Republicans Playing Catchup Online
The Washington Post reports that the GOP is having a hard time keeping up with the online activism of the Democrats. For example, the top three Dem Presidential candidates raised $14 million online in the past quarter, while the top three Republicans raised only $6 million. The Post posits, "an underlying cause may be the nature of the Republican Party and its traditional discipline — the antithesis of the often chaotic, bottom-up, user-generated atmosphere of the Internet."

Iowa Straw Poll Is About Activists, Not Actual Votes
A new Des Moines Register poll of likely Republican Iowa caucus goers finds that 60% of them will probably not attend the Iowa Straw Poll this August in Ames, compared to only seven percent who definitely will, and 30% who probably will. Nevertheless, according to White House political director Sara Taylor, is the dedication of a campaign's activists. "You certainly couldn't use it as a scientific survey of support in the state," Taylor said "But what it shows is an ability to identify and motivate and mobilize people who support your candidate and get them to show up."

Richardson To Officially Launch Bid Today
The Associated Press reports that Bill Richardson will officially launch his bid for President today in his birthplace, Los Angeles. The AP notes the significance of Richardson's birth there: "William Blaine Richardson Jr., an American banker living in Mexico City, sent his Mexican wife to the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena to give birth to ensure there would be no questions about his child's citizenship."

Fallen Soldier's Mother Disputes Richardson's Story Of Their Conversation
The Associated Press reports that Bill Richardson is taking heat from New Mexico native De'on Miller, mother of the late Lance Cpl. Aaron Austin, who died at age 21 three years ago in Iraq. Richardson has said in campaign speeches that a conversation with Miller about insufficient compensation from the government inspired him to create a fund in Austin's name. Miller, however, says the story is bogus, and is insulted that she is said to have talked about money at her son's memorial. "I got the feeling he's trying to use us to make us sound like little Podunks or something," Miller said. "My husband makes $60,000 a year. I'm a college graduate. You know, I find it all very insulting."

McCain: Hold Cabinet Heads Accountable, Withhold Cash From Underperforming Programs
The Associated Press reports that John McCain will give a speech today in Oklahoma City, calling for cabinet members to be held responsible for the ethical standards of their departments — a not-too-subtle shot at Attorney General Alberto Gonzales — and for money to be withheld from federal programs that are not meeting their performance goals. "It is essential to our party's success, and to the nation's honor that we claim sincerely the mantle of reform," McCain will say, according to the prepared remarks.

Arizona GOP Chair Blasts Immigration Deal
The Arizona Republic reports that Randy Pullen, chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, has put out a statement blasting the immigration bill as "790 pages of new bureaucracy and window-dressing" that will not solve the problem. Pullen, who is remaining neutral in the Presidential race even as home-state Senator John McCain is among the frontrunners, also took a swipe at McCain and fellow Senator Jon Kyl: "Over the past several days, the Arizona Republican Party has had hundreds of calls and e-mails from activists, voters of all partisan persuasion ... questioning the judgment of our elected officials in Washington, D.C."

Obama Picks Up $750,000 At Two Connecticut Fundraisers
The Associated Press reports that Barack Obama raised at least $750,000 on Saturday at two fundraisers in Greenwich, Connecticut, which featured a parade of big-name Democratic donors. Hedge-fund executive Paul Tudor Jones II hosted an event that featured the likes of George Soros and Tyra Banks. Obama then headed to the Greenwich home of former New York Knick Allan Houston for another event.

Hillary Proposes Universal Pre-Kindergarten
The Associated Press reports that Hillary Clinton is unveiling a proposed $10 billion grant to provide matching funds to states for universal, voluntary pre-kindergarten. The grant would be paid for through closing tax loopholes and eliminating some Bush Administration spending programs. "There is a lot of evidence that this saves money over the long run and economists and others have validated what experts in early childhood education have told us for a long time," Clinton told NBC The Today Show.

Pelosi Critical Of Immigration Bill
The Hill reports that Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a set of objections to the new immigration bill, most notably a point system that weakens the principles of family unification, and immigrants being able to easily sponsor relatives to come over. "We're about families and family values," Pelosi said. "And having people coming and going, taking their children out of school and being separated from them — we should try to fashion something that recognizes the reality of life."

Reid Will Repeatedly Call The Senate Into Session, To Block Recess Appointments
U.S. News reports that Harry Reid has a plan to block President Bush from making recess appointments during the upcoming August vacation: Reid will call the Senate into a quick session every ten days, in order to stop the President from having a window in which he could make appointments.

GQ Profile: Webb Won By Bucking The Usual Politics
GQ has a profile of Jim Webb, with the colorful title, "The Honorable, Enraged Gentleman From Virginia." The author sums up Webb's victory as more than just a function of George Allen's implosion: "He did so by ignoring the advice of most national Democrats ... He railed against the war from the first day of his campaign, back when Senator Chuck Schumer and Congressman Rahm Emanuel, the leaders of the effort to take back Congress, were warning candidates in red states to shy away from Iraq, believing it had cost Democrats two elections in a row."

Sharpton Visiting Mormons In Salt Lake City Today
The Associated Press reports that Al Sharpton is touring Salt Lake City today, where he will meet with Mormon church leaders and tour Temple Square, in something of a mea culpa for his remarks two weeks ago, "As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyways, so don't worry about that; that's a temporary situation."