So Where's Murphy?  —  From the gun clubs of Northern Virginia to the sports bars of Capitol Hill — wherever D.C.-area Republicans gather — you hear the question:  —  “Where's Murphy?”  —  “Murphy” is Mike Murphy, the 46-year-old G.O.P. strategist who masterminded John McCain's 2000 primary race …

The Jesse Helms You Should Remember  —  With the passing of Sen. Jesse Helms, the media have demonstrated one final time that they never fully understood the power or impact of this great man.  Consider, for example, The Post's obituary of Helms; here are some things you would not learn about his life and legacy by reading it:

Zogby Poll: Building Mo-bama!  Democrat Leads McCain in Electoral College Tally, 273-158...  The Democrat also leads 44% to 38% in the nationwide horserace test as Libertarian Bob Barr wins 6%  —  UTICA, New York - As the race for President passes the Independence Day holiday and heads toward …

Iraq says may agree timetable for U.S. withdrawal  —  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki raised the prospect on Monday of setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops as part of negotiations over a new security agreement with Washington.

The “C” in CNN stands for clueless  —  Take a look at the man on the left in this photo from CPAC 2007:  —  He is Col. George Everett “Bud” Day, the nation's most highly decorated soldier since General Douglas MacArthur.  It was a thrill to meet this genuine American hero in person.  —  Read:

Behind the Bush Bust  —  By huge margins, Americans think the economy is in lousy shape — and they blame President Bush.  This fact, more than anything else, makes it hard to see how the Democrats can lose this election.  —  But is the public right to be so disgusted with Mr. Bush's economic leadership?

Illegal immigrants face threat of no college  —  Some states are making it harder for illegal immigrants to attend college by denying in-state tuition benefits or banning undocumented students.  —  In the past two years, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia and Oklahoma have refused in-state tuition benefits …

Obama Faces Resistance From Top Supporters of Clinton  —  Sen. Barack Obama, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee, faces dissent from dozens of top fund-raisers and other supporters of former rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, who are angry over how she was treated during their bruising primary battle …

Conservatives Ready To Battle McCain on Convention Platform  —  Conservative activists are preparing to do battle with allies of Sen. John McCain in advance of September's Republican National Convention, hoping to prevent his views on global warming, immigration, stem cell research …

Christian Group Launches “Abortion President” Campaign against Barack Obama  —  Oh my.  The fight against Barack Obama on abortion has officially begun.  The Christian Defense Coalition, who are known to shock folks from time to time, have come up with a new campaign called: “Barack Obama: The Abortion President”.

FARC's ‘Human Rights’ Friends  —  As we learn more about the Colombian military's daring hostage rescue last week, one detail stands out: In tricking FARC rebels into putting the hostages aboard a helicopter, undercover special forces simply told the comandantes that the aircraft was being loaned …

Why some conservatives are backing Obama  —  (07-07) 04:00 PDT Washington — The “Obamacans” that Sen. Barack Obama used to joke about - Republican apostates who whispered their support for his candidacy - have morphed into a new phenomenon, or syndrome, as detractors like to call it: the Obamacons.

Obama's apple pie campaign  —  On June 19, Barack Obama released his first television advertisement, a multi-million dollar, 18-state production that conveyed the core of his campaign's goal this summer: To establish his American cultural normalcy.  —  Obama offered a clear new version …

An agenda for a ‘politics of aspiration’  —  The GOP might want to keep it handy after the coming debacle  —  Steven Greenhut  —  Syndicated columnist Bob Novak, writing about the surprising number of conservatives who are backing Democrat Barack Obama rather than Republican John McCain …

“What do you think playground bullies grow up to be?”  “Right-wing Republicans.”  —  Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich answers a question.  —  Actually, when I decided I was going to blog this little interview, I planned to feature this line about why our drilling for more oil isn't a good solution to high gas prices: