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Obama Campaign Rejects Ludacris' Rap Song

Barack Obama's presidential campaign said Wednesday that a new rhyme by supporter and rapper Ludacris is "outrageously offensive" to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Republican Sen. John McCain and President Bush.

The song brags about an Obama presidency being destiny. It uses an expletive to describe Clinton, calls Bush "mentally handicapped" and says McCain doesn't belong in "any chair unless he's paralyzed."

The lyrics also don't spare the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who recently apologized for making crude comments about Obama. "If you said it then you meant it," intones the rapper.

Obama's campaign blasted "Politics As Usual," which is on the "Gangsta Grillz: The Preview" mixtape with Atlanta spinner DJ Drama.

"As Barack Obama has said many, many times in the past, rap lyrics today too often perpetuate misogyny, materialism, and degrading images that he doesn't want his daughters or any children exposed to," campaign spokesman Bill Burton said in an e-mail statement. "This song is not only outrageously offensive to Sen. Clinton, Rev. Jackson, Sen. McCain and President Bush, it is offensive to all of us who are trying to raise our children with the values we hold dear. While Ludacris is a talented individual he should be ashamed of these lyrics."

Ludacris' publicist and manager did not immediately return calls Wednesday for comment.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Obama included Ludacris when he talked about hip-hop moguls and rappers he thought were "great talents and great businessmen." Obama met privately with Ludacris, talking with him in Chicago about young people in 2006 before he announced his run for president.

In the two-minute track, the song makes a pitch for Obama to pick Ludacris as his vice president, rhyming "Hillary hated on you, so that (expletive) is irrelevant."

In the song, Ludacris also encourages black people to vote on Election Day.

"The world is ready for change 'cause Obama is here," he says repeatedly.

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

Well, it looks like Hillary Clinton still has a shot at being vice president — yeah, if John McCain picks her.

Turns out she’s not very high on Barack Obama’s list . . . she’s right between the Rev. Wright and Jesse Jackson.

Earlier this week, John McCain had a small mole removed from his temple . . . to which President Bush said, “Temple? I didn’t know he was Jewish.”

Yesterday, Congress apologized for slavery . . . and not a moment too soon!

Late Show Top Ten

Top Ten Jerry Lewis Excuses

10. "Rehearsing for my new film 'The Nutty Terrorist'"

9. "I haven't been myself since Lindsay Lohan went Lesbian"

8. "I'm Batman"

7. "No shampoo on planes I understand, but guns? What is this, Damascus"

6. "Was wacked out on some stuff I got from Amy Winehouse"

5. "Confused myself with Jerry Lee Lewis"

4. "How else do I open those airline peanuts?"

3. "I was told this was a roast!"

2. "Just found out I was seated next to Andy Dick"

1. "Sorry, I thought I put the gun in my schlamaaaaaaven"

1. "Sorry

David Letterman

New York City is now the No. 1 tourist attraction in America. Visitors love the way the rats come up to your car window and beg.

They had an earthquake out in California yesterday. It was so violent, my mom called “The Tonight Show” to see if I was OK.

It was so violent, Andy Dick was thrown to his feet.

Conan O'Brien

Yesterday, a moderate earthquake hit California. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was giving a speech at the time, and the shaking was so great, you could actually understand what he was saying.

Time magazine says that many top Republicans are worried that lately John McCain has been taking too negative a tone. When he heard this McCain said, "Shut your piehole.”

Barack Obama says that next month he's planning to spend a week on vacation in Hawaii. When he heard this, President Bush said, "Pace yourself, ‘cause once you become president, the vacations start coming fast and furious.”

A comic book publisher says he’s trying to increase voter turnout in the presidential election by publishing comic books about John McCain and Barack Obama. The publisher said that the election comic books are targeted at first-time voters and long-time virgins.

Craig Ferguson

Celebrity birthdays today: Happy birthday to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Hillary Swank. Both very different, of course. One is really macho with great big muscles . . . and the other one is Arnold Schwarzenegger.

There was an earthquake in California yesterday. Lots of shows were taping. Footage from “Two and a Half Men” shows Charlie Sheen taking shelter under that kid.

The ladies from “The View” were screaming and pulling each other’s hair out. And they’re in New York!

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Welcome to the great earthquake of ’08. Don’t worry; I'm bolted to the floor.

My mother called to make sure I was still alive . . . but Mom, why did you wait so long to call? The earthquake was yesterday.

I think she was watching it on TiVo.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger turned 61 today — 61 years ago, in a little town in Austria, our future governor used his bare hands to pry his mother apart and emerge victorious.

Obama Risks Voter Ire by Opposing New Oil Drilling

ROLLA, Mo. — Barack Obama is once again betting that his eloquence can persuade price-weary consumers — read that as voters — to take the long view and not jump at a short-term fix when it comes to soaring energy prices.

It worked in his presidential primary contest against New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton when she proposed a "gas tax holiday" for the summer, a pitch he opposed despite its popularity with many voters. But that was in April before gasoline shot past $4 a gallon.

Virtually all polls now show dealing with energy prices high atop the agenda of voters.

At issue for Obama's Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain, is opening up offshore drilling to boost production, a move McCain and others GOP lawmakers say would increase supply and help control soaring gasoline prices. Opponents, including Obama and many other Democrats, say new offshore oil would be years away from reaching consumers and even then would make little difference in prices and the ongoing U.S. need for foreign oil.

Republicans clearly have targeted energy prices, looking to boost their standing with consumers. President Bush has pushed Congress to permit the offshore drilling and warned that "the American people are rightly frustrated" because Democrats won't allow a vote on opening up offshore drilling.

For his part, McCain has his sights squarely on Obama's opposition to offshore drilling, labeling him "Dr. No when it comes to energy production." The tactic is not surprising, because polls have shown that consumers — even in environmentally sensitive states like Florida — are desperate for politicians to do something about energy and favor offshore drilling by big margins.

Obama is pressed on the issue repeatedly on the campaign trail, but he refuses to budge, preferring to take pains to spell out his reasons.

"Please be in favor of offshore production," Steve Hilton, a retired federal government worker in Lebanon, Mo., implored Obama during a tour of a diner there Wednesday.

"I'm in favor of solving problems," Obama responded. "What I don't want to do is say something because it sounds good politically."

Obama seeks to turn the issue on its head, arguing that McCain and Bush are practicing the old politics of simply promising people something that's symbolic without addressing the real problem. Discounting drilling, he proposes energy rebates, a crackdown on oil speculators who manipulate the market and a renewed focus on energy alternatives.

"Instead of offering any real plan to lower gas prices, Sen. McCain touts his support for George Bush's plan for offshore oil drilling," Obama said Thursday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "But even the Bush administration acknowledges that offshore oil drilling will have little impact on prices. It won't lower prices today. It won't lower prices during the next administration. In fact, we won't see a drop of oil from this drilling for almost 10 years."

Adding their own take on the debate are the Sierra Club and MoveOn.org, which announced Thursday that they will air ads criticizing McCain's call for expanded oil drilling and tax proposals that would benefit oil companies. The MoveOn.org ad depicts a man speaking to the camera complaining that McCain's proposal to lift a moratorium on energy exploration on coastal waters won't produce oil for years. "That's not a solution Mr. McCain, that's a gimmick," he says.

In fact, McCain opposes drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and during his 2000 presidential run opposed lifting the offshore drilling moratorium as well.

Although Obama makes the argument against offshore drilling much as he did against Clinton's gas tax holiday, he faces a tougher challenge now. The disagreement with Clinton was played out in front of Democratic primary voters, many of them closely following the race and its issues.

The argument with McCain comes before a general election electorate as frustrations over gasoline prices grow at the height of the summer driving season and as the nation prepares for winter and heating costs. Polls suggest a lot of voters are pressing for politicians to do anything, even if it's symbolic.

Voters in New Hampshire and other states hit hard by winter feel especially pinched by high fuel prices. Many homeowners enter into winter heating oil contracts during the summer.

"It's on people's minds," said Fergus Cullen, state GOP chairman in New Hampshire, where the cost of heating a typical suburban home has doubled since last winter, to about $5,000. "The issues that people care about have changed dramatically since 2006 here and, not incidentally, in a way that is beneficial to Republican candidates."

Adding to that pressure, Obama will face the full force of the GOP and the McCain campaign. To counter it, Obama cited Exxon Mobil's record profits — the company on Thursday reported second-quarter earnings of $11.68 billion, the biggest ever by a U.S. corporation — while contending that the GOP candidate's plan for offshore drilling won't help consumers and "reads like an oil-company wish list."

Obama concedes that crossing the public mood on energy prices could be risky — and he's right. Though the public has largely turned against a war in Iraq that McCain fervently backs and Bush's popularity is at record lows, polls show the election remains tight, with Obama clinging to a small lead.

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

Barack Obama was on “Meet the Press” Sunday. John McCain was on a new show called, “I Wish I Could Meet the Press.”

Polls show Obama more popular than McCain in Germany, France, and Great Britain. However, McCain leads in Mesopotamia, Gaul, and the Holy Roman Empire. So, it's pretty balanced.

The state of New Hampshire is going to allow prison inmates to enter into civil unions . . . which is good news for inmates who are in love — but bad news for their cell mates.

Have you heard about this group called “Prayer at the Pump?” It’s a religious group that shows up at gas stations and they pray for lower prices. Otherwise known as the Bush energy policy.

