McCain gaffes pile up; critics pile on  —  Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) said “Iraq” when he apparently meant “Afghanistan” on Monday, adding to a string of mixed-up word choices that is giving ammunition to the opposition.  —  Just in the past three weeks, McCain has also mistaken “Somalia” …

Flippity Floppity  —  Jason Zengerle gets even-handed: … I think that's wrong in a whole bunch of ways.  For one thing, it's not some kind of crazy inconsistency to deride someone as a stooge while he's being a stooge, and then to stop deriding him when he stops being a stooge.

Vanity Fair Covers The New Yorker  —  We here at Vanity Fair maintain a kind of affectionate rivalry with our downstairs neighbors at The New Yorker.  We play softball every year, compete for some of the same stories, and share an elevator bank.  (You can tell the ones who are headed …

Coverage of ‘Netroots’ Confab Draws Protest— Snarky Article Spiked — Editor's Note Apologizes  —  NEW YORK (Commentary) It started innocently enough, over coffee in a hotel lobby, with me (as usual at that hour) huddled over a newspaper—in print, not on a laptop, unlike everyone else in the vicinity.

McCain's Waterloo  —  I think the “news analysis” features in the newspapers are a little bit per se absurd (it's not an opinion! we swear! it's analysis!) but Richard Oppel and Jeff Zeleny on Obama's trip and the events in Iraq seems about spot-on to me.  Still, I'm not sure …

Obama Far More Popular Among Jews Than Lieberman  —  If Barack Obama has a problem among Jewish voters, then Sen. Joseph Lieberman is in monumental trouble.  —  Among the most high-profile Jews in Congress, Lieberman is viewed far more unfavorably than the presumptive Democratic nominee, according to a new poll.

Obama on the Surge: “Had Those Political Factors Not Occurred, I Think That My Assessment Would Have Been Correct”  —  “I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is going to solve the sectarian violence” in Iraq, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, said in January 2007.

Analysis: Obama's Gravitas  —  Barack Obama's press conference this morning in Amman, Jordan, was a major moment — perhaps the major moment — of the Illinois senator's much-ballyhooed trip abroad this week.  —  All eyes were on Obama to see how he would perform on a world stage …

Why Jesse Jackson Hates Obama  —  A few weeks ago, the Rev. Jesse Jackson made something of a fool of himself.  There he was — a historical figure in his own right — threatening the castration of Barack Obama.  It was sad to see.  —  If I have often criticized Mr. Jackson, I have also, reservedly, admired him.

Graham: Romney ‘very much a contender’ for veep  —  Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) is “very much a contender” to be Sen. John McCain's running mate, according to one of McCain's closest allies on Capitol Hill.  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who earlier this year told The Hill …

Young Republicans, Blue About the Prospects Ahead  —  Gen-Nexters Are Feeling Left Out of the Party  —  David All glanced around Top of the Hill bar and saw the future of the Republican Party.  It looked dim.  A who's who of young conservatives had gathered, but they were few, and they were frustrated.

Election 2008: Ohio Presidential Election  —  McCain Opens Modest Lead in Ohio  —  John McCain has opened a modest lead over Barack Obama in the key swing state of Ohio.  The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the Buckeye State shows McCain attracting 46% of the vote while Obama earns 40%.

Ink-Stained Wretchedness  —  Tattoos are the emblems of our age.  They bristle from the biceps of men in summer shirts, from the lower backs of women as they ascend stairs, from the shoulders of basketball players as they drive toward the basket, and from every inch of certain celebrities.

Attack injures 5 near Obama's Jerusalem hotel  —  JERUSALEM (CNN) — The driver of a backhoe was shot and killed after driving the construction machine over a number of vehicles near the Jerusalem hotel where Sen. Barack Obama is scheduled to stay Tuesday night, according to police.

A PREDICTION: If Barack Obama is elected President, he'll be far more warlike than President Bush, and far more warlike than his pre-election rhetoric suggests.  Because before he's elected President, attacks on America are just attacks on America.  But after he's elected President …

Flip Obama Treatment  —  I have MSNBC on and I'm not listening to Barack Obama's Jordan press conference.  Which is the point of this post.  —  I'm not proud, but the truth is, he is so not-impressive off-script that you easily forget that this is SOMETHING BIG you're watching.

GOP senators scramble for life boats  —  Republican Senate leaders — terrified by the prospect of losing five or more seats in November — have freed their members to vote however they need to vote to get reelected, even if that means bucking the president or the party's leadership.