Al Gore says it will be like the challenge of landing a man on the moon.

He's calling on the United States to switch all of this country's electricity production to wind, solar and other carbon-free sources within 10 years.

Gore says our dependence on carbon-based fuels is at the core of our economic, environmental and national security crises. Here's how Gore sums up our dilemma. "We're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of that has to change."

The former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize winner says the most important policy change will be to tax carbon dioxide pollution. Gore's bipartisan group estimates the 30-year cost of his plan is between $1.5 and $3 trillion.

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When Barack Obama travels overseas to Europe and the Middle East, he won't be alone.

Obama's trip is becoming a media extravaganza. All three network anchors will join him – broadcasting their nightly newscasts from stops along his route. Also along to record Obama's every move, top political reporters from major newspapers and magazines. 200 journalists have asked to join Obama on the trip, although the campaign will only be able to accommodate about 20% of them.

Meanwhile, Republican John McCain has taken 3 foreign trips in the last 4 months, and not a single network anchor has gone on any of them. It's causing some concern among Republicans that the news media aren't giving balanced coverage.

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One of the jobs of American presidents, whether they realize it or not, is to make us laugh.

You need look no farther than George W. Bush. But if you want to look farther, there's a gold mine of yucks. Whether it's Bill Clinton with his blue dresses and cigars, Al Gore with his robotic seriousness, Ronald Reagan sleeping through cabinet meetings, or Dan Quayle trying to spell potato. And of course, President Bush's dad meeting a grocery store scanner for the first time was priceless – as was President Carter's tale of being attacked in a rowboat by a rabbit.

But what about Barack Obama?

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Barack Obama speaking at the NAACP 99th Annual Convention.

The man who could become the first black President of the United States is calling on blacks to take more responsibility for improving their own lives.

Speaking to the NAACP in Cincinnati, Obama got the most applause when he urged blacks to do more for themselves, saying:

"When we are taking care of our own stuff, then a lot of other folks are going to be interested in joining up and working with us and taking care of America's stuff… Teaching our daughters to never allow images on television to tell them what they are worth; teaching our sons to treat women with respect, and to realize responsibility does not end at conception; that what makes them a man is not the ability to have a child but to raise one.”

Obama said the problems that plague the black community aren't unique to them, but "we just have them a little worse."

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Former President Bill Clinton addresses the National Governors Association.

Former President Bill Clinton has a warning for all of us: he says this country is becoming more and more divided.

Speaking to the National Governors Association, Clinton said that even though the Democratic primary produced historic results with the final candidates being a woman, his wife, and an African-American man, he still sees a larger problem.

Clinton believes Americans are becoming more polarized as a nation. He says we're growing farther apart from each other and are "hunkering down in communities of like-mindedness, and it affects our ability to manage difference." Clinton says Americans are separating themselves by choosing to live with people they agree with.

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The Rev. Jesse Jackson apologized Wednesday for remarks about Barack Obama.

Jesse Jackson got away with calling New York "Hymietown" a few years ago, a reference to New York's Jewish population. But this time he might not be so fortunate.

Jackson saying he wanted to castrate Barack Obama for "talking down to black people" may mark the end of Jesse Jackson's relevance to anything. His comments – which were caught on an open microphone in a television studio – were in response to Obama's speeches about the responsibilities of absent black fathers.

Jackson apologized, saying he meant there are other important issues to address in the black community – like unemployment and the number of blacks in prison.

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McCain said he could balance the budget by 2013 by keeping taxes low and curbing spending.

The economy is issue number one for American voters, and that has sent both presidential candidates scrambling to describe what they'd do to fix this nation's economic problems.

John McCain is vowing to balance the budget by 2013. He says he'll do it by keeping taxes low and cutting back on spending. McCain's plan includes a one-year freeze in domestic spending, entitlement reforms and reducing the growth in Medicare spending. He also says he'll veto any bill with earmarks.

A lot of economists suggest there's no way that McCain can balance the budget in 4 years.

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Many Americans are worried that a John McCain presidency would be just like another term of George Bush.

Two thirds of Americans are concerned that McCain would pursue policies too similar to President Bush according to a new USA Today/Gallup poll. 49 percent say they are "very concerned."

This creates a real dilemma for McCain. The conservative Republican base is less than thrilled with McCain as the GOP nominee. And that's where the few remaining people who think President Bush is doing a good job reside.

McCain can't separate himself too much from Mr. Bush or conservative Republicans will tell him to take a hike. But if he doesn't separate from Bush, he's going to have trouble attracting those voters who think President Bush is the worst thing to happen to this country in a good long while. And there are lots of those.

