by Frank James

Let's agree that anyone who runs for president of the U.S. must, by definition, have an ego that vastly outstrips of that of most other mortals. To see oneself as the potential heir to an office once held by George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt, is beyond most people's ability.

But maybe it's possible for a presidential candidate to regard himself or herself too highly. Washington Post op-ed columnist Charles Krauthammer certainly seems to think Sen. Barack Obama is such a candidate.

Americans are beginning to notice Obama's elevated opinion of himself. There's nothing new about narcissism in politics. Every senator looks in the mirror and sees a president. Nonetheless, has there ever been a presidential nominee with a wider gap between his estimation of himself and the sum total of his lifetime achievements?

We are getting to know. Redeemer of our uninvolved, uninformed lives. Lord of the seas. And more. As he said on victory night, his rise marks the moment when "our planet began to heal." As I recall -- I'm no expert on this -- Jesus practiced his healing just on the sick. Obama operates on a larger canvas.

by Katie Fretland

Joining the conversation about Jesse Jackson's apparent on-tape use of a racial slur, is the Rev. Al Sharpton.

In an interview with CBS News' Harry Smith on The Early Show, Sharpton said he was "very disappointed" about Jackson's reported use of the n-word during a conversation picked up by a hot microphone in a Fox studio.

"I think that this certainly does not reflect the Reverend Jackson that we all know and love," Sharpton said.

Fox host Bill O'Reilly revealed yesterday that Jackson used the slur. O'Reilly first released a tape last week of Jackson saying that Obama was "talking down to black people" and that he wanted to "cut his nuts off." But O'Reilly withheld the portion of the tape in which Jackson uses the slur, which O'Reilly said was not directed at Obama. O'Reilly said a "weasel" leaked the news that Jackson had used the n-word.

Sharpton called attention to the hypocrisy of Jackson's use of the word, following Jackson's own call for the word to be expunged from the language.

"Those of us--and many of us have used it privately, said we must refrain from it if we're going to challenge people using it publicly," Sharpton said. "You must be consistent."

Continue reading for a full transcript courtesy of CBS:

by Katie Fretland

In a polarized Senate, at least a couple of things can still bring the parties together: friendship and health.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, a conservative Republican songwriter from Utah, has written a ballad for liberal Democrat Edward M. Kennedy as he faces a battle with brain cancer, the Boston Globe's Susan Milligan reports today.

Kennedy, 76, and Hatch, 74, have different politics, but are close friends.

Last week, Kennedy made a brave return to the Senate to cast his vote in favor of the medicare bill he worked hard to see pass. It was his first time back to the Senate since a May seizure and cancer diagnosis. Kennedy entered to a bipartisan standing ovation and cast his vote with an assertive "Aye."

The moment is significant to the title of Hatch's song: "Headed Home."

Read the rest of the story at www.boston.com.

by Frank James

It's doubtful Sen. John McCain won over many African-American voters today with his appearance before the NAACP convention.

Sen. Barack Obama pretty much has upwards of 90 percent of the black vote sewn up if only because, number one, he's the all-but-official Democratic nominee and blacks are overwhelmingly Democrats, number two, he's African-American and number three, millions of black Americans never thought they'd live to see the historical moment when they'd get the chance to vote for a major party presidential nominee who happened to be black.

But McCain surely will get points from some black people for appearing before the convention and engaging participants afterwards by answering a few questions. President Bush stiffed the NAACP for much of his presidency, so McCain succeeded to a large extent by merely showing up.

It wasn't the first time he's appeared before a mostly black audience not predisposed to him. For instance, earlier this year McCain visited the Lorraine Motel Civil Rights Museum in Memphis to mark the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination.

For Obama to appear at an analogous event, one where his supporters would be outnumbered by McCain supporters by several factors, he'd probably have to speak before the National Rifle Association convention or a Family Research Council gathering. That would be something to see.

