It all began when John McCain's campaign released a television ad attempting to tie his opponent Barack Obama's campaign enthusiasm to celebrities like Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears -- who don't entertain strong approval ratings by the public. The Today Show did a quick piece about the attacks where they asked the McCain campaign if these were supposed to label Obama as "frivolous and irresponsible" to which the McCain campaign responded, "Yes!"

The Obama campaign responded with an ad of its own according to the Today Show clip, and the debate could have stopped there, but it didn't.

Progressive Accountability, a project of Media Matters and the Center for American Progress Action Fund released the McCain/Brittany ad which features the two agreeing on foreign policy. (video above)

As a friend posted on Facebook late last night said, I never in a million years thought this would happen. Just a few years ago Kansas Republicans were falling all over themselves to elect or re-elect ultra conservatives like Phill Kline and Jim Ryun.

In yesterday's primary, both of those candidates fell to their more moderate republican opponents. Scott Swenson, from Reproductive Health Reality Check, says it best:

"Kline didn't just lose. He was trounced 60-40 percent. Jenkins won a very narrow victory that may be subject to recount. Kansans have spoken loud and clear and they are rejecting extremist anti-choice rhetoric. The far-right has overreached, as has the Bush Administration on so many levels, and moderate Republicans tonight claim their first real victory in Kansas, with similar national implications, since Nancy Kassebaum was elected as the first woman to win a U.S. Senate seat in her own right, in 1978."

A staffer on Capitol Hill once told me that working in the US Congress was a lot like summer camp. People who are leading our country eat junk food, live in fraternity style housing, and have summer recess.

For the members and staffers of the US Congress, August means spending much needed time off to in their districts and with their families.

For DC staffers, August means a full month with no pressing legislation, research, and no members of congress to staff. Hill staffers will tell you that they get much more work done when their member is not in the office.

The week leading up to August 1 was filled with late night sessions and arguments on the House floor. There was work left to finish, but everyone wanted to go home. Members looked forward to their flights and trains out of DC with an anticipation you're more likely to see in the eyes of their grandchildren.

But one bill was left over. A complicated and controversial Energy Bill. Republicans want to open up new drilling areas, Democrats don't. Republicans say it will reduce our gas prices over the next 10 years, while Democrats say it will take 10 years to get enough oil and only last us a few years and instead Democrats think they should focus on alternative fuels.

At a time when organizations across the country are focused on increasing voter registration, the lobbying and advocacy organization Student Association for Voter Empowerment (SAVE) has worked to make sure that when those newly registered voters go to the polls, their votes will count.

On July 25, SAVE held a jam-packed forum to discuss the representation of young people in the media. The forum, called Asserting the Youth Voice, had a panel that included Thomas Friedman, author of the best selling book The World Is Flat; Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent for The News Hour With Jim Lehrer; U.S. Congressman Joe Scarborough; Newsweek editor Eleanor Clift, and former white house press secretary Mike McCurry. According to a press release for the event...

On Monday, July 14 Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo submitted evidence to the International Criminal Court that could lead to international sanctions against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

CNN reports:

...would make al-Bashir the first sitting president to be indicted by the ICC for genocide.

A senior official in Sudan's security apparatus Sunday called the possible prosecution a 'catastrophe,' a 'big mistake.'

"Definitely, the rebels will try to capitalize on this," the official said. "No one will talk about the peace process anymore. What do you expect the rebels to say if the president is indicted? [They] will say, 'Let us see what happens before we enter into any serious negotiations,'" the official added. "So it produces a stalemate."