Where's the Landslide?  —  Why isn't Barack Obama doing better?  Why, after all that has happened, does he have only a slim two- or three-point lead over John McCain, according to an average of the recent polls?  Why is he basically tied with his opponent when his party is so far ahead?

Book says White House ordered forgery  —  A new book by the author Ron Suskind claims that the White House ordered the CIA to forge a back-dated, handwritten letter from the head of Iraqi intelligence to Saddam Hussein.  —  Suskind writes in “The Way of the World,” to be published Tuesday …

Pelosi: At-risk Dems back drilling  —  California Democrat Nancy Pelosi may be trying to save the planet — but the rank and file in her party increasingly are just trying to save their political hides when it comes to gas prices as Republicans apply more and more rhetorical muscle.

G.O.P. Drops in Voting Rolls in Many States  —  Well before Senators Barack Obama and John McCain rose to the top of their parties, a partisan shift was under way at the local and state level.  For more than three years starting in 2005, there has been a reduction in the number of voters …

Going for Gold?  McCain Makes $6 Million Olympic Buy  —  Tops Obama Buy by $1 Million  —  WASHINGTON (AdAge.com) — Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign is buying into NBC Universal's Olympics coverage.  —  The McCain campaign made a last-minute $6 million ad buy …

Is McCain's tire-gauge ridicule wrong?  —  Now that many of us have had a good laugh following Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign's use of tire-inflation gauges as weapons of mass distraction against Sen. Barack Obama, can we acknowledge that properly inflated tires could indeed save a tremendous amount of energy?

Not Quite Ready to Go Home  —  ALMOST everyone now agrees there has been great progress in Iraq.  The question is what to do about it.  —  Democrats led by Barack Obama want to take a peace dividend and withdraw all combat brigades by May 2010.  Republicans like John McCain want to keep troops …

Bush thanks troops, Ted Stevens  —  Touting progress in Iraq, President Bush yesterday stopped at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, where he thanked both the troops and an indicted Sen. Ted Stevens for their support of the war.  —  He said an Army Stryker brigade from nearby Fort Wainwright …

Obama: ‘National Priority’  —  Here's a second contrast ad on the subject of energy from the Obama campaign, which seeks to paint McCain as the candidate of the past, of Washington, and of Bush, while Obama is the candidate of “new energy.”  —  The script: … I don't have details on where the ad is airing.

Secret deal kept British Army out of battle for Basra  —  A secret deal between Britain and the notorious al-Mahdi militia prevented British Forces from coming to the aid of their US and Iraqi allies for nearly a week during the battle for Basra this year, The Times has learnt.

Cheney not expected to attend GOP convention  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Will Vice President Cheney be a no-show at the Republican convention in Minnesota?  —  Republican officials say yes, citing a desire by Sen. John McCain's campaign to turn the page on the Bush-Cheney years.

Why Cover the Edwards Scandal?  —  PROTECTING ELIZABETH VS. TELLING THE TRUTH.  —  Why write about the Edwards scandal?  Here's a short clip-and-save response to those (including many friends) who argue the Edwards scandal shouldn't be pursued—or at least pursued too vigorously— even if it is true:**

Accused Al Qaeda sleeper agent in custody  —  Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani mother of three who studied at MIT, is said to have moved in the terrorist group's inner circles.  She faces charges of firing at U.S. personnel in Afghanistan.  —  WASHINGTON — One of the more elusive …