As far as the speech itself, which was received respectfully, and got a few intentional laughs at points. It went pretty much as expected. McCain wisely acknowledged the historic nature of Obama's achievement, a very important watershed to his audience:

Senator Obama talks about making history, and he's made quite a bit of it already. And the way was prepared by this venerable organization and others like it. A few years before the NAACP was founded, President Theodore Roosevelt's invitation of Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage and an insult in many quarters. America today is a world away from the cruel and prideful bigotry of that time. There is no better evidence of this than the nomination of an African-American to be the presidential nominee of his party. Whatever the outcome in November, Senator Obama has achieved a great thing -- for himself and for his country -- and I thank him for it.

by Frank James

Two interesting polls this morning.

The Washington Post has a presidential horse race poll this morning which gives Democrat Sen. Barack Obama a eight-point lead over Republican Sen. John McCain.

Of course, all these race track polls have to be read with the caveats that it's still too early to put too much stock in these national polls. Also, this race will come down to the electoral college, not the national popular vote.

With that said, the Post poll should put a spring in the steps of Obama's campaign team while injecting more of a sense of urgency into McCain's camp since it gives Obama a 19-point lead on the the question of who's better for the economy. (An article at the Huffington Post today asks if Obama and McCain are ebbing or flowing).

With the race shaping up to be about the economy as violence drops in Iraq, the hand Obama's holding looks increasingly good although the game is far from over.

Here's what the Post says about its poll.

Sen. Barack Obama holds his biggest advantage of the presidential campaign as the candidate best prepared to fix the nation's ailing economy, but lingering concerns about his readiness to handle international crises are keeping the race competitive, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Overall, the Democrat has a lead of 50 percent to 42 percent over Republican Sen. John McCain among registered voters nationwide, lifted by a big edge among women, and he has also regained an edge among political independents. But it is Obama's 19-point lead on the economy that has become a particularly steep challenge for McCain.

by Matthew Hay Brown

Five months ago, with the economy thought to be teetering on the edge of recession and voters growing anxious about the rising costs of food and fuel, Republicans and Democrats worked quickly to pass the economic stimulus package that saw tax rebate checks sent to 130 million American households.

Now House Democrats are preparing a second stimulus package, including more checks for taxpayers. But this time, they're looking also to boost food stamps, low-income energy assistance and other items Republicans opposed in February.

"If [Speaker Nancy Pelosi] is serious about taking action to stimulate the economy, she should start by allowing a vote on increased American energy production," House Minority Leader John Boehner said this afternoon. "To help ensure long-term economic growth, the time has long passed for Speaker Pelosi and her colleagues in the Democratic leadership to end their opposition to effective energy and economic reforms that will make a real difference for consumers."

Democrats are working on energy legislation. But this morning, they were talking about the new stimulus package.

After a meeting with economists including former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, Princeton Professor Alan Blinder and former Congressional Budget Office analyst Douglas Elmendorf, Pelosi told reporters that she hoped the legislation would include another round of rebates, but added that "we can't have them exclusively dominate the package."

by Frank James

Now that the U.S. military surge in Iraq has succeeded in significantly reducing violence there, Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign appears to have changed its website to catch up with the facts on the ground.

The Daily News reports that Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign revised its website to remove criticism of the U.S. military surge.

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama's campaign scrubbed his presidential Web site over the weekend to remove criticism of the U.S. troop "surge" in Iraq, the Daily News has learned.

Obama's campaign posted a new Iraq plan Sunday night, which cites an "improved security situation" paid for with the blood of U.S. troops since the surge began in February 2007.

by Katie Fretland

Jesse Ventura, the former Minnesota governor and ex-professional wrestler, announced last night he will not run for U.S. Senate.

Ventura, an independent, told a national audience on CNN's "Larry King Live" that part of his decision related to shielding his family from the glare of the media.

"Nothing is off-limits today in the world of politics," he said. "These are some of the dilemmas that I go through: Do I want to put my family on the firing line again?"

Ventura joked that if God talks to him before the 5 p.m. deadline today, then he might change his mind. If not, he leaves the race to Democrat Al Franken, the talk show host and comedian, and the incumbent, Republican Sen. Norm Coleman. Ventura does not plan to endorse either candidate.

