• THE MYTH OF A TOSS-UP ELECTION, Crystal Ball, U.Va."It is no exaggeration to say that the political environment this year is one of the worst for a party in the White House in the past sixty years." Source: Larry J Sabato's Crystal Ball(tags: JohnMcCain Republicans economy polls history) • Poll: Obama holds commanding lead with Hispanics | Chron.com - Houston ChronicleThe poll of 2,015 Latino voters conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center found that Democrat Barack Obama, who lost the Hispanic vote to Hillary Clinton by nearly 2-to-1 in the Democratic primary, holds a commanding 66 percent to 23 percent lead over Republic(tags: BarackObama hispanics polls)

• Eventually, we will all hate Obama too | David Aaronovitch - Times OnlineIt amuses me that some of those who criticise the present US Administration for its Manichaeism - its division of the world into good and evil - themselves allocate all past badness to Bush and all prospective goodness to Obama...

• Andy Borowitz: McCain Makes Historic First Visit to InternetIn a daring bid to wrench attention from his Democratic rival in the 2008 presidential race, Sen...

• Daily Kos: McCain's Excitement DeficitAn AP/Yahoo poll shows 38% of Obama's supporters excited compared to 9% of McCain's...

• Obama's summer of success - The Boston GlobeIT'S A tricky time, the period from the end of the primary season to the start of the political conventions. Source: Boston Globe(tags: BarackObama strategy) • Op-Ed Columnist - The Coming Activist Age - Op-Ed - NYTimes.comThe Democrats are the natural party of federal vigor. Yet, historically, periods of great governmental change have often been periods of conservative rule. Source: New York Times(tags: US competitiveness economy education policy)

• Inside the Post Poll: What Obama-Clinton Divide? - The FixChris Cillizza looks at recent poll numbers that show reports about an Obama-Clinton rift might be overplayed. Source: Washington Post(tags: BarackObama JohnMcCain poll race women) • A NEW ELECTORATE IN THE MAKING?, Crystal Ball, U.Va.Rhodes Cook looks at party registration trends in several key states including Virginia, Colorado and Pennsylvania. Grim reading for Republicans Source: Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball.(tags: party swingstates voterregistration)

• Jonathan Martin's Blog: Bob Dole unloads on McClellan - Politico.comBob Dole has sent a scathing e-mail to former White House press secretary Scott McClellan calling him a 'miserable creature' and an opportunist. Source: Politico(tags: BobDole ScottMcClellan WhiteHouse) • RealClearPolitics - Articles - Is Bush Becoming Irrelevant?Patrick Buchanan says that Scott McClellan must have drawn blood in his criticism of the Bush White House and that McClellan's book "is usually a sign of a failing presidency." Source: Real Clear Politics(tags: ScottMcClellan WhiteHouse)

• The great Barack Obama insurrection / Hillary was ready...