McCain: Palin was ‘better candidate’ than Romney  —  Mitt Romney's tax returns had nothing to do with Sen. John McCain's decision to choose Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008, according to the Arizona Republican, saying he chose the former Alaska governor because she was a “better candidate.”

Romney surrogate Sununu: ‘I wish this president would learn how to be an American’  —  By NBC's Garrett Haake and Michael O'Brien  —  Follow @GarrettNBCNews Follow @mpoindc  —  The Romney campaign ratcheted up its language on Tuesday in a conference call on which former New Hampshire governor …

Obama leads in Iowa  —  PPP continues to find Barack Obama as the favorite in Iowa, although the race in the state is a good deal closer than it was in both 2008 and on our last poll in early May.  Obama leads by 5 points, 48-43, after previously holding a 10 point advantage at 51-41.

Obama switches off his teleprompter  —  President Obama is weaning himself off his teleprompter.  —  At recent campaign events in Pennsylvania, Virginia and again Monday in Ohio, Obama spoke to crowds in high school gymnasiums and at crowded outdoor events without his teleprompter, instead using written notes.

Welcome to ‘Panthers Stadium’  —  National Democrats have repeatedly touted their stand against taking corporate money for their convention in September, and so it was striking to see two emails from the DNC host committee referring to the Charlotte venue where President Obama will speak as “Panthers Stadium.”

The Capitalism Debate  —  Let's say you are president in a time of a sustained economic slowdown.  You initiated a series of big policies that you thought were going to turn the economy around, but they didn't work — either because they were insufficient or ineffective.

Is Romney Overreacting to Bain Attacks?  —  Mitt Romney's campaign has begun to push back against the notion that President Obama's critiques on his tenure at Bain Capital have damaged him.  A memo released by Mr. Romney's pollster, Neil Newhouse, suggests that the margin between Mr. Romney …

Romney appears in final stages of running-mate decision  —  (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney appears to be in the final stages of deciding who to pick as his vice presidential running mate, with speculation growing that he has narrowed his choice down to a short-list of three.

Bachmann defends her witch hunt  —  The Minnesota representative offers “evidence” of Islamic infiltration of the U.S. government in a 16-page letter  —  Rep. Michele Bachmann defended her attempt to root out “deep penetration” by the Muslim Brotherhood into the U.S. government Friday …

Paul Ryan rips Obama's comment that 'if you've got a business — you didn't build that.  Somebody else made that happen'  —  It was Rep. Paul Ryan's wife, Janna, who first saw — via Twitter — President Obama's recent comments about American entrepreneurs, that “if you've got a business — you didn't build that.

The Elton John-Rush Limbaugh bond  —  To the shock of many (given the gap in their political ideologies), Elton John performed at Rush Limbaugh's wedding in 2010 and, in a new interview with USA Today, the performer opened up about his friendship with the conservative talk show host.

Could one word take down Obamacare?  —  Section 1401 of the Affordable Care Act is, on the surface, just as exciting as it sounds.  It outlines in excruciating detail the eligibility requirements for an American to receive a tax subsidy to assist in purchasing health insurance.

New Yahoo CEO Mayer is pregnant  —  She told Fortune exclusively that her first child is due in October.  —  FORTUNE —Marissa Mayer, the Google (GOOG) executive who today was named Yahoo's (YHOO) new chief executive, is pregnant.  —  Mayer told Fortune exclusively that her first child is due October 7.

Oprah interviews Obamas  —  Oprah Winfrey didn't just interview Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann, last week.  The talk show queen also made a trip to the White House to sit down with President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama.

Serious Attack on Ryan Budget Takes Toll on Mitt Romney  —  The most recent survey and focus groups by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner for Democracy Corps reveal deep opposition to the Ryan budget- and its potential to damage Mitt Romney's candidacy if he embraces it in the coming campaign.

Romney and his time machine  —  Mitt Romney is an impressive man, but until now, we didn't know just how impressive.  According to his senior adviser, Ed Gillespie, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is a time traveler.  —  Gillespie made this surprise disclosure to CNN's Candy Crowley …