MORE STORIES

• McCain visits German restaurant in Ohio

  Republican presidential candidate John McCain had his own German experience Thursday - at a restaurant in Ohio. He asserted that he was happy to devote his time this week to touring the nation's heartland.

• Poll: Latinos favor Obama by big margin

  Democrat Barack Obama has opened a big lead among Hispanic voters, winning support from the vast majority of those who had voted for rival Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic primaries, according to a poll released Thursday.

• McCain to meet with Dalai Lama

  Republican presidential candidate John McCain is scheduled to meet with the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, on Friday in Colorado.

• CAMPAIGN 2008 | DEMOCRATS

  Visiting Israel, Obama talks tough on Iran

  Tough talk on Iran dominated Barack Obama's meetings Wednesday in Israel and the West Bank, as Israeli officials amplified their enemy's threat and the Democratic presidential hopeful declared that a ``nuclear Iran would be a game-changing situation.''

• CAMPAIGN 2008 | LATIN AMERICA

  Who's best for Latin America? Both candidates have support

  Likely Republican presidential nominee John McCain seems to have the upper hand on Latin American issues, especially on trade, say prominent Latin American intellectuals and politicians who have been following the U.S. elections.

• House OKs rescue for homeowners, Freddie, Fannie

  Rescue legislation sailed through the House on Wednesday aimed at helping 400,000 strapped homeowners avoid foreclosure and preventing the collapse of troubled mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

• Obama campaign: McCain flubs on Iraq timeline

  Republican presidential candidate John McCain says Democrat Barack Obama is wrong about the Iraq war. But Obama's campaign says McCain was wrong about the war's timeline during a nationally televised interview Tuesday.

• Stretch of NY highway named for Russert

  President Bush has signed a bill honoring the late NBC newsman Tim Russert by naming a stretch of highway in New York after him.

• McCain credits Bush for drop in oil price

  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.

• Obama daughters keep hectic schedules of their own

  The rules in the Obama household for Malia and Sasha are clear-cut:

• THE MIDDLE EAST

  Obama vague on peace ideas

  Heading into a full day of meetings Wednesday with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, Barack Obama said Tuesday that if he is elected he will push for a two-state peace settlement ''from the minute I'm sworn into office,'' but added that ``it's unrealistic to expect that a U.S. president alone can suddenly snap his fingers and bring about peace in this region.''

• Bush raises money for GOP House challenger

  President Bush is hoping that this will be the year his party ousts Democratic Rep. Jim Marshall from Congress and he came to Georgia on Tuesday to pump money into the campaign of Marshall's challenger.

• Obama defends plans for direct talks with Iran

  Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama defended his proposal to negotiate with Iran Wednesday and said he would use "big sticks and big carrots" to persuade the country's leaders not to develop nuclear weapons.

• CAMPAIGN 2008

  In S. Florida, Lieberman seeks votes for McCain

  Eight years after sharing a spot on the Democratic presidential ticket, U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut returned to Florida to campaign for the other party and court Jewish and Cuban voters, who will likely play a big role in the state in November.

• CAMPAIGN 2008 | FLORIDA

  Obama leads money race in Florida

  Democrat Barack Obama outraised Republican John McCain by nearly $500,000 in Florida in June, validating his decision to rebuff limited public campaign financing for the general election.

• IRAQ

  U.S. forces out in 2 years?

  Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki took advantage of Barack Obama's internationally watched visit Monday to set a two-and-a-half-year timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.

• POLITICO

  John McCain closes in on veep

  John McCain has narrowed his vice-presidential possibilities to the point where he considered a decision this week -- but he’s likely to hold off, say sources close to the campaign.

• Obama spends less in June, saves resources

  Barack Obama's army of small-dollar donors gave his presidential campaign its biggest boost in June, contributing more than $30 million in individual sums of $200 or less.

• McCain may be zeroing in on a running mate

  Yet another town-hall meeting isn't doing the trick. Neither is dropping in on a former Republican president. So just what can John McCain do to draw attention away from his showy Democratic rival?