Forced servitude in America?  —  The U.S. already has high rates of volunteerism, but that's apparently not good enough for our presidential candidates.  —  There's a weird irony at work when Sen. Barack Obama, the black presidential candidate who will allegedly scrub the stain of racism from the nation …

Adding up the cost of Obama's agenda  —  Some budget analysts say the Democrat's proposals for funding tens of billions of dollars in programs may not be enough.  —  WASHINGTON — In more than a year of campaigning, Barack Obama has made a long list of promises for new federal programs costing tens …

A Clintonian at Fox  —  Howard Wolfson, who was a top strategist for the presidential campaign of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, is going where some Democrats were unwilling to go during the early days of the election season: the Fox News Channel.  —  The network is expected to announce …

Mr. Obama on Iraq  —  BARACK OBAMA has taken a small but important step toward adjusting his outdated position on Iraq to the military and strategic realities of the war he may inherit.  Sadly, he seems to be finding that the strident and rigid posture he struck during the primary campaign …

Internal Politics Heat Up at McCain Campaign  —  WASHINGTON — Senator John McCain's campaigns have long been defined by internal squabbling and power plays, zigzagging lines of command and a penchant by the candidate for consulting with former advisers without alerting current ones, always a recipe for disquiet.

Lurching With Abandon  —  In one of the numbers from “Fiddler on the Roof,” Tevye sings, with a mixture of emotions: “We haven't got the man ... we had when we began.”  —  Back in January when Barack Obama pulled off his stunning win in the Iowa caucuses, and people were lining up in the cold …

'US won't let Israel attack Iran'  —  The US did not okay an Israeli attack on Iran, Prof. Anthony H. Cordesman, a former Pentagon official and currently the top defense analyst at the ABC TV network, said Monday.  —  Cordesman was speaking during a meeting with Israeli defense analysts held …

Risky Business  —  The waiters were still clearing the breakfast dishes yesterday when John McCain's most prominent adviser raised the subject of erection enhancement.  —  Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard chief who is now the Republican National Committee's “Victory Chairman,” …

Put War Powers Back Where They Belong  —  THE most agonizing decision we make as a nation is whether to go to war.  Our Constitution ambiguously divides war powers between the president (who is the commander in chief) and Congress (which has the power of the purse and the power to declare war).

$40 Million Health Care Campaign Will Target Some Dems  —  A consortium of progressive groups, think tanks, trade unions and activists are set to launch a $40 million health care campaign to prepare the ground for the next president to sign expanded care early in 2009.

Washington Post Signals Shift With a New Editor  —  Signaling a generational change at one of the nation's most influential newspapers, the new publisher of The Washington Post on Monday selected an outsider as the paper's top editor.  —  Marcus W. Brauchli, a former top editor of The Wall Street Journal …

Clinton's Convention Role Being Negotiated  —  Democrats Weigh Putting Her Name Into Nomination  —  Hillary Clinton won a hefty 1,600 convention delegates in six months of primaries.  A big question now is whether to let them vote at the Democratic convention.

America's special grace  —  To ascribe a special grace to America is outrageous, as outrageous as the idea of special grace itself.  Why shouldn't everyone be saved?  Why aren't all individuals, nations, peoples and cultures equally deserving?  History seems awfully unfair …

Fed to Clamp Down on Exotic and Subprime Loans  —  WASHINGTON — With no end in sight to the turbulence in the housing and financial markets, the chairman of the Federal Reserve said on Tuesday morning that it would issue new lending rules next week to restrict exotic mortgages and high-cost loans for people with weak credit.

Obama, McCain battle over Ga.  —  With Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama in Atlanta to raise money and hold a town hall meeting, Georgia Republicans went on the offensive Monday to let everyone know that Georgia is Sen. John McCain territory.

Clinton wields powerful e-mail list  —  Hillary Rodham Clinton folded her campaign's tent last month, shedding spokespeople, fundraisers, lawyers, and advance men and women by the dozen.  —  But two senior aides remain: Katie Dowd, who runs Clinton's website and e-mail list, and Peter Daou, her campaign liaison to the blogosphere.