It was the moment of greatest peril for then-Sen. Barack Obama's political career.  In the heat of the presidential campaign, videos surfaced of Obama's pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, angrily denouncing whites, the U.S. government and America itself.  Obama had once bragged of his closeness to Wright.

GOP leery of Tea Party Caucus  —  With the official formation of a congressional Tea Party Caucus, Rep. Michele Bachmann has thrust an existential question before House Republican leaders: Are you in or are you out?  —  Indiana's Mike Pence, chairman of the Republican Conference, was adamant.

Democrats Jump Into Six-Point Lead on Generic Ballot  —  At the same time, Republican enthusiasm for voting in November surges  —  PRINCETON, NJ — In the same week the U.S. Senate passed a major financial reform bill touted as reining in Wall Street, Democrats pulled ahead of Republicans …

Senate Set to End Stalemate and Extend Jobless Aid  —  WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats are poised to break a partisan stalemate on Tuesday over extending unemployment benefits for millions of Americans who have been jobless for six months or more, but the fight seems certain to continue playing …

Video Shows USDA Official Saying She Didn't Give ‘Full Force’ of Help to White Farmer  —  Shown here is USDA Georgia official Shirley Sherrod.  (YouTube)  —  Days after the NAACP clashed with Tea Party members over allegations of racism, a video has surfaced showing an Agriculture Department …

Crist Uses His Old Party as a New Foil  —  Senate Push Gains as Florida Governor Sets Himself Off Against State's GOP, With Some Firepower From Obama Camp  —  Gov. Crist has shored up some conservative positions, such as his support for gun rights, while shifting to the left on core issues like abortion, education and gay rights.

Times loses almost 90% of online readership  —  Less than three weeks after the Times paywall went up, data shows a massive decline in web traffic  —  The registration page for thetimes.co.uk - 25.6% of users sign up and proceed to the Times site  —  The Times has lost almost 90% …

Race Card Fraud  —  Credit card fraud is a serious problem.  But race card fraud is an even bigger problem.  —  Playing the race card takes many forms.  Judge Charles Pickering, a federal judge in Mississippi who defended the civil rights of blacks for years and defied the Ku Klux Klan …

Obama Sends Berwick Nomination to the Senate  —  President Barack Obama “sent the Senate his nomination of Donald Berwick as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Monday — a move that comes two weeks after Obama bypassed Congress to put his stalled nominee …

Ross Douthat's Fear of Opining.  —  Today's Ross Douthat offering has already prompted a thoughtful response from Adam, but I wanted to note the conservative NYT writer's inability to assess competing arguments.  First, from his opening statement: … The key fact that Douthat never returns …

Opposing view on the Supreme Court: A big-government vision  —  After carefully reviewing Elena Kagan's record and testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, I must oppose her nomination.  —  OUR VIEW: Kagan deserves bipartisan backing, but won't get it

Vote now or add your view  —  In January 2006, the Fairfax County, Virginia, Police Department sent a SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) team to the home of Sal Culosi, a 37-year-old optometrist.  Several months earlier, a detective had overheard Mr Culosi and some friends making a wager …

Petraeus's Successor Is Known for Impolitic Words  —  WASHINGTON — To those who have served under him, Gen. James N. Mattis is the consummate Marine commander, a warrior who chooses to lead from the front lines and speaks bluntly rather than concerning himself with political correctness.

Republican immigration position likely to alienate Latinos, Obama officials say  —  President Obama and his political aides privately acknowledge that the government's decision to sue Arizona over its new immigration law is helping to fuel an anti-immigration fervor that could benefit some Republicans in elections this fall.

Amazon says Kindle books are outselling hardcovers  —  Amazon.com said Monday that growth in sales of its Kindle digital reader accelerated every month in the second quarter and that it's selling more electronic books than hardcover editions.  —  The pace of Kindle sales also has tripled since …

Spy Swap  —  The latest in a long line.  —  With the just completed exchange of spies between the United States and Russia, the media storm will undoubtedly soon disappear.  Amid all the accounts of such arcana as steganography, brush passes, and dead drops, the fascination with Internet photos …

List of Interns Offers Glimpse of Bloomberg's Orbit  —  They are the children and relatives of boldface names, like Lloyd C. Blankfein, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs; Peter G. Peterson, co-founder of the Blackstone Group; and Laurence A. Tisch, who was a hotel mogul and chief executive of CBS.

Deal reached on special election  —  CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A deal struck Monday evening by Gov. Joe Manchin and state lawmakers will send West Virginians to the polls to fill the state's vacant U.S. Senate seat.  —  The agreement calls for a primary election on Saturday, Aug. 28 to choose party nominees.

Dems' video warns of GOP return to Bush era  —  Democrats took Republicans to task on Tuesday with a new video hammering them for suggesting that their party might revert to the policies they pursued during George W. Bush's presidency.  —  The video seizes on remarks made by National …