New McCain ad: Obama didn't visit the troops in Germany because he couldn't bring cameras  —  This is a sequel to the attack ad McCain dropped on him at the beginning of his trip, retaining some of the same points about Obama's NATO subcommittee and his having steered clear of Iraq for almost three years.

Analysis: US now winning Iraq war that seemed lost  —  BAGHDAD (AP) — The United States is now winning the war that two years ago seemed lost.  —  Limited, sometimes sharp fighting and periodic terrorist bombings in Iraq are likely to continue, possibly for years.

Gallup Daily: Obama Retains Lead, 48% to 41%  —  Second day with Obama holding a significant lead over McCain  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama has stretched his lead over John McCain among national registered voters to seven percentage points, 48% to 41%, in Gallup Poll Daily tracking conducted July 23-25.

Sweet Nothings  —  A close reading of The Speech.  —  Anyone who wants to understand Barack Obama would do well to stay away from the radio and the TV.  Obama is a theatrical presence.  That's what it means to be “charismatic”: To an unnerving degree his appeal relies on sight and sound rather than sense.

Third of Muslim students back killings  —  Radicalism and support for sharia is strong in British universities  —  ALMOST a third of British Muslim students believe killing in the name of Islam can be justified, according to a poll.  —  The study also found that two in five Muslims …

Obama's brother is in Bracknell  —  HE may be living in a Bracknell council house, but soon he could be dining with his brother at the White House.  —  The Sun was the first newspaper to track down and speak to Bernard Obama, 37.  —  And he said of Democrat candidate Barack: “I'm very proud of my big brother.

Obama's Sober Mood  —  Greeted by thousands of Europeans, Obama's world tour went smashingly well.  But the candidate says he's not letting any of it go to his head. … —Sen. Barack obama in Berlin, July 24, 2008  —  Even if he wins the election this fall, Barack Obama will have a hard …

Lobbyist Reports Show $181,000 for McCain  —  WASHINGTON — Registered lobbyists have donated large amounts of money to Senator John McCain's presidential campaign, even as he denounces their profession.  But Democratic candidates for Congress have also raised prodigious sums from lobbyists …

McClellan: Fox News Commentators Use The ‘Talking Points’ That The White House Sends Them  —  On MSNBC's Hardball last night, host Chris Matthews asked former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan if he saw “FOX television as a tool” to get the White House's “message out” while he was in the Bush administration.

Black Radio on Obama Is Left's Answer to Limbaugh  —  ATLANTA — Warren Ballentine, one of black talk radio's new stars, was on a tear against Senator John McCain as he broadcast from the Greenbriar Mall here last week, blithely dismissing Mr. McCain's kind words about Senator Barack Obama at the recent N.A.A.C.P. national convention.

Blogging's Glass Ceiling  —  FOR two days last week, many of the men's bathrooms at the Westin St. Francis Hotel here were turned into women's bathrooms.  The stalls on the second floor were lined with note cards featuring nurturing messages like “You are perfect.”

How Obama Became Acting President  —  IT almost seems like a gag worthy of “Borat”: A smooth-talking rookie senator with an exotic name passes himself off as the incumbent American president to credulous foreigners.  But to dismiss Barack Obama's magical mystery tour through old Europe …

Obama on Iran, Syria, and Jerusalem  —  Two months ago in the Oval Office, President George W. Bush, coming to the end of a two-term presidency and presumably as expert on Israeli-Palestinian policy as he is ever going to be, was accompanied by a team of no fewer than five advisers …