In the new political tell-all book, Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime, the Clintons take a drubbing at the pen of John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, two veteran reporters of national politics. The book hit shelves recently with revelations that, while not shocking to anyone that's followed the Clintons, is surprising in its portrayal of the 2008 race from the perspective of inner-circle Clinton staffers. more ›

Mayor Daley lashed out at John McCain's ad connecting Barack Obama to Chicago's legendary political machine. "People get desperate in their political life," Mayor Daley said about the ad. "My theory about politics and government: You build yourself up. You don’t have to tear people down." He also defended his brother, former Commerce Secretary Bill Daley. "First of all, my brother is not a lobbyist. He’s not a lobbyist. He’s not a lobbyist. He’s never been a lobbyist." (Actually, he was - pushing NAFTA for Bill Clinton, and lobbying for SBC in 2003.) more ›

The Humane Society Legislative Fund endorsed Barack Obama for president yesterday. The fund, which evaluates candidates solely based on where they stand on animal protection policies, said on their blog that "the Obama-Biden ticket is the better choice on animal protection," backing at least a dozen bills at the state and federal level that "strengthen the penalties for animal cruelty, to help animal shelters, to promote spaying and neutering, and to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption." more ›

] But polls and electoral maps are also key to understanding the shifting opinions of voters, and Daniel Nichanian's Campaign Diaries has been a consistent source for that data. more ›

Two freelance writers/budding entrepreneurs were doing brisk business this weekend selling "Obama Waffles" waffle mix at the ironically titled Value Voters Summit in Washington until organizers cut off sales of the $10-per-pop waffle mix, saying they hadn't "realized the boxes displayed 'offensive material.'" more ›

With the electorate still seemingly enamored with John McCain's VP pick, Joe Biden announced at a fund raiser in Chicago earlier this week that he would be well prepared to debate Sarah Palin early next month. more ›

However you feel about John McCain and his speech last night, one thing's for sure: He was standing in front of what looked like a green screen for a good portion of it. On the wide shots, you could see it wasn't a green screen so much as the shot of a lush lawn in front a a white building. That building? Walter Reed...Middle School, in North Hollywood, California. [ABC News]
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Is Governor Sarah Palin going to sit down with Oprah? Not any time soon, despite a Drudge Report story today that claims Harpo staffers are lobbying to have her on. more ›

John McCain has chosen Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate. more ›

8:53 ML: OK, we're gearing up in these parts, watching some goofy dancing and getting excited for Senator Dick Durban. Tonight, we'll have me (ML) and Marcus (MG) bloggin' up a storm. Join us, won't you? more ›

33rd Ward Alderman Dick Mell had a bad experience at the Democratic Convention in Denver, but it wasn’t the restaurant’s fault. During a visit to the famous cigar bar at the Brown Palace Hotel, Mell and his entourage spotted Massachusetts Senator and 2004 also-ran John Kerry. Mell and 39th Ward Alderman Margaret Laurino, who were hanging out with delegate Linda Murphy, a professor at Wright College, spotted Kerry. "Margie says to (Murphy), 'Would you like a picture taken with John Kerry? We can do that.' She's all excited and she says, ‘Sure, I'd like to have that.' " Mell said. Laurino and Murphey approached Kerry, and then quickly left. About 15 minutes later, hotel security asked them to leave, escorting them from the hotel and down the block. more ›

Among the many delegates at this year’s Democratic Convention in Denver, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has drawn the attention of the local media. Reflecting on his loss to Harold Washington in 1983, Daley gave Democrats permission to like John McCain, but not to vote for him. "One thing in politics—I think you can like all the candidates," Daley the state delegation Tuesday. "Sure we like, let's be realistic, Barack Obama's opponent. You like him. But you don't have to vote for him," Daley said. "We can like anyone, but when it comes to voting, you want to vote for the person that you truly believe in." more ›

While Beltway pundits are putting their smart money on Senator Joe Biden (over our favorite, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, WTF?), Barack Obama announced that he made his decision on a running mate today, but isn't quite ready to tell everyone just yet. [Reuters, via Yahoo] more ›

After losing the Constitution Party's presidential nomination to radio talk-show host Chuck Baldwin, Alan Keyes, (who also lost the election for Illinois Senate to Barack Obama), is set for a rematch. more ›

While the news yesterday was saturated with reports of the plethora of homes and condos John McCain owns around the country, his campaign was launching a new ad hitting Obama on his Rezko connections. more ›