Late Show Top Ten

Top Ten Signs Barack Obama is Overconfident

10. Proposed bill to change Oklahoma to "Oklobama"

9. Offered Bush 20 bucks for the "Mission Accomplished" banner

8. Asked guy at Staples, "Which chair will work best in an oval-shaped office?"

7. The affair with Barbara Walters

6. Having head measured for Mount Rushmore

5. Guy sits around eating soup all day

4. He's voting for Nader

3. Offered McCain a job in gift shop at Obama Presidential Library

2. Announced his running mate will be Andy Dick

1. Been cruising for chicks with John Edwards

David Letterman

Hot today. So hot, that today in New York City Jamba Juice is $140 a barrel.

New York City is America’s No. 1 tourist destination. America’s No. 1 tourist destination. It’s because of our pristine beaches and friendly natives.

The great thing about New York City is that there’s stuff to do for everyone. For example, kids: They love to run through the maze in Donald Trump’s hair.

Everybody going to the Olympics is concerned about the air quality in China. A lot of smog. Friends over there tell me that the air in China looks like the air in Willie Nelson’s tour bus.

Conan O'Brien

Last night, John McCain appeared on ‘Larry King Live.’ The show consisted of a five-minute interview and a 55-minute “pee break.”

Barack Obama announced that next month he wants to spend a week on vacation in Hawaii. After hearing about it, President Bush said, “I can’t believe he’s taking another trip to a foreign country.”

Hillary Clinton is trying to retire her campaign debt so she’s giving everyone who donates money a chance to have dinner with her. No word yet on what the winner gets.

In St. Louis, a church group is holding prayer services at gas stations asking God to lower fuel prices. If it works, the church will hold a prayer service at Starbucks.

Craig Ferguson

Birthdays today: “Project Runway’s” Tim Gunn and Sen. Elizabeth Dole. Both very different. One has been in love with Bob Dole for 40 years, the other is Elizabeth Dole.

There was a big earthquake today. It caused over $2 million in improvements to Joan Rivers.

The aftershocks are still rippling through Kirstie Ally.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

They say yesterday’s earthquake could have destroyed hundreds of homes had they not been already destroyed by wildfires.

It was a small one . . . though you wouldn’t know it. One thing we’re very good at here in L.A., is making a big deal out of nothing — for example, Paris Hilton.

The earthquake was powerful enough that an entire group of people lined up outside to see “Batman” ended up lined up to see “Mamma Mia.”

McCain Promotes Drilling for Oil Off U.S. Coast

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Republican John McCain said Monday that drilling for oil off the U.S. coast is an essential part of any plan to lower gas prices and reduce dependence on foreign sources, and he criticized Democrat Barack Obama for opposing it.

"We all know that a comprehensive solution is wind, tide, solar, all the other things all of us believe in," McCain told reporters after touring San Joaquin Facilities Management, an oil company in the California desert that yields 1,100 barrels a day. "In the meantime, as we develop all of these alternate sources of energy, it will be vital that we continue oil production at a high level, including offshore drilling."

McCain called Obama the "Dr. No" of energy. But McCain once was, too.

Just last month, McCain reversed himself after years of opposition and called for lifting the federal ban on oil drilling off the U.S. coast. The Arizona senator promotes energy development as a way to boost the economy, and a recent poll found many voters open to offshore drilling as a way to ease gas prices.

But McCain's views could be troublesome in California, which has seen its share of catastrophic offshore oil spills. Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a McCain ally, opposes such drilling and has spoken favorably of one day serving as the "energy czar" in an Obama administration.

Obama opposes drilling in U.S. coastal waters, and says allowing exploration now wouldn't affect gasoline prices for at least five years. Spokesman Hari Sevugan said Obama's energy program would, among other things, force oil companies to drill in areas they've already leased from the government.

McCain also insisted the technology exists to quickly bring oil produced offshore to market, even as the federal government has estimated it would take years for new offshore oil exploration to yield results.

McCain has said governors should have the right to veto proposed drilling off their state coasts. Some, including Republican Charlie Crist of Florida, have said they would support such drilling.

Last week, McCain's campaign scrapped a visit to an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico as Hurricane Dolly bore down on Louisiana. The campaign cited weather for the cancellation, which also came after a Liberian tanker spilled 419,000 gallons of oil into the Mississippi River outside New Orleans.

At a campaign fundraising luncheon Monday, McCain said a comprehensive energy plan, including his proposal to suspend the federal gasoline tax for the summer, would bring the greatest relief to low-income citizens hardest hit by high gas prices.

McCain was in California to attend fundraisers, including two Monday night in San Francisco.

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

Man, it was hot today. I was sweating like John Edwards looking at the National Enquirer.

The National Enquirer caught former presidential candidate John Edwards sneaking out of his girlfriend’s room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel at 2:40 in the morning. The reporters were waiting for him. If Edwards didn’t want to get caught, they should have met at the hotel where John McCain was staying — there were no reporters there.

They said on the news tonight that the political campaign has only a hundred days left. Only! I don’t know what’s less likely, Barack Obama getting enough experience in 100 days, or John McCain living another 100 days.

John McCain met with the Dalai Lama. It was pretty amazing. The man whose belief goes back to the seventh century standing next to the Dalai Lama.

Late Show Top Ten

Top Ten Ways John McCain Can Appear More Youthful

10. Campaign in a batsuit

9. Instead of Lincoln, pepper speech with quotes from Brody Jenner

8. Get his Miracle Ear pierced

7. Stop yelling at reporters to get off his lawn

6. Play breakdancing vice principal in "High School Musical 3"

5. Take a page from Jason Giambi and grow a cool moustache

4. Wrestle a gator

3. Change name of "Straight Talk Express" to "J-Dawg's Booty Wagon"

2. Stop promising a Packard in every garage and a goose in every icebox

1. Never hurts to nail a few interns

David Letterman

A guy goes to Wendy’s, orders the chili, and finds a dead rat. Wendy’s was outraged. They said, “Dead mouse? It was alive when we put it in there!”

Then they said, “Oh, don’t worry about it — it’s a Disney promotion.”

Barack Obama has been overseas campaigning in Europe and everywhere. He’s been so successful at campaigning abroad that he’s actually thinking of campaigning here in the United States.

He spoke to a half million people in Germany. A half million. While he was doing that, John McCain wasn’t laying around. McCain was out driving in his driveway and backed over the mailbox.

Conan O'Brien

Barack Obama is upset because the other day in Israel, someone revealed the contents of a private prayer Obama inserted into Jerusalem’s Western Wall. Experts say it’s even worse than the time The Washington Post printed President Bush’s letter to Santa.

Yesterday, Barack Obama visited a doctor and he received treatment for a sore hip. After hearing about it, John McCain said, “If he wants it replaced, I know just the guy.”

During a recent concert, British pop star George Michael said that Barack Obama should pick Hillary Clinton as his vice president. George Michael says he’s been a huge Hillary fan ever since she started copying his Wham! haircut.

The former mayor of Newark, N.J., was found guilty of corruption charges, and he is going to receive his sentence tomorrow. Prosecutors say that the mayor could get 10 years in prison or 20 years in Newark.

Craig Ferguson

Celebrating some big birthdays today: Elizabeth Berkley from “Showgirls” and Attorney General Mike Mukasey. They’re very different, of course . . . one of them is a gorgeous bitch who danced around a pole for money, the other is Elizabeth Berkley.

Matt Damon announced that his wife is going to have a baby. I thought Ben Affleck was looking a little bigger.

Barack Obama went to the doctor today. He has a sore hip, apparently. Finally the two presidential candidates have something in common.

Rabbi: Obama Prayer Theft 'Sacrilege'

An Israeli rabbi charged with overseeing the Western Wall in Jersualem expressed outrage over the theft of Sen. Barack Obama's written prayer.

Last Thursday, Obama visited the holy site and placed a written prayer into a crevice of the wall.

The note was removed and turned over to the Israeli daily newspaper Ma'ariv, which printed the handwritten prayer.

In a statement, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz said: "This sacrilegious action deserves sharp condemnation and represents a desecration of the holy site."

On Sunday, Israel's TV2 television network reported that a Jewish seminary student admitted he passed the note on to the newspaper. He said a group of friends took Obama's note.

The student told TV2: “I am asking for Obama’s forgiveness. If he was offended by it … of course he was, this is not a nice thing to do. Nobody meant to … it was sort of a prank. I hope he will forgive us, and we hope that he will win the presidency,” said the student, whose identity was obscured by the television station.

The prayer, as reported by Ma'ariv, read:

"Lord -- Protect my family and me. Forgive me my sins, and help me guard against pride and despair. Give me the wisdom to do what is right and just. And make me an instrument of your will."

Obama Shorted Injured Troops

WASHINGTON -- Republican John McCain's campaign on Saturday sharply criticized Democratic rival Barack Obama for canceling a visit to wounded troops in Germany, contending Obama chose foreign leaders and cheering Europeans over "injured American heroes."

Obama's campaign called the accusation "wildly inappropriate." His spokesman has claimed that the visit to a military hospital in Germany was scrapped after the Pentagon raised concerns about political activity on a military reservation. Earlier, though, the campaign had said Obama decided the visit might be seen as inappropriate politicking. However, the Pentagon said the senator was never told not to visit.

