Vote 2008 | NewsHour with Jim Lehrer Podcast | PBS

Sen. Barack Obama, on tour in the Middle East, and Sen. John McCain, on the campaign trail in New England, continue to spar over each other's Iraq policies and understanding of the situation in Afghanistan.

Sen. Barack Obama is working on his foreign policy credentials by meeting with leaders in Iraq and Afghanistan this week. Policy advisers discuss how Obama and GOP Sen. John McCain are approaching the conflicts.

In a conversation with the NewsHour's Steve Goldbloom, senior correspondent Gwen Ifill reflects on her exclusive interview this week with Sen. Barack Obama and discusses how his campaign is shaping its Iraq policy ahead of his upcoming trip to the war zone.

Unlike in previous elections, both Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., reached out to black voters at this year's annual NAACP conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. Representatives from both parties weigh the race factor in this year's campaign.

In an interview with the NewsHour's Gwen Ifill, Sen. Barack Obama calls for the U.S. to dramatically scale down in military effort in Iraq and, instead, focus more forces on the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.

In the latest issue of the New Yorker, a cover illustration of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama and his wife satirizes some of the rumors that have swirled about the candidate. Writers Michael Eric Dyson and Eric Bates examine the media controversy.

Sen. John McCain is facing an enthusiasm gap on the campaign trail, a new Pew poll shows, while his rival, Sen. Barack Obama, faces his own challenges leading a divided party. After a campaign news update, the Pew center's Andy Kohut discusses the poll's findings.

In a conversation with the NewsHour's Steve Goldbloom, NewsHour senior correspondent Gwen Ifill discussed reports about a shakeup in John McCain's staff along with the messages voters are meant to take away from the campaign's ad strategy, including independent ads from so-called 527 groups.

A day after Iran vowed to retaliate against Israel and U.S. interests if Tehran were attacked, the country test-fired nine missiles -- posing a policy test for the presidential hopefuls. Campaign advisers mull the issue.

Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama addressed Latino leaders Tuesday as both candidates seek the support of Hispanic voters. Campaign advisers discuss the appeals to this key voting bloc and weigh the power of the Hispanic electorate in battleground states.

Sen. Barack Obama hopes to win four Western states -- Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Montana -- in November, but Sen. John McCain is campaigning hard to hold on to the GOP strongholds. Pollsters offer insight.

Sen. Barack Obama will forgo the Democratic convention floor when he accepts the Democratic nomination in August, opting instead to speak at the 75,000-seat stadium of the Denver Broncos. A reporter from the Denver Post discusses the decision.

In a conversation with the NewsHour's Steve Goldbloom on Friday, Senior NewsHour Correspondent Judy Woodruff discussed likely Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama's most recent statements on Iraq, the Democratic Party's strategy to play in all 50 states and the death of Republican Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina.

As the race between presumptive nominees Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama continues to heat up, historians look to past races to weigh the advantages and disadvantages brought to a national ticket by a vice presidential candidate.

With the economy a top campaign issue, presidential hopefuls Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama are working to shape their stances on international trade and free-trade policies. Analysts discuss the candidates' statements and the impact of trade policy shifts.

In a conversation with the NewsHour's Steve Goldbloom on Monday, Senior NewsHour Correspondent Gwen Ifill discussed how campaigns confront Internet rumors and whether patriotism is a legitimate campaign issue."

This presidential campaign is different than previous years - it's the first in which campaigns are forced to confront nearly constant Web attacks and rumors from both amateurs and organized partisans. Media experts discuss the trend.

Both presidential candidates, Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., addressed the issue of patriotism after Gen. Wesley Clark questioned McCain's qualifications. NewsHour correspondent Kwame Holman reports.

Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama campaigned with former rival Sen. Hillary Clinton at a rally Friday in Unity, N.H. and the Supreme Court issues a week of weighty decisions. Analysts Mark Shields and David Brooks examine the week's political news.

With the general election now in full swing, Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain are busy shaping their campaign strategies. David Axelrod, a top Obama adviser, discusses how his team is approaching the trail.

In a conversation with the NewsHour's Steve Goldbloom, Senior NewsHour Correspondent Gwen Ifill spoke about Sen. Barack Obama's decision to opt out of public campaign financing, Sen. John McCain's possible campaign strategies, and why voters are most concerned about the economy."

Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain took shots at each other over energy policy as they each toured Western states, hoping to drive home their message in what could be new battlegrounds this campaign season.

A new forum by the Pew foundation shows an America that is widely devout and diverse in its religious roots. It also reveals new shifts and trends in the way religion takes hold across the U.S. A senior fellow from the Pew forum discusses the group's findings.

Tensions between the presumptive presidential nominees escalated over Sen. Barack Obama's refusal of public funds and Sen. John McCain's call to lift a ban on offshore drilling. Mark Shields and David Brooks discuss the political news of the week.

The House approved a wide-ranging terror surveillance overhaul Friday. Caroline Fredrickson of the ACLU and George Terwilliger, a former deputy attorney general for the first President Bush, examine the measure.

Sen. Barack Obama said Thursday he will opt out of public financing during the general election. A legal expert and a political reporter examine how the move will impact the race and Sen. John McCain's funding options.

Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain are honing their stances on climate and energy policy, focusing on issues like the federal gas tax and offshore drilling. Advisers for each campaign examine the energy policy debate.

The laws governing marriage nationwide are a complicated state-by-state patchwork, with little or no interstate recognition. The recent ruling in California legalizing same-sex marriage adds another layer of complexity to the legal landscape. Legal experts examine these questions.

Washington, D.C.'s schools struggle to bring students up to proficiency standards while losing thousands of them to charter schools. John Merrow talks to D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee about her first year on the job.

A new report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project finds that a record-breaking 46 percent of Americans have used the Internet, e-mail or cell phone text messaging to get news about the campaigns. Analysts examine how new Web-based tools are expanding the campaign trail.