A new Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll focuses on President Bush's disapproval rating and the unprecedented role it could play in the campaign. None of this is good news for McCain.

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John McCain's military service doesn't automatically qualify him to be president according to retired General Wesley Clark.

General Clark is a former NATO commander who backed Hillary Clinton and now supports Barack Obama. He says that performing heroic military acts is not a substitute for command experience. Clark says he honors McCain's service as a POW, and calls him a hero. He credits McCain's time on the Senate Armed Services Committee and his travel worldwide, but he points out that John McCain hasn't held executive responsibility. General Clark says, "I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.”

McCain was more than just a fighter pilot, though. After being a POW, he went on to become the commanding officer of the largest squadron in the U.S. Navy.

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Sen.Obama & Sen. Clinton in Unity, NH.

Today's rally with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in Unity, New Hampshire, was the latest in a series of staged events designed to show that all is forgiven between two former rivals for the Democratic nomination. Like a children's fairy tale… if it doesn't have a happy ending, it won't sell.

Yesterday, Clinton praised Obama in front of two major interest groups that had supported her in the primaries. And the two Democrats appeared before a group of Clinton's top donors last night. Clinton told supporters that Democrats "are a family" and Obama hailed Clinton and her backers, for their passion. Both Obama and his wife Michelle gave the maximum $2,300 to help Clinton retire her debt.

But how close-knit is this family really? The fact is each is forced to rely on the other as the general election ramps up. Obama needs Clinton to help convince her supporters to vote for him in November. And Clinton needs help in paying down her campaign debt, plus she wants to know that she'll be treated as a top surrogate throughout the campaign and at the convention.

Fine, but there are sticking points.

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Turns out John McCain doesn't work weekends…sort of.

The Politico reports that McCain has held only one public campaign event on a weekend since wrapping up the Republican nomination in February, more than 4 months ago.

McCain aides say he uses time on the weekends to return to Arizona so he can rest, work on policy and meet with aides. McCain has also hosted reporters and donors over the weekends, appeared on Saturday Night Live and visited troops in Iraq and at Walter Reed. His advisers say McCain will campaign on weekends for a lot of the summer, including a speech in Washington and a fundraiser in Kentucky both on Saturday.

Nevertheless it's a topic that raises some eyebrows, particularly because of McCain's age.

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A CNN poll show's Obama now leading McCain by 8 points.

Barack Obama is widening his lead over John McCain in early polling. A new Los Angeles Times-Bloomberg poll shows Obama topping McCain by 12 points – 49% to 37% – in a two-man race. If you include third-party candidates Ralph Nader and Bob Barr, Obama leads McCain by 15 points. A recent Newsweek poll also shows Obama up by 15.

CNN's poll of polls reflects this growing gap as well, with Obama now leading McCain by 8 points – 48% to 40%. That's double the 4-point lead Obama held in this average of polls less than two weeks ago.

Obama's lead may be due in part to his positions on domestic issues, with many voters saying he'd do a better job than McCain handling healthcare, taxes and the economy, the nation's number one issue. McCain once said he's not an expert on the economy. He continues to insist that the fundamentals of the economy are very strong.

McCain is also lagging behind when it comes to the passion of voters.

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Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and former HP CEO Carly Fiorina, suggested as two potential McCain running mates.(GETTY IMAGES)

Women who supported Hillary Clinton are suddenly the belles of the ball. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are getting ready to woo her supporters-but John McCain wants them too. Polls suggest Obama leads McCain when it comes to women, but what if McCain picked a woman as his V.P.?

The Politico takes a look at McCain's options for filling out the ticket, noting that any of these women would be a symbolic turn away from Dick Cheney, "the ultimate D.C. old-boys-club insider." Although some have suggested Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, she's repeatedly said she's not interested.

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Former Republican congressman Bob Barr is running as a Libertarian candidate for president.

Republicans have something else to worry about besides the war in Iraq, the economy and President Bush. Former Republican congressman Bob Barr is running as a Libertarian candidate for president. Some in the GOP are worried Barr's candidacy will take away conservative votes from John McCain.

They fear that the Barr factor combined with high turnout and enthusiasm among the Democratic base could spell trouble for McCain. One Republican says he doesn't think Barr would get more than 4 percent of the vote… but that might be enough in some states.

And some Democrats agree… saying that Republicans are crazy if they aren't worried about Barr - who was the first lawmaker to call for Bill Clinton's resignation over the Monica Lewinsky scandal. He also made a name for himself fighting against the loosening of drug laws and supporting gun rights. The Libertarian Party is already on the ballot in 30 states - and is aiming for the other 20.