"I was close to [running for Senate]," he said. "One part of me wanted to very badly. But when I spoke to my daughter and ... she feared what would happen to her that happened to her brother, that put me over the top... I thought, I will not put my family under that type of position again."

Ventura served one term as governor of Minnesota beginning in 1998, following a stint as mayor of Brooklyn Park, a suburb of Minneapolis.

Our friends at Top of the Ticket have more on Jesse Ventura's decision not to run.

by Frank James

Sen. Barack Obama is making another effort to convince voters that he hasn't significantly shifted his position on withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq with his op-ed in today's New York Times and to defang accusations that he's a flip flopper.

The op-ed is a reprise of the argument the all-but-official Democratic nominee has been making in recent weeks on the campaign trail that he has has always wanted a measured withdrawal of U.S. combat troops that took into account conditions on the ground.

When you read it, it should be with an eye towards answering these questions: will this reassure Democratic Party activists that Obama isn't abandoning his earlier position on Iraq in an attempt to move to the center. Will it persuade others, like independents, that he isn't a flip-flopper, as Republicans have tried to portray him?

Obama starts his piece with was an apparent boon for his campaign and bane for the Bush Administration and Sen. John McCain's campaign -- the alleged request for a U.S. withdrawal timetable from the Iraqi leadership. (As with so much having to do with Iraq, there is some doubt as to what Iraqi officials have really said, as this BBC story indicates.)

The call by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki for a timetable for the removal of American troops from Iraq presents an enormous opportunity. We should seize this moment to begin the phased redeployment of combat troops that I have long advocated, and that is needed for long-term success in Iraq and the security interests of the United States...

A few paragraphs later, he gets to the point he wants to drive home, that he hasn't shifted, that's what he's saying now is what he's long been saying:

As I've said many times, we must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in. We can safely redeploy our combat brigades at a pace that would remove them in 16 months. That would be the summer of 2010 -- two years from now, and more than seven years after the war began. After this redeployment, a residual force in Iraq would perform limited missions: going after any remnants of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, protecting American service members and, so long as the Iraqis make political progress, training Iraqi security forces. That would not be a precipitous withdrawal.

by Peter A. Brown

When the nation's governors gather today in Philadelphia for their annual meeting, they should hoist a few in thanks to George W. Bush.

That's because the president's political problems are so severe that he is making the governors look good by comparison -- allowing many of them to avoid the blame for the economic slump bedeviling many of their states.

Bush is so unpopular that the voters appear to be fault him for every ill that ails them. His job approval has sunk into the 20s in many national surveys -- and he recently recorded the second lowest mark ever in the history of the Gallup Poll. As a result, many governors - the men and women who traditionally suffer in the public eye no matter which party they belong to when times are tough in their states - are seen much more positively than they might be otherwise.

Brown is assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. Read his full article at the Wall Street Journal's Political Perceptions blog.

by John Kass

When Jesse Jackson's Castrato-gate or the Barack Obama Nuts Controversy or whatever you want to call it erupted last week--as captured by the hot microphones of Fox News--terrible cries of pain went unnoticed.

Not from Obama, who, as presidential historians will tell us after his inauguration in January, was the great beneficiary of the rhetorical (and never actually attempted) Jacksonian castration, and no cries from Jackson, either.

Jackson's too busy to shriek. He's suffering the ambition of African-American politicos eager to replace him as America's race broker. And he's been hooted down in the style of pre-Revolutionary France, by white liberals who once feared him, though they no longer feel compelled to feign interest in Jackson's ridiculous rhymes.

The cries of pain came not from Obama or Jackson but from the American political left, from scribes and liberal editorial writers and broadcast analysts and eager bloggers. The true believers who evangelized that Obama would transcend politics as we knew it are suffering a Barackian hangover.

John Kass is a Chicago Tribune columnist. Read his full article about Barack Obama and supporters at chicagotribune.com.

by Bob Secter and Ray Gibson

As a state senator from the South Side, Barack Obama once arranged for a $200,000 state grant to jump-start an urban venture capital fund for a non-profit group run by Rev. Jesse Jackson.

