Sun-Times political columnist Robert Novak retires  —  FROM SUN-TIMES STAFF REPORTS  —  Robert Novak has announced his immediate retirement following the diagnosis of a brain tumor, a prognosis the Sun-Times' political columnist describes as “dire.”  —  “The details are being worked …

GOP won't let go of its new tire-gauge toy  —  Atrios asked this morning, “Does anyone understand why Obama suggesting that people keep their tires properly inflated is some sort of hilarious gaffe?”  —  I've been trying to figure out the same thing for days.

White House says no to special session of Congress  —  The White House has rejected calls from House Republicans that it convene a special session of Congress on energy, saying it wouldn't make a difference.  —  “We don't have plans to call Congress into session — it won't make a difference …

Rasmussen has Obama and McCain in a tie.  This is troubling.  —  (NOTE FROM JOHN: I've added my thoughts to the end of joe's post.)  —  The trend of the tracking polls hasn't been good of late.  Rasmussen, which is a quite reputable poll, has Obama and McCain tied today — and with leaners …

Barack in Lansing, MI: “We must end the age of oil in our time.”  —  Senator Obama just concluded a major speech in Lansing, Michigan where he addressed our current energy crisis and described our addiction to foreign oil as “central” to all of the major challenges facing us today.

Multiple Oil Company Executives Gave Huge Contributions To Electing McCain Just Days After Offshore Drilling Reversal  —  Ten senior Hess Corporation executives and/or members of the Hess family each gave $28,500 to the joint RNC-McCain fundraising committee, just days after McCain reversed himself …

THE PLIGHT OF POLITICO — AND EVERYONE ELSE.  —  The success of Politico actually seems like an incredibly discouraging sign for the media.  Here you have this forward-thinking, primarily virtual venture to create a political news organization that marries old-school reporting values …

Rerouting McCain's Bus  —  Frustrations Lead Campaign To Limit Reporters' Access  —  KANSAS CITY While the traveling press corps was shipped off to a barbecue restaurant here, John McCain charmed his way through an interview with a local TV reporter.  Surae Chinn of KCTV posed such less …

Knights Templar To Sue Pope  —  I just spotted a report that isn't politics, just interesting to me as I've a long-standing interest in the various Templar conspiracy theories.  They're such fun.  —  A self-proclaimed successor group to the famous Knights Templar are to sue the Pope …

Is Obama Making a Town Hall Mistake?  —  Even though it's pretty clearly not going to happen, Fred Hiatt argues that Obama should agree to those town hall debates with McCain.  Moments like this make me think it's not as crazy an idea as Noam believes; I don't want to be ageist …

Mitt For Veep, Stopping Joggers In Their Tracks  —  The veep frenzy is getting crazier by the minute.  One Sleuth informant this morning was certain he had cracked the mystery of who will become John McCain's running mate.  The evidence was a big, glossy poster with Mitt Romney's face on it and the message …

Companies Tap Pension Plans To Fund Executive Benefits  —  Little-Known Move Uses Tax Break Meant For Rank and File  —  At a time when scores of companies are freezing pensions for their workers, some are quietly converting their pension plans into resources to finance their executives' retirement benefits and pay.

Firebombings at Homes of 2 California Researchers  —  SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The police and federal authorities are investigating firebombings at the homes of two researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz.  —  The attacks, which the university described as “antiscience violence …

Pelosi's oil slick  —  It was hard to not get twisted up in pretzel knots listening to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose explanation on “This Week with George Stepanopoulos” about why she hasn't allowed a vote on Republican energy legislation that would ease restrictions on offshore drilling was, to be polite, confusing.

New book: Obama a lefty, not a reformer  —  The first serious negative biography of Senator Barack Obama casts the Democratic nominee as a fake reformer and a real liberal.  —  “The Case Against Barack Obama,” by National Review's David Freddoso, blasts Obama for failing to take on the Chicago machine …

Housing Lenders Fear Bigger Wave of Loan Defaults  —  The first wave of Americans to default on their home mortgages appears to be cresting, but a second, far larger one is quickly building.  —  Homeowners with good credit are falling behind on their payments in growing numbers …