McCain himself joined in the rebuke, saying in an interview to be aired Sunday by ABC's "This Week" that "if I had been told by the Pentagon that I couldn't visit those troops, and I was there and wanted to be there, I guarantee you, there would have been a seismic event."

McCain added, "He certainly found time to do other things."

The McCain campaign's criticism came as it grappled for another day with the intense media attention focused on Obama's tour of the Middle East and Europe. The Arizona Republican had goaded Obama into visiting Iraq and Afghanistan, then watched as Obama's meetings with the leaders of those countries and Jordan, Israel, the Palestinians, Germany, France and Great Britain dominated the political news.

Obama was flying from London to Chicago on Saturday when the McCain campaign issued a statement from Joe Repya, a retired Army colonel who said Obama had broken a commitment to visit the wounded Americans, "instead flitting from one European capital to the next."

"Several explanations were offered, none was convincing and each was at odds with the statements of American military leaders in Germany and Washington," Repya said. "For a young man so apt at playing president, Barack Obama badly misjudged the important demands of the office he seeks. Visits with world leaders and speeches to cheering Europeans shouldn't be a substitute for comforting injured American heroes."

In turn, Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor said Obama and McCain both believed that troops should be honored and noted that the Illinois senator had visited troops in Iraq and Afghanistan last week and had made numerous trips to Washington's Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Obama still didn't want injured soldiers "pulled into the back-and-forth of a political campaign," Vietor said in a statement.

"That's why we imagine Sen. McCain would be surprised that his campaign released this wildly inappropriate accusation that politicizes the issue," Vietor said.

On Thursday, the day Obama gave an evening address to an estimated 200,000 people in Berlin, his campaign issued two written statements about the canceled trip to Ramstein Air Base and the military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. In the first, no mention was made of Pentagon misgivings, only that Obama "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." A second statement, by retired general and Obama adviser Scott Gration, mentioned the Pentagon's involvement.

Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters Friday that a trip from Berlin to Ramstein had been planned for weeks, with Obama expecting to leave most staff and reporters at the airport while he went to the hospital to avoid appearances of a campaign event. After the Pentagon raised concerns within two days of the visit, it was scrapped, he said.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Obama would have been required to conform to the Defense Department prohibtion of political activity, but that the senator was never told he couldn't visit the hospital.

Can Minority Journalists Resist Applauding Obama?

CHICAGO -- When Barack Obama ascends the stage Sunday at the Unity journalism convention, fresh from an exhaustively chronicled overseas tour, he will face a surprisingly divided audience.

Not on the subject of whether Obama should be president _ members of the four minority organizations that comprise Unity are largely Democratic. But many at the quadrennial gathering differ on whether the underlying current of enthusiasm for Obama's historic candidacy should be constrained or allowed to spill forth on live television.

In addition to race, the issue boils down to questions of human emotion, empathy versus ethics, and whether a group that has experienced its own share of prejudice can resist responding to Obama's powerful oratory and potent symbolism.

"This is not a pep rally," said Tonju Francois, a producer for CNN en Espanol and board member of the National Association of Black Journalists. "I don't want to say it's offensive, but the idea that just because he's a black candidate, somehow our journalistic ethics would go out the window ... I think we need to behave."

So does Unity. In an e-mail sent to the 6,800 conference attendees, the organization advised that "every effort should be made to maintain professional decorum during the event, especially since it will be broadcast to millions of people."

Yet the same diversity embodied by Unity itself can blur the definition of decorum.

"People don't view (attending Obama's speech) as work," said Connie Llanos, a reporter for the Los Angeles Daily News and member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. "We're not going to write about it, so you're allowed to voice your emotion or feeling."

Still, "people shouldn't be throwing underwear," said Veronica Garcia, a NAHJ board member and copy editor who spent 17 years at the Los Angeles Times. "We're journalists. We should strive to be a little objective."

Conservatives have spent years decrying a liberal media bias; Democrats fought over how Hillary Clinton's primary coverage compared with Obama's. This week, the campaign of John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, sniped at the media constellation chasing Obama on his excursion through the Middle East and Europe. And questions of personal politics have plagued journalists of all backgrounds.

But even against this backdrop, the Unity journalists face some unique pressures. In 2004, Democrat John Kerry inspired a standing ovation; President Bush got a few boos during his speech, which disturbed some of the journalists present. This year, McCain declined an invitation to appear at Unity, citing scheduling conflicts.

Barbara Ciara, president of NABJ and the anchor/managing editor at WTKR in Norfolk, Va., said it would be inappropriate "to show enthusiasm on any level" on Sunday because of a perception that minority journalists' coverage is slanted by their ethnicity.

"Maybe I'm a little bit old school, but I do believe there's a trust we have to achieve with our audience of viewers, listeners and readers," she said. "In order to trust you, they have to believe you're going to act dispassionately. You can't start jumping around like a little bumblebee just because a bee that looks like you is in the room."

Leonard Pitts, the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Miami Herald, believes that media objectivity is "a fairy tale we're supposed to pledge allegiance to." As one of the panelists who will question Obama on Sunday, he's more concerned with being fair to both sides, and he isn't bothered by the prospect of a few extra cheers.

"It's asking a little bit much to ask a room full of African-American journalists, or a room full of journalists of color, who have seen people like them and probably seem themselves excluded many times on the basis of color, not to have some sort of emotional reaction to the success of the person who may arguably become the first African-American president," said Pitts, who is black.

The fear at the convention, especially among veterans, is that emotions will run amok given the many young journalists, public relations professionals and sponsors in attendance.

"Taking pictures afterward, asking for autographs, acting like groupies," said Alfredo Araiza, a photographer for the Arizona Daily Star. He and Ramon Chavez, a University of Oklahoma journalism professor and member of the Native American Journalists Association, led a student seminar at Unity on how to act professionally at news conferences.

"I have the feeling the exact opposite will happen here," said Chavez.

So does Nicole Newsum, a 27-year-old public relations executive who described herself as "obsessed" with the candidate. "I'll be screaming," she said.

Said Luz Villarreal, an associate producer for "Dateline NBC": "I don't think it's such a bad thing if for 15 minutes you take off your reporter hat and respond to (Obama) as a human being at an event where you're surrounded by people of color and you're here for a united cause."

In the new media world of attack blogs, pundit power and felled newspapers, perhaps Obama's candidacy is marking yet another milestone.

"Barack Obama is the Jackie Robinson of our era," said Pitts, the columnist. "There's no getting around that, there's no asking people not to respond to that. ... Journalists are recruited from the human race. And as long as they're recruited from the human race they're going to have emotions, and they're going to have feelings."

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

Barack Obama has been elected chancellor of Germany. Yesterday, Barack Obama was in the Fatherland. John McCain was in Grandfather land.

Barack Obama is now in France. John McCain is doing what he can to compete with him. Like today, he ordered the French toast combo at IHop.

The Dalai Lama had a near-death experience today — he met with John McCain.

John McCain just can’t get any media attention. So today, he kept getting in and out of his limo without any underwear on.

David Letterman

So hot today, tourists on the top of the double-decker bus were naked.

Happy birthday to Mick Jagger — 65 years old today. It’s too bad Keith Richards isn’t alive to see this.

A 94-year-old guy was arrested in a vice sweep for soliciting a hooker. This is what happens when Medicare covers Viagra.

Craig Ferguson

Big birthdays this weekend: Helen Mirren and Mick Jagger. Both very different, of course, one’s a wrinkly old bitch who’s still doing well, and the other’s Helen Mirren.

Barack Obama’s campaign is coming out with a line of pajamas. They’re going to call them “O-Jamas.”

John McCain already has his line of bedtime clothes: They’re called adult diapers.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

“Batman” has made $1 billion dollars so far.

“Batman” has taken in more money than Brad and Angelina’s twins combined.

Shark Week begins this week on the Discovery Channel. We have a family tradition at the Kimmels during Shark Week. Every year, on the Sunday that Shark Week begins, I make my kids get in the pool with a small shark, and the first one who gets bit, doesn’t have to do dishes for the rest of the year.

Hagel Chides Candidates on Iraq

OMAHA, Neb. -- Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel, fresh from an Iraq trip with Democrat Barack Obama, said the presidential candidates should focus on the war's future and stop arguing over the success of last year's troop surge.

Hagel mentioned both candidates, but his comments seemed directed at Republican John McCain. McCain, while Obama traveled the Middle East, attacked Obama for opposing the military escalation last year that increased security in Iraq.

"Quit talking about, 'Did the surge work or not work,' or, 'Did you vote for this or support this,'" Hagel said Thursday on a conference call with reporters.

"Get out of that. We're done with that. How are we going to project forward?" the Nebraska senator said. "What are we going to do for the next four years to protect the interest of America and our allies and restructure a new order in the world. ... That's what America needs to hear from these two candidates. And that's where I am."

Hagel, too, opposed the troop increase strategy, though he acknowledged Thursday it brought about positive changes. "When you flood the zone with superior American military firepower, and you put 30,000 of the world's best troops in a country, there's going to be a result there," Hagel said.

Whether the surge worked, though, can't be measured, Hagel said, arguing the small gains came at a high price. He said President Bush's decision last year to dispatch an additional 30,000 troops to Iraq has cost more than 1,000 American lives and billions of dollars.

