A new national poll shows John McCain has now taken a five point lead over Barack Obama. Taking a look at the RealClearPolitics Electoral Map that puts toss-up states into one camp or the other based on how it is currently leaning, and McCain is winning. Last night on WBZ I talked to a number of Democrats and Independents who lean Democratic who assured me they would not vote for Obama if he did not pick Hillary Clinton as his running mate. Is it possible that the Democrats could lose this race? That great sage Michael Moore says he thinks they can, and he knows how they will do it.

Jeff Jacoby says the story about the end of white majority status here in the United States is wrong.

The National Enquirer has more salacious stuff about the John Edwards affair. If they were right about the initial story, maybe they are right about the follow-up.

Ralph Peters slams the "peace at any price" crowd. Thomas Friedman says we should have anticipated the Russian moves.

Meanwhile, the Taliban have stepped up their campaign to destabilize Afghanistan and drive the infidels out. The Taliban cannot win if we maintain our resolve to help the Afghan people who wish to enter the modern era, rather than return to barbarism. That means American troops (and French, British, Canadian and others) staying in the country as long as it takes.

Barack Obama's youngest half-brother is found living in a shack in Kenya.

Is the Russian action against Georgia encouraging the Chinese to take a harder look at a military solution to the Taiwan controversy? Perhaps, at least according to this piece in The Weekly Standard. In The Washington Post, columnist Robert Samuelson explains what he believes to be the real threat from China.