by a surge of support from white voters, Republican Sen. John McCain has narrowed a 10-point gap and now trails Democratic Sen. Barack Obama 48 …

What is truly frightening about Sarah Palin  —  TEL AVIV - It was in the taxicab this morning that it finally struck me about Sarah Palin.  —  I get it.  I get that millions of Americans have a crying need for someone to stand up and say the things that Sarah Palin has been telling them.

OBAMA BOOM ECONOMY: RECORD BANK IN BEV HILLS, $28,500 A PLATE!  —  The nation's financials may be in a spiral, but cash is flowing into the Obama campaign faster than Marvin Hamlisch can play “Niagara”!  —  Yesterday, Obama declared how we are in “the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression.”

A tanning bed in the Governor's Mansion  —  Sarah Palin brought one unusual accessory to the Alaska Governor's mansion after moving in last year: A tanning bed.  —  Al Giordano's NarcoNews first reported that Palin had the apparatus installed in the mansion in Juneau, and a spokesman …

McCain Blinks  —  I think there's something unseemly to scoring the financial crisis on political terms, but that's apparently how everyone else is responding too.  —  I saw the beginning of The Today Show this morning.  Their set-up piece (by Andrea Mitchell, fwiw) made it very clear McCain is on the defensive on the economy again.

Poll: McCain Fast Approaching Obama Among New York State Voters  —  New York is on its way to becoming a battleground in this year's presidential election, with Senator McCain rapidly dissolving Senator Obama's lead in the Empire State, according to a new poll.

Obama camp hits back at Iraq double-talk claim  —  PUEBLO, Colorado (AFP) — Barack Obama's White House campaign angrily denied Monday a report that he had secretly urged the Iraqis to postpone a deal to withdraw US troops until after November's election.  —  In the New York Post …

Ralphie Want a Cracker?  —  This video of Ralph Nader in a soliloquy with a parrot is just too good to pass up.  It was filmed in Salt Lake City, UT, while Nader was visiting Rocky Anderson, the city's former Mayor.  Nader discusses the lack of coverage of his campaign, addressing the parrot by its name, Cardozo.

Jamie Gorelick, Mistress of Disaster  —  It's not often that one person plays key roles in two — count 'em, two — trillion-dollar disasters.  Welcome, my friends, to the world of well-connected Democrat Jamie Gorelick.  —  In 2004, observers were “astonished” to discover that a key member …

Interest Groups Step Up Efforts in a Tight Race  —  WASHINGTON — After largely staying on the sidelines, the types of independent groups that so affected the 2004 presidential campaign are flooding back as players in the final sprint to the election this fall, financing provocative messages on television …