Though Hagel is a Republican, his name has been floated as a potential vice presidential running mate for Obama. Like McCain, he is a Vietnam war veteran, but Hagel is a fierce critic of the war in Iraq. He said Thursday he would consider running with Obama on the Democratic ticket but that he doesn't expect to be asked.

Hagel joined Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island in traveling with Obama to the Middle East. Reed said the trip was productive. "It wasn't just a photo op and social chit chat," Reed said in a telephone interview.

Reed said the group pressed Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to have the Iraqi government do more.

"Unless the government of Iraq can start delivering _ delivering jobs, delivering funds, performing _ then the gains that have been made will be quickly erased," Reed said. "I think that is a point that we all stressed, particularly Senator Obama, with the prime minister."

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

In Berlin, Barack Obama spoke to a crowd of over 200,000 people. In fact, he was so eager to please the Germans, he promised to name David Hasselhoff as his vice president.

History shows that it’s pretty easy to get a big crowd of Germans together. The problems comes when they start marching.

Have you heard John McCain’s new campaign slogan? “Hey guys, I’m over here!”

To give you an idea how bad things are for McCain right now, the only way he could have less coverage is if he had a prime time show on NBC.

Late Show Top Ten

Top Ten NASA Excuses

10. Didn't think it was a big deal

9. We would like to visit these aliens, but gas is so darn expensive

8. Too much Tang

7. Been sort of preoccupied with this giant asteroid that's headed toward Earth

6. We were waiting to reveal it on a very special episode of the "Tyra Banks Show"

5. Hey, chillax, Bro

4. No number 4 — writer abducted by aliens

3. Too upset to talk after what happened to Pluto

2. Busy trying to confirm evidence of an A-Rod/Madonna sex video

1. Our leader isn't as bright as their leader

David Letterman

Barack Obama is in the Mideast. He has met with the Israelis and the Palestinians . . . not to be outdone, John McCain also had a very busy day. He spent the day in the waiting room at Just Tires.

Bin Laden’s driver is on trial. Bin Laden loved the guy, but he finally had to fire him because he got tired of hearing how he used to be the driver for John Mellencamp.

Celebrity birthdays: Happy birthday to Barry Bonds — 44 today. And earlier today, he tested positive for cake.

Craig Ferguson

Celebrity birthdays: Barry Bonds and Jennifer Lopez. Both very different, of course. One is known for that gorgeous backside, and the other is J-Lo.

Today is National Tequila Day! That means tomorrow is National Wake Up in a Dumpster Day.

Barack Obama was in Germany today, and 100,000 people showed up. There were so many Germans shouting and screaming that France surrendered just in case.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Barack Obama was in Germany today. Huge crowds turned out to hear him speak. I guess it was the first black guy they’ve seen since Milli Vanilli left the country.

He’s like a rock star over there . . . which is impressive until you hear that David Hasselhoff is also like a rock star over there.

It was quite the Barack-tober fest.

Things are so bad for John McCain that when I did a Google search for his name I turned up nothing. It’s true! It must have been a glitch or something, but fortunately he doesn’t know how to get on the Internet.

President Bush Drops Opposition to Housing Bill

WASHINGTON — President Bush dropped his opposition Wednesday to legislation aiming to calm the chaotic housing market despite his objections to a $3.9 billion provision. The House was expected to vote on the bill Wednesday, and it could become law as early as this week.

Under the bill, the government would help struggling homeowners get new, cheaper loans and would be allowed to offer troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac a cash infusion.

The Bush administration and lawmakers in both parties teamed to negotiate the measure, which pairs Democrats' top priorities — federal help for homeowners facing foreclosure and $3.9 billion for neighborhoods hit hardest by the housing crisis — with Republicans' goal of reining in mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while reassuring financial markets of their stability.

Bush had objected to the $3.9 billion provision in the measure, saying that it was aimed at helping bankers and lenders, not homeowners who are in trouble.

White House press secretary Dana Perino announced Bush's switch in a telephone conference call with reporters. "We believe this is not the time for a prolonged veto fight but we are confident the president would prevail in one," she said.

It hands the Treasury Department the power to extend the government-sponsored mortgage companies an unlimited line of credit and buy an unspecified amount of their stock, if necessary, to prop up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two companies chartered by Congress. The two companies back or own $5 trillion in U.S. mortgages — nearly half the nation's total.

"The positive aspects of the bill are needed now to increase confidence and stability in the housing and financial markets," Perino said. "While we have concerns with other aspects of the bill, it is important that the new authorities are put in place promptly. And so President Bush will accept Secretary (Henry) Paulson's recommendation to sign the bill."

She said she expected that the $3.9 billion provision would be included in the final legislation. "With Congress scheduled soon for yet another recess," she said, "the risk of not having a bill until at best the middle of September — if they even were act then — is not a risk worth taking in the current environment."

Congressional analysts estimated Tuesday that the rescue could cost $25 billion, but predicted there's a better than even chance it won't be needed at all.

The bill would let hundreds of thousands of homeowners trapped in mortgages they can't afford on homes that have plummeted in value escape foreclosure by refinancing into more affordable, fixed-rate loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration. Lenders would have to agree to take a substantial loss on the existing loans, and in return, they would walk away with at least some payoff and avoid the often-costly foreclosure process.

The plan also creates a new regulator with tighter controls for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and modernizes the FHA.

It includes about $15 billion in housing tax breaks, including a credit of up to $7,500 for first-time home buyers for people who bought homes between April 9, 2008, and July 1, 2009. It also allows people who don't itemize their taxes to claim a $500-$1,000 deduction on their 2008 property taxes. That chiefly benefits homeowners who have paid off their homes and can't claim a deduction for mortgage interest.

And it increases the statutory limit on the national debt by $800 billion, to $10.6 trillion.

The White House, which initially denounced the FHA rescue as too burdensome on the government and risky for taxpayers, dropped most of its objections to the measure in recent weeks in search of a swift deal. The urgent request by Paulson to throw Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac a federal lifeline acted as a powerful locomotive for a deal.

The bill sets a cap of $625,000 on the loans that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may buy and the FHA may insure. It lets them buy and back mortgages up to 15 percent above the median home price in certain areas.

Lawmakers abandoned efforts to place conditions on any Fannie and Freddie rescue, but the bill hands the new regulator approval power over the pay packages of executives at the companies regardless of whether the government moves to financially reinforce them.

It also counts any federal infusion for the mortgage giants under the debt limit, essentially capping how much the government could spend to stabilize the companies without further approval from Congress. As of Tuesday, the national debt that counts toward the limit stood at about $9.5 trillion, roughly $360 billion below the statutory ceiling.

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

Barack Obama was in Israel today. I think he was trying a little too hard to impress the Jewish people. He kept introducing himself as “Baruck Obama.”

Did you see Barack wearing that traditional Jewish yarmulke? He looked very Jewish. In fact, Jesse Jackson said, "I’d like to circumcise him."

This week, NBC News defended their coverage of Barack Obama. They’ve been accused of giving him more favorable treatment than John McCain. And today NBC New denied it. They said, “That’s ridiculous. We’ve never even heard of John McCain.”

I don’t want to say McCain is running a lackluster campaign, but his Secret Service code name is “Bob Dole.”

David Letterman

Osama bin Laden’s driver is on trial. Maybe you’ve seen him at airports holding up a sign that says, “Fanatical Wackjob.”

Barack Obama is behaving very presidential. He’s in the Middle East, and he met with leaders of Israel and Jordan. Not to be outdone, John McCain was in the park today playing checkers with Ed Koch.

They love Obama.. Apparently he’s able to pronounce Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Craig Ferguson

Celebrity birthdays today: Daniel Radcliffe from “Harry Potter” and Monica Lewinsky. One is famous for working magic with a powerful wand, and the other is Harry Potter.

It was announced today that Los Angeles is banning plastic bags. So say goodbye to Pamela Anderson.

Barack Obama is introducing Kanye West at a Chicago concert. I think he’s trying to win over all the hip-hop fans who support John McCain.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The new “X-Files” movie comes out today. I’m a big fan, but it’s been 10 years since the last “X-Files” movie . . . I’m not sure I remember which one is Mully and which one is Scoulder.

Hurricane Dolly made landfall in Texas today. I know there are only so many names to choose from, but how are we supposed to take a hurricane named “Dolly” seriously?

Not since Hurricane Teddy Ruckston have we faced a more menacing-sounding hurricane.

The news media really gets to spread its wings over the name [video clips of multiple newscasters saying “Hello Dolly”].

McCain Credits Bush For Drop in Oil Price

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Republican John McCain on Wednesday credited the recent $10-a-barrel drop in the price of oil to President Bush's lifting of a presidential ban on offshore drilling, an action he has been advocating in his presidential campaign.

The cost of oil and gasoline is "on everybody's mind in this room," McCain told a town-hall meeting.

He criticized Democratic rival Barack Obama for opposing drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf.

Bush recently lifted the executive order banning offshore drilling that his father put in place in 1990. He also asked Congress to lift its own moratorium on oil exploration on the outer continental shelf which includes coastal waters as close as three miles from shore.

"The price of oil dropped $10 a barrel," said McCain, who argued that the psychology of lifting the ban has affected world markets.

There are 42 gallons in each barrel.

A barrel of light, sweet crude fell $1.86 to $126.56 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. That's down from more than $140 a barrel earlier in the summer.