The grant was the very sort of faith-based initiative now at the center of an uncomfortable rift between Jackson and Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. The money was spent, but the promised investment pool for job-poor neighborhoods never materialized, an example of the mixed record for Obama and other officials in getting results from such programs.

Obama's embrace of this approach, championed by President George W. Bush, led Jackson to lash out earlier this week at his fellow Chicago Democrat. The salty rebuke was captured on videotape and aired on the Fox News Channel, and Jackson quickly apologized.

The flap erupted amid Obama's attempts to broaden his appeal by reaching out to evangelicals and moderate voters, a development that has disturbed some liberals like Jackson who fear the faith-based emphasis is an excuse for curtailing government social service obligations.

While proclaiming support for Obama, the veteran civil rights leader has at times been openly critical. Jackson has chafed at Obama's lectures about responsibility to black fathers and condemned the nation's only black U.S. senator for "acting like he's white" by not taking a more active role in the controversy over the prosecutions of six black teenagers in Louisiana.

Read the full story on Barack Obama, Jesse Jackson and faith-based charities in today's Chicago Tribune.

by Katie Fretland

The Ron Paul campaign for liberty marches in Washington today.

The former GOP candidate for president is hosting a rally at Capitol Hill this morning based on his message of "peace, prosperity and freedom through adherence to the Constitution."

The rally comes at a sad time for the campaign as Paul mourns the recent loss of friend and top campaign aide Kent Snyder, who is accredited with shaping the Ron Paul revolution. Snyder, 49, died at the end of June from viral pneumonia.

A tribute to Snyder on the Paul's website speaks of his dedication to the Texas Republican's cause.

"[Snyder] was filled with conviction, and principles of decency, loyalty and respect ran to his core," Paul writes. "Those fortunate enough to work closely with Kent were touched by his integrity and old-fashioned American work ethic.

"I first met Kent in 1987 when he, as a young man in his late 20's, served on my first presidential run. Over the next twenty years, we worked together on countless projects in the name of Freedom. It was Kent, more than anyone else, who urged me to run again for president last year. I was skeptical, but he was much more confident that the time was right. Without Kent, I don't think it would have happened. Though he was an optimist, in the end, even he didn't expect what we achieved."

In June, Paul decided to launch a different kind of campaign following his predicted loss of the Republican nomination. He pledged to spread his message of freedom, sound money, non-interventionism and free markets, according to a letter to supporters.

Paul raised millions of dollars during his campaign for president and drew the support of many with his call to end the Iraq war. Since he did not get an invitation to speak at the Republican National Convention, Paul plans to hold his own rally Sept. 2 at the University of Minnesota.

Our friends at Top of the Ticket have more about Ron Paul and Kent Snyder.

by Mark Silva and updated

Barack Obama would have been the first major presidential candidate to adopt a NASCAR driver in pursuit of fans of the nation's most-watched sport, if he had gone through with this.

But he is not the first presidential candidate.

Another one -- OK, perhaps a minor one -- hired a NASCAR driver in his pursuit of the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in 2004. The campaign went little further than the truck, however.

Bob Graham, former senator and governor from Florida, laid campaign cash down on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. His driver: Jon Wood, a 21-year-old considered a rising star in auto racing at the time.

Graham's sponsorship of Wood's No. 50 Ford truck introduced a new twist in NASCAR, where corporate logos are common but campaign logos are not. Other candidates had gone this route, but never presidential candidates. Graham's campaign paid Roush Racing, owner of Wood's truck, for several races.

"This is an unusual sponsorship," Jack Roush, owner of the team, said in a statement then. "But, when a distinguished United States senator calls with interest in our program, we're glad to accept the support and participation in the Democratic process in a unique way."

Graham had David "Mudcat" Saunders and Steve Jarding, a couple of Virginia-based consultants who are tuned in to the for-lack-of-a-better-term redneck vote in their home state, which they are gradually turning from red to bue. But the appeal of NASCAR reaches far beyond the mountains of Virginia.