Not everyone is worried though.

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This image is directly from Barack Obama's official website.

Barack Obama has become the first major-party candidate to opt out of public financing since Watergate.

It's no big surprise. When it comes to fund-raising, Obama is a virtual ATM machine. Candidates who take public financing get about $85 million to spend in the 2 months before the general election. But, if Obama can tap into the 1.5 million donors who contributed to him during the primaries along with Hillary Clinton's donors, some predict he could raise as much as $500 million – which would put him at a tremendous advantage over John McCain, who says he'll take public financing.

Experts say Obama could use this money to run a national ad campaign similar to marketing drives run by companies like McDonald's and Nike. He'll also be able to compete in Republican states, where the GOP rarely gets competition.

The downside for Obama is he's opened himself up to charges of hypocrisy. Last year he vowed to work with the Republican nominee to "preserve a publicly financed general election." And he's now drawing fire from both friends and foes for this change of heart.

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Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are set to appear together next week in Washington – side-by-side – for the first time since the long and sometimes nasty primary battle came to an end. It's an important moment, since some Democrats are still bitter about the way it ended.

The two will meet to try to get some of Clinton's top contributors to support Obama. Some of Clinton's supporters say that fund-raisers have complained because they don't think their concerns were being heard during meetings with the Obama camp. The donors apparently want to make sure Obama knows he needs to help Clinton pay down her campaign debt – estimated at more than $20 million – if he wants their support.

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Barack Obama has already made history in this campaign, but what if he does it one more time by picking a Republican as his V.P.?

Salon.com reports about the buzz surrounding GOP Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska as a potential choice for Obama. Hagel admittedly is a long shot for the job, just imagine the symbolism: Obama could truly hit home the message that he's serious about changing the way Washington works by running with a Republican.

And there's no better Republican for him to run with than Chuck Hagel. Hagel is retiring at the end of his term. He has been very tough on President Bush when it comes to the war in Iraq. Last year, Hagel said President Bush was "not accountable anymore" and that, "before this is over, you might see calls for his impeachment." Hagel was also recently critical of his longtime friend, John McCain… particularly some of McCain's comments about Iran – as he attacks Obama on foreign policy. Hagel said he thinks McCain "is smarter than some of the things he is saying."

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Don’t bet on John McCain being the next president… that’s the message coming from several presidential scholars.

The Politico reports these historians paint a bleak picture for the Republican candidate. They also say Barack Obama has the best chance of any Democrat perhaps since FDR beat Herbert Hoover in 1932.

The historians say it should be “an overwhelming Democratic victory,” noting McCain is facing one of the worst political environments for the party in power since World War II.

There’s also this: only twice in the 20th century did the candidate from the same party as a two-term president go on to win the White House. The last time was in 1988, when President Bush’s father replaced Ronald Reagan… but Reagan was twice as popular as the current president is now.

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The House of Representatives has voted to send an impeachment resolution against President Bush to committee – where it's likely to die.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich introduced the 35 articles of impeachment this week. Most of the resolution focuses on the Iraq war but also charges the president with illegally detaining both U.S. citizens and foreign captives, condoning torture and mishandling the response to Hurricane Katrina.

But Congress doesn't want to hear it. They voted largely along party lines – 255 to 166 – to send the resolution to the House Judiciary Committee. This is exactly what happened to Kucinich's impeachment articles against Vice President Cheney last year. Congress sent that resolution to this same committee in November. So far, no action has been taken. Congress continues to refuse to exercise its constitutional responsibility of oversight of the executive branch of government.

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Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

The Democrats and Republicans might be settled on their nominees now, but that doesn't mean Barack Obama and John McCain are the only ones in the spotlight.

Maureen Dowd writes in her New York Times column called "Mincing up Michelle" that now that HIllary Clinton is out of the race, the Republican machine can turn its full attention to demonizing Michelle Obama. "She is the new, unwilling contestant in Round Two of the sulfurous national game of "'Kill the witch.'"

There are web sites dedicated to portraying Michelle as a female version of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, a recent cover of the National Review called her "Mrs. Grievance" and one popular conservative blogger described her as "Obama's bitter half."

Michelle Obama stirred controversy last February when she said, "For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country." The campaign clarified that she meant she was proud of the participation of thousands of Americans, but it still led to accusations that she was unpatriotic.

Cindy McCain has also drawn criticism. When she first refused to release her tax returns, some said that wasn't consistent with her husband's message of openness. Mrs. McCain has also talked about her addiction to painkillers in the early 90s, and how she initially kept it secret from her husband and family.

So what is fair game when it comes to the nominees' spouses?

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