McCain also said Obama's Iraq policies amount to "unconditional withdrawal." His criticism of his Democratic rival has heated up as Obama has drawn the lion's share of attention over the past few days for his visit to Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel and other destinations.

McCain said Obama's plan to withdraw U.S. troops over a 16-month period "could lead to a resurgence in our enemies, and we would have to come back."

Under a McCain presidency, the Arizona senator said, "We will never have to go back. We will have won this conflict."

McCain campaigned in this key battleground state. Democrats Al Gore and John Kerry carried the state in 2000 and 2004 while losing nationally to Republican George W. Bush. Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton easily bested Obama in winning the Pennsylvania primary in April.

McCain said that the cost of oil and gas was "an energy issue, an environmental issue and a national security issue."

McCain also said that, if elected, he'd have a news conference once a week.

He also suggested that he would regularly submit himself to questioning before the House speaker and minority leader just as "the British prime minister goes before Parliament and answers some pretty interesting questions."

"Why not," asked McCain. "I think it would be fun."

He was spending the day campaigning in Pennsylvania, and then heading to Louisiana.

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

Barack Obama is now over in the Middle East. And did you see him playing basketball with our troops in Iraq? Did you see that one shot he made from 40 feet? Let me tell you something: If shooting baskets is now a requirement to be president, a white guy may never have that job again.

Barack Obama is very popular in the Middle East. I guess a lot of people over there saw the cover of The New Yorker.

This is Barack’s third day in the Middle East. And President Bush said that he has no timetable for bringing him back home.

John McCain called a press conference today. Unfortunately, all the press was out of the country covering Obama.

David Letterman

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is calling the Bush White House a total failure. I don’t know. I think he’s doing OK, if you don’t count Iraq . . . the economy . . . Afghanistan . . . the mortgage crisis . . .

In a speech, John McCain mistaken said Iraq and Afghanistan have a common border. And I’m thinking, “No wonder we can’t find Osama bin Laden — we’ve been searching an imaginary border.”

Osama bin Laden’s driver is on trial. The charges are terrorism, conspiracy, making an illegal left turn . . .

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

“Dark Night,” the new Batman movie, made $59 billion dollars over the weekend . . . which I guess is a record.

There is officially no popcorn left anywhere in the universe.

New pictures of Britney Spears have emerged . . . holding a pack of cigarettes while her son, Sean Preston, has a lighter in his hand. At least they’re spending quality time together. A lot of moms don’t make time to smoke with their kids.

Media Ignores McCain, in Overdrive for Obama

Barack Obama was swarmed by media as he arrived in Baghdad Monday for a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

The same day, Obama’s Republican presidential rival John McCain arrived in Manchester, N.H. As his plane taxied to a stop on the tarmac, he was greeted by just a single reporter and a photographer, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader.

McCain was in the state to speak in Rochester on Tuesday. Despite the media’s apparent lack of interest in the McCain campaign, spokesman Jeff Grappone said staffers were prepared for an “overflow” crowd at the Rochester Opera House.

Meanwhile in the Middle East, the press eagerly followed every step of Obama’s trip to Iraq.

After a stop in the southern city of Basra, his delegation traveled to Baghdad, where a red carpet was unfurled outside Maliki's residence, The Washington Post and other papers reported.

The press covered Obama's visit with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, and his meeting with Iraq's Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi.

Obama later toured the U.S. military hospital inside the Green Zone and took a helicopter ride over Baghdad with Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

McCain's campaign on Tuesday lashed out at the U.S. media's "fascination" with Obama.

"It's pretty obvious that the media has a bizarre fascination with Barack Obama. Some may even say it's a love affair," the Arizona senator's campaign said in an e-mail.

"The media is in love with Barack Obama. If it wasn't so serious, it would be funny."

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

"Batman" made $150 million over the weekend. The only place with longer lines was customers trying to get their money out of IndyMac Bank.

One of the characters was Two-Face. He appears one way from one side, but is totally different from the other side. I believe he was played by Jesse Jackson.

Osama bin Laden’s driver is now on trial. I understand, during the trial, bin Laden will just wait in the car.

Barack Obama is in Afghanistan. Bill Clinton went with him. At least that’s what he told Hillary . . .

Late Show Top Ten

Top Ten Questions Asked Of Barack Obama On HIs Trip Overseas

10. "Which countries do you plan to invade based on faulty intelligence?"

9. "Seriously, why the hell do you want this job?"

8. "Are you looking for a great deal on a used camel?"

7. "If you want to visit a war zone, how about the Alex Rodriguez marriage?"

6. "So is Lindsay Lohan actually dating that chick?"

5. "Can you explain the 'feels like' number?"

4. "How many Obamas still living in Ireland?"

3. "If you're elected, will you be an entertaining dumb-ass like Bush?"

2. "Can you do anything about Andy Dick?"

1. "Do you know Batman?"

David Letterman

It was so hot today, Vice President Dick Cheney? He replaced his pacemaker with an ice maker.

So hot today, former Gov. Eliot Spitzer was dating a girl named Margarita.

So hot today, that thing on Donald Trump’s head was panting.

Yesterday down at Yankee Stadium, former Gov. Rudolph Giuliani took his buddy John McCain to the Yankee game. It was Old White Guy Day.

Craig Ferguson

Barack Obama was in Baghdad today meeting with Iraqi leaders. They all asked the same question: “When can you start?”

John McCain is saying Obama’s trip to Iraq is a publicity stunt. I’m getting sick of all this mudslinging — I’ve got a solution that will make everyone happy: President Batman.

Los Angeles made the list of the top 10 most walkable cities in the U.S. Nobody walks in Los Angeles! The only reason we even have sidewalks is so Andy Dick has some place to sleep.

Rice Won't Say if She'll Vote for McCain

She may be the highest ranking African-American in the Republican administration of President Bush, but when it comes to who will get her vote for president in November, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice won't say publicly that she's backing Sen. John McCain.

When asked Sunday by Wolf Blitzer on CNN's “Late Edition” if she had "decided who to vote for,” Rice replied, “Wolf, yes.”

But when Blitzer asked if she wanted to reveal her choice, Rice said, “No.”

Rice's response came in the context of praise she offered of Sen. Barack Obama and his successful nomination quest.

She described his achievement -- the first African-American to be a major party nominee -- as “great for our country.”

“I do think it says that we've come a long way,” she said.

Blitzer also showed a clip of Rice's predecessor, Colin Powell, who congratulated Obama for knocking down barriers for African-Americans.

Rice said: “It's interesting that it's from Colin Powell. He knocked down a few barriers of his own. He knocked down the barrier of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He knocked down the barrier to the first black secretary of state."

She then added: “Yes, I've knocked down a few, too. It just shows that our country has been doing this for a while, and it's great that this last barrier perhaps has also come down.”

She discounted reports that she wants to be vice president, saying: “I tell everybody who will listen … look, I’ve done my part and I’ve got six months to sprint to the finish and then I have other things that I want to do.”

Among those things, she said, are "issues that have come to concern me greatly -- some that I was concerned about before I came here, like the state of education in the United States, which I think is at the root of our competitiveness. It's at the root of our confidence, and therefore it's at the root of our international leadership.”

Pope Silent on Climate Change, Global Warming

By: Phil Brennan

Despite widespread media reports that Pope Benedict XVI has expressed concern about global warming and climate change, the pontiff never mentioned either term in a recent speech.

According to the Acton Institute, a number of media reports covering the pope's speech at the World Youth Day event in Sydney, Australia, characterize him as being alarmed about global warming and climate change. In fact, the Acton Institute reports that the pope's nearly 2,700-word speech used neither term.

What he did say was: "Perhaps reluctantly we come to acknowledge that there are scars which mark the surface of our earth erosion, deforestation, the squandering of the world's mineral and ocean resources in order to fuel an insatiable consumption." The pope's words reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's teaching on environmental stewardship, which decries pollution and consumerism.

What was left out of most of the media coverage of Benedict's speech, Acton noted, was his discussion of the loss of the "moral structure with which God has endowed humanity" and his sharp criticism of secularism.

Troop Withdrawal Timeline Concerns Pentagon Chief

WASHINGTON - A fixed timetable for withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq could jeopardize political and economic progress, the Pentagon's top military officer said Sunday.

Adm. Mike Mullen said the agreement between President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to set a "general time horizon" for bringing more troops home from the war was a sign of "healthy negotiations for a burgeoning democracy."

"I think the strategic goals of having time horizons are ones that we all seek because eventually we would like to see U.S. forces draw down and eventually all come home," the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman said. "This right now doesn't speak to either time lines or timetables, based on my understanding of where we are."

The best way to determine troops levels, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman said, is to assess the conditions on the ground and to consult with American commanders — the mission that Bush has given him.

"Should that mission change, and we get a new president, and should those conditions be conditions that get generated or required in order to advise a future president, I would do so accordingly," Mullen said. "Based on my time in and out of Iraq in recent months, I think the conditions-based assessments are the way to go and they're very solid. We're making progress and we can move forward accordingly based on those conditions."

The prime minister was quoted by a German magazine over the weekend as saying U.S. troops should leave "as soon as possible" and he called Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's suggestion of 16 months "the right timeframe for a withdrawal."

Mullen, asked about the possibility of withdrawing all combat troops within two years, said, "I think the consequences could be very dangerous."

