Democrats and Our Enemies  —  How did the Democratic Party get here?  How did the party of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy drift so far from the foreign policy and national security principles and policies that were at the core of its identity and its purpose?

David Gergen and CNN pundits challenge Hillary Clinton to denounce the racist vote [UPDATED 2]  —  [ Editorial Note: Now we have the important part of the transcript. ]  —  This is one of those historic TV moments that people will be talking about for a long time.  And let me tell you, I lost it as it was happening.

Linda Douglass Joins The Obama Campaign  —  Linda Douglass, an award-winning television and print journalist who currently serves as a contributing editor to National Journal, will join Barack Obama's presidential campaign as a senior strategist and as a senior campaign spokesperson on the roadshow, a newly created position.

Obama's strategy now faces a bigger test  —  To win the general election, he must rebuild his machinery almost from scratch.  He and staffers turn first to Florida, where they'll try to drum up young and African American voters.  —  WASHINGTON — Barack Obama declared Tuesday night …

Lebanese Rivals Reach Agreement Seen as Major Triumph for Hezbollah  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanon's feuding factions reached a breakthrough deal Wednesday that ends the country's long political stalemate, but also gives the militant Hezbollah group and allies the key power they sought …

McCain adviser's work as lobbyist comes to light  —  This story is part of USA TODAY's series, “The Price of Power,” which tracks the political and business relationships between public officials and donors.  —  WASHINGTON — John McCain's top foreign policy adviser lobbied the Arizona senator's staff …

Foreclosure tale shows that nobody is immune from crisis  —  As the real estate market softened in 2007, the new owner of a three-bedroom, 1,600-square-foot house in Sacramento's Curtis Park neighborhood ran into trouble.  The house that was purchased for $535,000 in January had lost equity.

Obama's Evolving Take on Meeting With Iran  —  Democratic Contender Under Fire From McCain on Foreign Policy  —  Barack Obama's original answer seemed crystal clear: last July, asked whether he would meet with the “leaders” of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea “without precondition …

McCain Backer Hagee Said Hitler Was Fulfilling God's Will (AUDIO)  —  John Hagee, the controversial evangelical leader and endorser of Sen. John McCain, argued in a late 1990s sermon that the Nazis had operated on God's behalf to chase the Jews from Europe and shepherd them to Palestine.

Money shocker!  Hillary Clinton's campaign debt soars  —  (*UPDATE: Due to a mathematical error, Hillary Clinton's loans to herself were added twice in the calculation of this item.  Her total debts are about $21 million, not $31 million.  A corrected item covering the first five paragraphs of this one has been published here.)

Clinton may take delegate fight to convention … BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton says she is willing to take her fight to seat Florida and Michigan delegates to the convention if the two states want to go that far.  In an interview with The Associated Press …

McCain incentivizing supporters to comment on blogs  —  John McCain's campaign is using their campaign website to encourage supporters to post supportive comments on political blogs, including the most well-known liberal site in the blogosphere.  And to make things easier …

Lobbyists: This is our thanks?  —  More than a few Republican lobbyists in Washington are scratching their heads these days, asking: So this is the thanks we get?  —  It was a small band of loyal lobbyists who stood by presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain last August …

McCain adviser: Sometimes it's ‘accurate’ to describe a woman as a ‘bitch.’  —  During yesterday's Democratic primary coverage, CNN senior analyst Jeff Toobin criticized a New York Times column that published a joke about Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) being a “white bitch.”