Well, not exactly. Ross Perot ran the first political infomercial back in 1992, when he ran for president on his Reform Party ticket. At the time, conventional wisdom said that a half-hour presentation by a talking head would drive away viewers, leaving his message, and campaign money, wasted. Instead, his low-budget presentations, given with charts and graphs and peppered with Americana-infused humor garnered some of the highest ratings in television, even drawing more viewers than popular sitcoms. more ›

After last week's kerfuffle over the McCain attack ad comparing Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton blew up teh internets, Paris Hilton (finally) is responding. more ›

In an ad that started running over the weekend, the McCain campaign is slamming Barack Obama for canceling a visit to a VA Hospital in Germany during his recent European visit. Obama passed on the visit after deciding that mixing his campaign with members of the military might not be such a good idea. Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said:

...the senator wanted to visit the men and women at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center to express his gratitude for their service and sacrifice. The senator decided out of respect for these servicemen and women that it would be inappropriate to make a stop to visit troops at a U.S. military facility as part of a trip funded by the campaign.

Earlier today (er, tonight?), Barack Obama spoke before a cheering crowd at the Victory Column in Berlin. It was the latest stop for the Democratic Presidential candidate on his O-Force One Tour of Europe. During the speech, he stressed the importance of strengthening withering ties between Europe and the United States:

Yes, there have been differences between America and Europe. No doubt, there will be differences in the future. But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together. A change of leadership in Washington will not lift this burden. In this new century, Americans and Europeans alike will be required to do more - not less. Partnership and cooperation among nations is not a choice; it is the one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity. more ›

Remember those rumors we heard that John McCain might announce his veep pick this week? Now Sun-Times columnist and part-time satanist Bob Novak is claiming that the McCain camp used him to snatch headlines from Obama. Time's Mark Halperin quotes Novak as saying that a “very senior McCain aide...suggested I put it out.” Now Novak says that “certain people” tell him "this was a dodge...they were trying to rain on Obama's campaign," adding that it’s “pretty reprehensible if it's true.” more ›

While Lynn Sweet live blogs Barack Obama's World Tour from O-Force One, we're saving up our pennies for a nifty Dare to Hope shirt! more ›

GOP Senate challenger Steve Sauerberg called Dick Durbin's patriotism into question during a taping of a radio broadcast to air Sunday morning on WBBM 780-AM. Noting Durbin's opposition to a constitutional amendment banning flag burning, Sauerberg said the founding fathers "never had to deal with ultra-liberal Americans who hate their own country." When asked if he was referring to Durbin, he said "I think he’s an ultra-liberal. Whether he hates his own country, I cannot determine for the gentleman,” but that he "wonders a lot" about Durbin's patriotism. more ›

This year's presidential race has been a national dialogue on what matters to Americans at this point in our nation's history. But it's also been a sometimes difficult debate on the very real gender, ethnic and racial tensions that lie just underneath our country's perception of itself. more ›

As the Green Party wrapped up its convention here this weekend, former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney accepted the party's presidential nomination. McKinney chose Rosa Clemente, a hip-hop artist, journalist and activist, as her running mate. "I choose to do this, not for me, but for my generation, my community and my daughter," she said. "I don't see the Green Party as an alternative; I see it as an imperative." more ›

In an email that went out to supporters yesterday, Hillary Clinton announced the conclusion of her "Project T-Shirt" contest.

In May, Chelsea announced our "Project T-Shirt" contest, and I never imagined we would have such an outpouring of support and great designs. We received almost five thousand amazing entries, and more than 125,000 of you voted for your favorite design.

Rev. Jesse Jackson apologized to Barack Obama yesterday on CNN’s and later at a press conference, for remarks he made off-air after an interview with Fox News. In fact, because Jackson spoke when he thought he was off the air, it took several hours to know exactly what was said. more ›

After Obama's announcement that he will give his acceptance speech at the 76,000 seat Mile High Stadium, several major news networks are saying that they may have to curtail coverage of the Democratic National Convention to cover the costs associated with the speech. more ›

There's no shortage of pageantry associated with a candidate's acceptance speech, but the Obama campaign is taking Barack's acceptance of the nomination to new level. more ›

In an election year, you can depend on three things: a Democrat, a Republican, and Ralph Nader. Activist and perpetual presidential candidate Ralph Nader will file his candidacy petition today with the Illinois Board of Elections to earn a place on Illinois's 2008 presidential ballot. According to his campaign, he has over 50,000 signatures, more than twice the required number. more ›