"It hard to say exactly what would happen. I'd worry about any kind of rapid movement out and creating instability where we have stability. We're engaged very much right now with the Iraqi people. The Iraqi leadership is starting to generate the kind of political progress that we need to make. The economy is starting to move in the right direction. So all those things are moving in the right direction," Mullen said.

The military buildup in Iraq that began more than 18 months ago has ended. In recent days, the last of the five additional combat brigades sent in by Bush last year has left the country. Asked if the security improvement he has seen would have occurred without the troop buildup, Mullen said, "No, I don't think it could have."

If conditions keep improving, "I would look to be able to make recommendations to President Bush in the fall to continue those reductions," Mullen said. Asked if more troops might depart before Bush leaves office in January, Mullen said, "Certainly there are assumptions which you could make which would make that possible."

Turning attention to Afghanistan, where violence is on the rise from Taliban attacks, Mullen expressed concern about "a joining, a syndication, of various extremists and terrorist groups which provides for a much more intense threat, internal to Pakistan as well as the ability to flow — greater freedom to flow forces across that porous border."

The top U.S. commander in Iraq said in an Associated Press interview Saturday that after intense U.S. assaults, al-Qaida may be considering shifting focus to its original home base in Afghanistan. Gen. David Petraeus said there are signs that foreign fighters recruited by al-Qaida to do battle in Iraq are being diverted to the largely ungoverned areas in Pakistan from which the fighters can cross into Afghanistan.

U.S. officials have pressed Pakistan for more than a year to halt the cross-border infiltration. It remains a major worry not only for the war in Afghanistan but also for Pakistan's stability.

Mullen called the issue of safe havens in Pakistan "for foreign fighters, for al-Qaida, for Taliban and the insurgents that are now freely — much more freely able to come across the borders — a big challenge for all of us. And it's having an impact on our ability to move forward in Afghanistan."

He cited "mixed progress" in Afghanistan, but added, "I would not say in any way, shape or form that we're losing in Afghanistan."

Noting U.S. participation in international talks Saturday with Iran over its nuclear program, Mullen said he was encouraged. "A few weeks ago I wouldn't have thought those were possible."

But he said he supports continued economic, financial, diplomatic and political pressure on Iran "to bring them to a point where we can all deal with this issue of nuclear weapons."

"I fundamentally believe that they're on a path to achieve nuclear weapons some time in the future. I think that's a very destabilizing possibility in that part of the world. I don't need — we don't need — any more instability in that part of the world." Mullen said.

Asked about the fallout from a potential attack against Tehran by either the U.S. or Israel, Mullen said, "Right now I'm fighting two wars and I don't need a third one ... not that we don't have the reserve to do it in the United States."

He added, "I worry about the instability in that part of the world and, in fact, the possible unintended consequences of a strike like that and, in fact, having an impact throughout the region that would be difficult to both predict exactly what it would be and then the actions that we would have to take to contain it."

Iran, he said, seems "headed in the direction of building nuclear weapons and having them in their arsenal, and ... we need to figure out a way to ensure that that doesn't happen."

Mullen was interviewed on "Fox News Sunday."

Fact Check: Obama's Position on Afghanistan

WASHINGTON -- Just what is the best way to explain Barack Obama's stand on Afghanistan _ has he shown great leadership or is he a Johnny come lately? Potential Obama running mate Sen. Joe Biden has used both descriptions.

Republicans were quick to point out the discrepancy in Biden's stance Thursday in a case that shows the risk of having a former rival rise to your defense in a political spat.

Biden's criticism came last year when he was running against the freshman Illinois senator for the Democratic presidential nomination, while the praise came this week in response to GOP attacks.

THE SPIN:

As Obama prepares for his first visit to Afghanistan, Republicans are criticizing him for failing to hold a single hearing on NATO's mission in the country as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee on European Affairs.

"He's going to go to the American people and say, `I want to be commander in chief,'" Republican presidential candidate John McCain told reporters Thursday, "and yet he has been the chairman of the subcommittee that oversights NATO and he has never had a hearing nor has he ever visited Afghanistan."

South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, the top Republican on the panel, sent Obama a letter this week urging him to have a hearing on Afghanistan after his visit. DeMint got a response by letter from Biden, who explained the full committee that he chairs has held three hearings on the issue in the past two years.

"Sen. Obama has displayed great leadership on this issue," Biden wrote, pointing out that Obama chaired the confirmation hearing for the ambassador to NATO and nearly a year ago called for the deployment of at least two additional combat brigades to Afghanistan.

But when Obama made the call for those extra brigades last summer in the midst of the primary campaign, Biden had a different take. The Delaware Democrat issued a statement saying Obama had a "Johnny come-lately position" on Afghanistan and was late to the debate.

"Thank you, Sen. Biden, for proving the point that Barack Obama has no credibility on Afghanistan," said RNC spokesman Alex Conant in a statement Thursday.

THE FACTS:

In a February debate, Obama acknowledged he hadn't had any oversight hearings because he only became chairman as he launched his presidential bid. He's not been around Capitol Hill much since then _ nor has McCain.

The subcommittee's jurisdiction includes "all matters, policies and problems concerning the continent of Europe, including the European member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization."

Obama may have missed a chance to build his foreign policy credentials by making use of his leadership position. Biden could tell him about that _ he was the leading Democrat on the Europe subcommittee for nearly 20 years and used the position to become one of the Senate's leading foreign policy experts.

But some observers of the committee have said major issues like a war in Afghanistan are typically examined by the full committee _ as Biden argued was more appropriate in his letter to DeMint.

But the RNC pointed out to reporters Thursday that Obama only attended one of the three full committee hearings on Afghanistan that Biden mentioned in his letter. And in Biden's "Johnny-come-late" statement, he criticized Obama for asking only one question unrelated to Afghanistan at that March 8, 2007 hearing.

But the Democrats aren't the only ones with a mixed-message messenger on the issue. DeMint skipped the one hearing that Obama chaired on the NATO ambassador's nomination, and McCain also has missed multiple Armed Services Committee hearings on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars while campaigning for president.

Obama Again Pledges Withdrawal From Iraq

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Barack Obama says overall U.S. interests have been hurt rather than helped by the Bush administration's decision to increase troop strength in Iraq 18 months ago. He vows to stick by his plan to withdraw combat troops within 16 months of becoming president.

Obama said his White House rival, Sen. John McCain, "has argued that the gains of the surge mean that I should change my commitment to end the war. But this argument misconstrues what is necessary to succeed in Iraq, and stubbornly ignores the facts of the broader strategic picture that we face."

In a speech delivered in advance of an overseas trip, Obama said fighting al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan would be his top priority.

McCain Hasn't Ignited the Passions of Evangelicals

SIOUX CENTER, Iowa -- Stirring her morning coffee, lifelong Republican Grace Droog voiced her doubts _ and those of many evangelical voters _ about what she isn't hearing from John McCain in this year's presidential election.

"I look for something about his faith," she said. "It's very important, it's what our nation was founded on."

Her pal Joan Rens nodded; she, too, wants McCain to talk about his religious beliefs. "I wish he would so we would know how he stands on his religious views and where his faith lies," she said.

In this part of the country _ halfway between Sioux City, Iowa, and Sioux Falls, S.D., _ separating religion from politics is folly. Religious conservatives here were energized by President Bush's public declaration of faith and handed him a landslide in 2004. With growing sway in the state GOP, they recently captured a prominent party leadership post.

"When they get on fire, it's Katie bar the door," said Rock Rapids businessman George Schneiderman, who worries that McCain isn't generating that excitement.

"It's just kind of a tepid response," he said. "McCain really hasn't convinced them he has the same fervor about the appointment of judges, about the right to life."

In the ongoing AP-Yahoo News Poll, only 10 percent of white evangelical Christians say they are excited by this election, compared with 20 percent of Americans overall. A third of these evangelicals said they were interested in the election, but half said they were frustrated by it.

Nevertheless, they support McCain over Obama by 62 percent to 18 percent. Although the AP-Yahoo News Poll is of all adults, not the smaller, more energized group of likely voters, McCain's figures lag behind Bush's showing among white evangelical Christian voters in the 2004 election, when exit polls indicated 78 percent supported him.

In some parts of Iowa, overall turnout in 2004 was 20 percentage points higher than 2000, virtually all of it an energized Bush vote.

A prosperous hamlet of 6,300, Sioux Center is home to 17 churches, 13 of them with the word "Reformed" in their name, a sign of a strong evangelical presence. In 2004, 16,000 people in the county voted, 14,000 of them for Bush.

Carl Zylstra is president of Dordt College in Sioux Center, a small private school that bills itself as "what quality Christian higher education is all about." Also the host of a weekly radio talk show about politics and everything else on the minds of folks, Zylstra hears quiet doubts, far different from the passion Bush inspired.

"George Bush has a very compelling personal story, a very compelling religious experience and in their hearts they believed he was a man who loved the same Lord they did," said Zylstra. "They might not agree with all his policies, but they trusted him that when the chips were down, he would do the right thing. McCain is not a man who incites the same passion."

Dave Mulder, a retired teacher from Northwestern College in nearby Orange City, another private Christian college, also knows something about local politics and spent a stint in the state Legislature.

"I think people here genuinely believe that George Bush and his Christian faith was very sincere," said Mulder. "People have said that when they talked to him, he took time to let them know how much that Christian belief meant. For McCain, I just don't think there's that same enthusiasm."

