Poll: Trouble Signs in Obama's Lead  —  After two weeks of sharpened attacks between the campaigns, Barack Obama is maintaining a narrow 5% lead over John McCain in the race for the White House, a new TIME poll shows.  Overall, the poll shows Obama leading McCain 46% to 41% when undecided voters …

Sen. Hillary Clinton Seeks Democratic Convention Voice  —  Sen. Hillary Clinton Not Ruling Out Having Name Put Up for Vote in Denver  —  Sen. Hillary Clinton told a gathering of supporters last week that she's looking for a “strategy” for her delegates to have their voices heard and …

FBI/DOJ Briefing on the Case Against Bruce Ivins Oh, PS: Ivins was a Registered, Real, Vote-in-Every-Primary Democrat; Lefty Blogs Begin Doubting His Guilt Based on This  —  An NPR report details evidence already mentioned.  —  Some highlights from the briefing:  —  * “Sole suspect” in investigation

Tabloid's claims threaten Edwards' role at party's convention  —  RALEIGH, N.C. — Former Sen. John Edwards has a deadline to save his spot on the national stage.  —  With two weeks to go before their national convention, a number of Democrats are saying that Edwards needs …

Justice Department Subpoenas Its Former Lawyers In Civil Rights Probe  —  A federal grand jury has subpoenaed several former senior Justice Department attorneys for an investigation into the politicization of the Department's own Civil Rights Division, according to sources close to the investigation.

Those Damn Kids!  —  On Tuesday night, TNA writer Lonnie Affrime spotted the Straight Talk Express in the parking lot of an Embassy Suites in Boca Raton, FL.  He noticed an unusual decal on the back of Sen. John McCain's whip and, as any good American would do, took a few pictures.

Potential McCain VP pick slams Obama's ‘life oratory’  —  (CNN) - Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is widely rumored to be on Sen. John McCain's short list of potential vice presidential picks, displayed his skills as a political attack dog Wednesday.  —  “Senator McCain's life experiences are epic …

Nasty Attack Ad Hits Jewish Dem Congressman For Visiting “Our Churches”  —  This brutal new attack ad from House candidate Nikki Tinker, who is challenging liberal Tennessee Rep. Steven Cohen in tomorrow's Democratic primary, just might be the nastiest, most race-baiting (and Jew-baiting) ad of the entire cycle:

‘Find Out Where His Kids Go to School’  —  “Former Democratic presidential candidate Mike Gravel was caught on tape last week telling a crowd in Washington, D.C., that they should harass a federal prosecutor who helped bring criminal contempt charges against a Palestinian activist,” Fox News reports.

Judge upholds DNC protest zones  —  A federal judge has ruled that the city and county of Denver and the U.S. Secret Service do not have to alter their security plans for the Pepsi Center portion of the Democratic National Convention.  —  Advocacy groups and the American Civil Liberties Union …

500: Deadly U.S. Milestone in Afghan War  —  Not long after Staff Sgt. Matthew D. Blaskowski was killed by a sniper's bullet last Sept. 23 in eastern Afghanistan, his mother received an e-mail message with a link to a video on the Internet.  A television reporter happened to have been filming …

Family's Donations to McCain Raise Questions  —  RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The Jordanian business partner of a prominent Florida businessman, who has raised more than $500,000 for Senator John McCain, appears to be at the center of a cluster of questionable donations to his presidential campaign.

WaPo Blows A1 McCain Story  —  Hours after blogging about the problems in Washington Post reporter Matthew Mosk's A1 story, this correction was posted online: … That means these people Mosk alleged had been somehow forced to make campaign contributions to McCain through a third-party bundler NEVER DONATED MONEY TO MCCAIN.