Senator Obama seems to be developing into a deliberative center of gravity, as a number of massive political objects – Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki, French Prime Minister Sarkozy, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and the White House – have swung inexorably into his orbit. All these august personages, either implicitly or explicitly, embraced his 16-month timeline for withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.

 TPM Muckraker has the dirt on the Office of Professional Responsibility and Inspector General's report on the politicization of the Justice Department.

Among the stringent Bush-era requirements for employment at DOJ: "What is it about George W. Bush that makes you want to serve him?"

And let's not forget, "Why are you a Republican?"

So, Sen. McCain gave an interview with Katie Couric on the CBS Evening News last week. Pretty standard stuff, right?

Sure, except that CBS cut up the tape such that McCain appears to be answering one question, but is really answering another. And because they must have been on a roll, CBS did St. John one better and spliced in heroic still images of him visiting American troops, and footage of American soldiers in action in Iraq.

No, really. Here's video of McCain's bogus answer and the actual interview playing out together in real time, on a split screen.