McCain has work to do among religious conservatives, says Don Kass, a Republican activist in nearby Plymouth County.

"He needs to work quite a bit harder than he has to get those folks," said Kass. "And I say those folks because I'm one of them. He needs to give them something that motivates them to get to the polls."

Religious conservatives are an important constituency in this swing state that voted for Bush by 12,000 votes in 2004 and a growing force in state Republican politics. Republicans recently ousted Steve Roberts, a 20-year member of the Republican National Committee, and replaced him with Steve Scheffler, head of the Iowa Christian Alliance.

The other RNC seat went to Kim Lehman, head of the Iowa Right to Life Committee, and both campaigned on forcing the party to showcase its hard-line opposition to abortion and gay rights. Scheffler says he backs McCain but concedes there isn't much enthusiasm among religious conservatives.

"It's not where it should be, but there's potential there," said Scheffler. "I've encouraged the McCain campaign, I've told them several times that I would be more than willing to put together a small group of people the campaign needs to have a dialogue with."

The balancing act McCain must walk nationally is firming up his conservative base while reaching out to independents. Scheffler warned the equation is different in Iowa and throughout the Midwest.

"To succeed in Iowa, it's because you have a big turnout of self-identified evangelicals," said Scheffler. "I don't see that scenario changing."

Randy Feenstra, another Plymouth County activist, doesn't see these voters turning to Democrat Barack Obama, but he worries that they "just won't vote."

Top Republicans acknowledge the problem and vow to ease concerns. On a recent visit to Iowa, Republican National Chairman Mike Duncan delivered a pep talk about McCain. "For a public figure, he's a very private man," Duncan said, but he promised the campaign would offer a clearer view of McCain as a person "as we move through this fall."

Sharing regular morning coffee here with Droog and Rens, Jake Kieft, who backed Bush with enthusiasm, shrugged his shoulders over the campaign.

"I'm hanging on the fence, I really am," Kieft said.

McCain Official Dismissive of Campaign Surrogates

WASHINGTON -- A top economic surrogate for Republican presidential candidate John McCain doesn't think people are paying much attention to what people like her have to say.

In discussing McCain economic adviser Phil Gramm's remarks about the U.S. becoming a "nation of whiners" and suffering a "mental recession," former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina was dismissive of the source.

"Outside of Washington, where this is an interesting parlor game, I think most Americans are not really focused on what a bunch of surrogates are saying," Fiorina said on "Meet the Press" on NBC. "They're focused on what the candidates are saying."

Last March, Fiorina sounded more upbeat about people representing the campaign. While discussing her new role with McCain, she told the Web site Pajamas Media, "I think they're going to see us expand our surrogate program in some interesting ways."

For his part, McCain rejected Gramm's comments shortly after they became public. "Phil Gramm does not speak for me," he said last week. "I speak for me."

Obama Win Won't Solve Racial Injustice

The chairman of the NAACP says racial disparity will remain an issue in America whether or not Barack Obama is elected as the nation's first black president.

Julian Bond told the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People convention Sunday night that Obama's candidacy doesn't "herald a post-civil rights America, any more than his victory in November will mean that race as an issue has been vanquished in America."

He says black Americans should feel proud that a presidential candidate who couldn't have stayed in some cities' hotels several decades ago won the Democratic nomination.

Obama plans to address the convention Monday night. Republican presidential candidate John McCain plans to speak Wednesday.

Obama: 'Little Doubt' Country in Recession

SAN DIEGO -- Barack Obama said Saturday there is "little doubt we've moved into recession," underscoring the country's need for a second economic stimulus package, swift steps to shore up the housing market and a long-term energy policy to reduce reliance on foreign oil imports.

The Democratic presidential contender also said removing U.S. forces from Iraq won't be "perfectly neat," yet a call from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a withdrawal timetable supports his position more than the longer term presence favored by rival John McCain or his fellow Republican, President Bush.

Bush and the Arizona senator have chided Obama for proposing to withdraw U.S. forces within 16 months of taking office. McCain, a Vietnam War veteran, has even suggested it exhibits naivete by his rival, a freshman senator from Illinois.

"John McCain and George Bush both said that if Iraq, as a sovereign government, stated that it was time for us to start withdrawing our troops, then they would respect the wishes of that sovereign government," Obama told reporters as he flew from Chicago to California.

In addition, Obama lifted the veil on his upcoming trip to European capitals and U.S. battlefronts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He said he would be accompanied by Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. Despite their differing political parties, each has been mentioned as a potential Obama vice presidential running mate.

Hagel served as an Army sergeant in Vietnam and was twice wounded in 1968, earning two Purple Hearts. Reed, a West Point graduate, was a former Army Ranger and paratrooper.

"They're both experts on foreign policy. They reflect, I think, a traditional bipartisan wisdom when it comes to foreign policy. Neither of them are ideologues but try to get the facts right and make a determination about what's best for U.S. interests _ and they're good guys," Obama said.

The senator also said he hoped to resolve concerns expressed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel about using Brandenburg Gate as a backdrop for a speech during his visit to Berlin. Merkel questioned the propriety of a foreign political figure using such a historic backdrop as that former Communist demarkation point to deliver a campaign speech.

"I want to make sure that my message is heard as opposed to creating a controversy," Obama said. "So, you know, our goal is just for me to lay out how I think about the next administration's role in rebuilding a trans-Atlantic alliance, so I don't want the venue to be a distraction. What I want to do is just work with folks on the ground to find someplace that's appropriate."

Bernie Mac Makes Off-Color Joke at Obama Event

CHICAGO -- Comedian Bernie Mac endured some heckling and a campaign rebuke during a surprise appearance Friday night at a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Toward the end of a 10-minute standup routine at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Chicago, the 50-year-old star of "The Bernie Mac Show" joked about menopause, sexual infidelity and promiscuity, and used occasional crude language.

"My little nephew came to me and he said, 'Uncle, what's the difference between a hypothetical question and a realistic question?'" Mac said. "I said, I don't know, but I said, 'Go upstairs and ask your mother if she'd make love to the mailman for $50,000.'"



As the joke continued, the punchline evoked an angry response from at least one person in the audience, who said it was offensive to women.

"It's not funny. Let's get Barack on," a man shouted from the crowd, which paid $2,300 each to support the Illinois senator.

About 15 minutes later, Obama tried to smooth things over with a joke of his own.

"We can't afford to be divided by race. We can't afford to be divided by region or by class and we can't afford to be divided by gender, which by the way, that means, Bernie, you've got to clean up your act next time," Obama said. "This is a family affair. By the way, I'm just messing with you, man."

The incident drew response from Obama's campaign, which criticized Mac for his choice of material.

"Sen. Obama told Bernie Mac that he doesn't condone these statements and believes what was said was inappropriate," spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement after the event.

Mac, a Chicago native, said he's a longtime Obama supporter and called the presumptive Democratic nominee a "man's man" while offering him advice for the duration of the campaign trail.

"People like rumors. They're going to say things like you was at the club with Lil' Kim, and you and Kanye West got into a fist fight," he said. "You can't get upset. You've got to keep hope alive."

Mac's appearance was Obama's first celebrity event of the evening. Later at a Lincoln Park nightclub, Obama spoke to a raucous crowd of music fans, who paid up to $500 per person to see a performance by Wilco lead singer Jeff Tweedy, and two other band members.

"Before these guys go, I want them to know that I had heard a rumor that they had suggested that I had nothing by them on my iPod," Obama said. "That is not true. I love Wilco."

Labels: O

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

John McCain’s economic adviser Phil Gramm is under fire. He says Americans are bunch if whiners. He also says the country is in a mental recession, we are experiencing a mental slowdown . . . kind of like President Bush.

Earlier this week, the Senate approved a new eavesdropping bill, which means they’re now allowed to listen to what you say without you knowing it. Jesse Jackson is really upset about this.

Insiders claim that although Jesse Jackson publically supports Barack Obama, privately he doesn’t like him. Kind of like Bill with Hillary.

Today, Jesse tried to reach out to Obama who said, “Keep your hands where I can see them.”

Conan O'Brien

Today’s New York Times once again raised the issue that John McCain may not be eligible to be president because he’s not a natural born U.S. citizen. Apparently, McCain was born outside the 13 colonies.

Jesse Jackson says he’s trying to put his remarks about Barack Obama behind him. He says Obama has forgiven him. Obama says he’ll appoint Jesse Jackson secretary of nut cutting.

Barack Obama this week was endorsed by the U.S. Black Golfers Association. Not only that, Obama was also endorsed by the Association of Asian Hockey Players.

Last night, Hillary appeared at fundraiser with Barack Obama, and Obama told the crowd, “Hillary rocks.” Then Bill Clinton said the same thing, but he was talking about Hilary Duff.

McCain Breaks With Adviser Over 'Whiners' Remark

John McCain sharply broke from an economic adviser who dubbed the United States "a nation of whiners" in a "mental recession" as the Republican presidential candidate sought to counter criticism that he's weak on the economy.

Sensing an opening, Democrat Barack Obama turned the remarks against his rival.

"I strongly disagree" with Phil Gramm's remarks, McCain told reporters in what amounted to nothing short of a smackdown against one of his top surrogates and longtime friends. "Phil Gramm does not speak for me. I speak for me."

The Republican presidential hopeful said a person who just lost a job or a mother struggling to pay for a child's education "isn't suffering from a mental recession."