Graham bowed out of the Democratic contest in the 2004 running after poor showings in the early caucuses and primaries. Obama, who has clinched his party's 2008 nomination, might have taken the race much further. But, alas, campaign spokesman Bill Burton said late this evening that "the Obama campaign will not be sponsoring a car in the Sprint Cup series, though we will continue to look for ways to reach out to voters and convey Sen. Obama's message of change.''

by Frank James

Reporters received an e-mail today of a website posting from ALIPAC, a group that's part of Americans for Legal Immigration which opposes comprehensive immigration reform. The posting expressed outrage at Sen. Barack Obama's comments made earlier in the week at a Georgia campaign stop:

In case you missed it, Obama said the following:

"I don't understand when people are going around saying, 'We need to have English only.' They want to pass a law 'We want English only.' Now I agree that immigrants should learn English. I agree with that. But understand this. Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English. They'll learn English. You need to make sure your child can speak Spanish. You should be thinking about how can your child become bilingual. We should have every child speaking more than one language. It's embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe and all we can say is merci beaucoup, right?" (crowd applauds.)

Responding to Obama, the ALIPAC posting says in part:

Barrack (sic) Obama has stepped on a political land mine by stating Americans should be forced to learn to speak Spanish.

YouTube videos showing his speech have gone viral and the new media is quickly distributing his comments, which are opposed by approximately 4 out of 5 Americans according to Rasmussen Report polling from last month, which shows Eighty-three percent (83%) place a higher priority on encouraging immigrants to speak English as their primary language. Just 13% take the opposite view and say it is more important for Americans to learn other languages.

But what looks like a land mine to some is a stepping stone to others.

First off, it's not like Obama ever had much of a chance with voters who agree with ALIPAC in being completely opposed to any path that would provide legal status to illegal immigrants. Obama, after all, favors giving undocumented immigrants drivers licenses. At least that's what he said during a Democratic debate a few months back.

But his statement about the need for teaching children Spanish will be interpreted by many as showing respect for one of the world's great cultures. It will likely play very well with many Hispanic voters who are themselves bilingual and view bilingualism as positive, not an evil.

By Lisa Anderson

NEW YORK--On their newly hatched togetherness tour, former Democratic rivals Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois appeared together at a fundraiser this morning at the New York Hilton.

Billed as a Women for Obama Finance Breakfast, the gathering drew more than 2,000 people, who paid between $250 and $2,300 per seat.

Many of them, according to Cora Weiss, one of the hosts, were former Clinton supporters.

But the difficulties of transferring political passion--and financial support-- from one candidate to another--particularly in this most unique of cases--were not only evident, but acknowledged at length in remarks by Clinton and Obama.

by Clarence Page

A WARNING TO UNDER-AGED READERS:

Now that I've got your attention...

This has to be some sort of new speed record. The Rev. Jesse Jackson has issued an apology this afternoon for a story that has not even been reported yet.

"For any harm or hurt that this hot mic private conversation may have caused, I apologize," the statement from the Operation Push president begins. "My support for Senator (Barack) Obama's campaign is wide, deep and unequivocal. I cherish this redemptive and historical moment...."

Oh? What "hot mic," as in "microphone" conversation about Obama is Jackson talking about?

Well, Swamp fans, as Jackson explained to me by telephone, his remarks occurred during an off-air moment during a Fox News Channel interview that aired Sunday.

Jackson didn't realize that the mics were still "hot," as in turned on and recording when he made a few off-the-cuff remarks about Obama's faith-based programs.

Bill O'Reilly has the story and plans to report it on his Fox program, "The O'Reilly Factor" tonight.

Even though O'Reilly has booked me and another guest to respond to the video, he is withholding a full transcript or recording of Jackson's remarks even from me until the program airs.

So far I have only been told by a producer that Jackson criticizes Obama's proposed faith-based programs for "talking down to black people."

And (A warning here to younger or more sensitive readers) Jackson also says something about how the senator was "going to get his (twin objects of male anatomy) cut off."</