"America is in great difficulty. And we are experiencing enormous economic challenges as well as others," McCain said, seeking to stem the fallout from Gramm's comments.

Gramm, a former Texas senator who is a vice chairman of the Swiss bank UBS and has a doctorate in economics, made the remarks in an interview with The Washington Times. Friends and colleagues for years, McCain served as a top surrogate when Gramm ran for president in 1996, and the Texan has returned the favor this year, campaigning frequently on McCain's behalf.

The economy is the top issue for voters and the No. 1 subject in the presidential campaign. McCain and Obama are seeking to portray the other as out of touch with the country's struggles while arguing they are the leader able to pull the nation out of tenuous times.

Gramm's comments gave McCain heartburn and Obama an opportunity.

Campaigning in Fairfax, Va., Obama seized on Gramm's comments as he tried to paint McCain as out of touch: "America already has one Dr. Phil. We don't need another one when it comes to the economy."

He drew cheers and laughter with that comment referencing television psychologist "Dr. Phil" McGraw _ and boos and hisses when he read Gramm's quotes to his audience. He contrasted them with rising gas and food prices, home foreclosures and job layoffs.

"It's not just a figment of your imagination," Obama said at a town-hall event focused on helping women advance economically. "Let's be clear. This economic downturn is not in your head."

"It isn't whining to ask government to step in and give families some relief," he said, drawing a standing ovation from the nearly 3,000 people in a high school gymnasium. "And I think it's time we had a president who doesn't deny our problems or blame the American people for them but takes responsibility and provides the leadership to solve them."

McCain, a four-term Arizona senator with decades of experience on national security, has had difficulty making the case that his economic plans can get the country roaring again, especially as Democrats try to tie him to President Bush and the nation's current financial woes.

During the Republican primary, McCain acknowledged that the economy is not his strongest suit, and delivered some tough talk to economically ailing Michigan. He told voters there that lost jobs weren't coming back. He also promised to create new employment opportunities, but that was lost as then-opponent Mitt Romney used McCain's words against him.

Back in Michigan on Thursday, McCain tried to counter the criticism from Obama, arguing that the Democrat opposes offshore drilling and nuclear power to try to solve energy woes. "You talk about Dr. Phil, he is Dr. No on energy," McCain said.

Gramm attracted the attention when he told the Times: "You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession." He noted that growth has held up at about 1 percent despite all the publicity over losing jobs to India, China, illegal immigration, housing and credit problems and record oil prices. "We may have a recession; we haven't had one yet."

"We have sort of become a nation of whiners," Gramm said. "You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline" despite a major export boom that is the primary reason that growth continues in the economy, he said.

Later asked if Gramm would have a role in a McCain administration, McCain raised the possibility of what could be seen as a less-than-desirable job. "I think Senator Gramm would be in serious consideration for ambassador to Belarus although I'm not sure the citizens of Minsk would welcome that."

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

With gas prices approaching $5 a gallon, a lot people are starting to use bicycles. In fact, coming in today, I saw Jesse Jackson backpedaling all the way.

On Fox News, Jesse Jackson, during an interview, not realizing his mike was on, said some pretty nasty things about Barack Obama including that he would like to cut his testicles off. Hillary Clinton commented on the remark saying, “I don’t know what the big deal is — I say that to Bill at least once a week.”

Jesse also said he thought Barack Obama was talking down to black people by lecturing them on things like fatherhood and being a responsible husband. Jesse thought it was insulting not only to him, but to his former mistress and their love child.

John McCain is coming under fire for comments made by his top economic adviser former Sen. Phil Gramm, who called America a nation of “whiners,” and that the nation is only in a “mental recession.” That $5 gas and the bank repossessing your house? That’s all in your mind.

Conan O'Brien

On Fox News, Jesse Jackson was caught saying he wants to cut Barack Obama’s n**s off. This marks the nicest thing ever said about Barack Obama on Fox News.

Jesse Jackson has said he is trying to apologize to Barack Obama, but Barack Obama has not taken his calls. Apparently, Jackson is so mad that Barack won’t take his calls, he’s once again threatened to cut his n**s off.

John McCain also in the news. At a campaign event, McCain refused to answer any questions about Viagra. Mainly because all the Viagra questions came from his wife, Cindy.

Presidential candidate Ralph Nader said that this November, he expects to be on the ballot in at least 45 states. Nader’s exact quote was, “I hope to screw things up in at least 45 states.”

Jackson Apologizes for Obama Comments

The Reverend Jesse Jackson says he's "very sorry" for comments he made about Barack Obama during what he thought was a private conversation with a reporter.

Jackson tells The Associated Press he doesn't remember "exactly" what he said after a Sunday interview about health care with a Fox News reporter when asked his opinion about Obama speaking in black churches.

Jackson says the comments were "a side light in a broader conversation about urban disparities."

He issued a written statement Wednesday apologizing "for any harm or hurt that this hot mic private conversation may have caused."

He says his support for Obama's campaign is "wide, deep and unequivocal."

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

They're now investigating why Barack Obama's charter jet had mechanical problems. ABC news says the jet was previously used by Hillary Clinton. So Hillary lets Barack borrow her plane and it had some problems. I wonder what that’s all about . . .

The African-American cable network TV One is coming under fire for its plans to cover the Democratic Convention, but not the Republican Convention. And believe me, black Republicans are very upset. Both of them.

President Bush is was in Japan for the G-8 summit. Again, another kind of embarrassing incident at dinner. I guess President Bush sent his sushi back because it was cold.

Osama bin Laden’s teenage son, Timmy bin Laden, has released a poem calling for the destruction of America and the killing of all its allies. Imagine a kid writing something like that. Here’s my question: Where are the parents?

Conan O'Brien

The Democratic Party announced this week that Barack Obama will give his acceptance speech at an 80,000-seat stadium and that they will not serve fried food at the Democratic Convention. Which begs the question, Where are they going to find 80,000 Americans who don’t eat fried food?

Yesterday at the G-8 summit, President Bush met with the prime minister of India. There was an awkward moment when Bush told the Indian prime minister, “I think I’ve been in your taxi.”

Big birthday news today — O.J. Simpson turned 61-years-old and he had a party with all his friends. There were no survivors.

In a new interview, 17-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears talks about her new baby and that she can’t wait to be a soccer mom. Actually Jamie Lynn is already a soccer mom because she’s the only mom on her high school’s soccer team.

Hillary Delegates Pose Dilemma

By: Jim Meyers

Democrats are pondering a big question before the party’s convention in August — what to do with the 1,600 convention delegates Hillary Clinton won in six months of primaries.

With Barack Obama virtually assured of the nomination, the Obama and Clinton camps are negotiating to determine whether and how her name is put into nomination.

“A full roll-call vote that reminds everyone how close she came to being the nominee could reveal party rifts going into the fall campaign,” the Wall Street Journal observed.

“But keeping her name off the roll call could anger her supporters.”

Under party rules, Clinton’s large delegate count gives her the right to put her name into nomination.

Assuming that Clinton is not named as Obama’s running mate, political analysts say the two camps could be considering several other options:

Clinton could simply decline to put her name forward, and Obama could be nominated by acclamation, sending the message that he had unified the party.

Clinton could be nominated, then by prearrangement take her name out of consideration and endorse Obama.

The two camps could agree to hold a “friendly” roll call, with the states “tossing verbal bouquets to Clinton before voting for Obama,” according to the Journal. But that might remind voters that Obama did not win primaries in Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, and other swing states that might prove crucial in November.

The two camps will also have to decide when Hillary will speak at the convention, and how Bill Clinton will fit into the schedule.

The party's convention will be held Aug. 25-28 at Denver's Pepsi Center, which holds up to 21,000 people. But Obama will accept the nomination at Invesco Field at Mile High, a 76,000-seat stadium that is home to the Denver Broncos, according to The Associated Press.

The decision to move Obama's acceptance speech to the giant football stadium was expected to boost fundraising, convention organizer Jenny Backus said.

Obama is scheduled to deliver his acceptance speech on the fourth and final night of the convention. It coincides with the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Late Nite Jokes

Jay Leno

It was so hot today, John McCain offered a $300 million prize to the first person to develop a prune Slurpee.

Happy birthday to President Bush — 62 on Sunday. He is now twice his approval rating.

John Kerry is now criticizing John McCain. Kerry is saying McCain doesn’t have the judgment to be president. I don’t think that’s true. McCain had the good judgment not to accept Kerry’s offer to be his running mate in 2004.

Democrats are preparing for their convention in Denver. They have hired the first ever director of “greening.” They say this will ensure everything about their convention will be green . . . including nominating a candidate who’s only been a senator for a couple of years.

Conan O'Brien

Barack Obama's campaign has announced they are going to hold an event at a NASCAR race. The event will be called, “Meet Your First Black Guy.”

A 60-year-old woman was kicked out of a McCain rally for heckling him. Afterwards, McCain said, “I’m just not popular with young women.”

Months ago, Hillary Clinton’s campaign booked hundreds of hotel rooms for the Democratic Convention. Now that she’s out of the race, she doesn’t need them anymore. Just as Hillary’s staff was about to cancel the rooms, Bill Clinton stepped in and said, “I’ll use them!’

Cuba announced they will send a rowing team to the Olympics. They started training last month and haven’t been seen since.