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For Those From Swing States, The Watchword Is . . . Worry DENVER, Aug. 25 -- The anxiety comes in several forms, but particularly common is the pained look, followed by the quick glance away and the lengthy pause, in the face of a simple question: How is Barack Obama doing? Obama's Family Night Out DENVER Aug. 25 -- After an emotional speech by an ailing Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the face of the Democratic Party shifted on Monday night to a new generation of leaders, as Michelle Obama opened the Democratic National Convention with a tribute to her husband and a call to the country to listen "to... Afghan Officials Detain American Boy, U.S. Says U.S. authorities said yesterday that Afghan officials have detained since mid-July an 11-year-old U.S. citizen, the son of a Pakistani woman accused of firing at Afghan and U.S. personnel there. Cheney To Visit Georgia Next Week Vice President Cheney will travel next week to war-ravaged Georgia as part of a swing through several former Soviet republics, making him the highest-level U.S. emissary to visit the country since hostilities between Russia and Georgia broke out this month, officials said yesterday. Alaskans Vote Today in Pivotal Republican Primaries DENVER, Aug. 25 -- Alaska's Republican voters go to the polls Tuesday to decide whether a pair of GOP incumbents with a combined 75 years in Congress should continue to be the dominant figures in state politics as they battle criminal investigations. Biden Son's Service In Iraq Complicates Succession Question Sen. Barack Obama's decision to name Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) as his running mate has set off intense speculation in Delaware over who would be named -- and when -- to succeed Biden in the Senate if Democrats were to win the White House in November. Obama Signaled Early That He Was Unlikely To Choose Ex-Rival MOLINE, Ill., Aug. 25 -- In a private meeting with Sen. Barack Obama after she conceded the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton made a request: that he consider her for his vice presidential running mate, but not put her through the charade of being vetted if... A Portrait of the Candidate, but Dots Left to Connect DENVER, Aug. 25 -- Democrats opened their convention here Monday night with an air of expectation and a sense of uncertainty. Biden Arrives To Acclaim, Begins Work On Campaign DENVER, Aug. 25 -- Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.) made his debut appearance in the host city of the Democratic convention Monday as he rushed to integrate himself into Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign and prepared to accept the party's vice presidential nomination Wednesday night. Majorities Again Say They Hold Favorable Impressions of Both Clintons No Joke: Jon Stewart Takes Aim At 24-Hour Cable News 'Beast' DENVER, Aug. 25 -- Jon Stewart ripped the cable news networks Monday as a "brutish, slow-witted beast" and castigated Fox News in particular as "an appendage of the Republican Party." Dean's 50-State Strategy Continues to Generate Debate DENVER, Aug. 25 -- When Howard Dean officially opened the Democratic National Convention on Monday night, he could look with satisfaction at the assembled delegates from all 50 states, knowing that many more states are in play this campaign season than were before he took over the party. The Trail MOLINE, Ill. -- Barack Obama played down expectations Monday about his convention address on Thursday, saying he expects it to be a more "workmanlike" speech than the one he gave in 2004. Officials Probe Link Between Colorado Arrests, Possible Obama Threat DENVER, Aug. 25 -- Law enforcement authorities are investigating a possible threat against Sen. Barack Obama in connection with the arrests on Sunday of three men suspected of firearms and drugs violations in the Denver suburbs. One arrest followed a dawn raid on a hotel that involved a suspect... Cindy McCain to Meet With Saakashvili on Georgia Trip SACRAMENTO, Aug. 25 -- Cindy McCain, the wife of Sen. John McCain, flew Monday evening to the Republic of Georgia, where a military confrontation with Russia over disputed territory has become an issue on the presidential campaign trail. Civil War Watch DENVER, Aug. 25 -- The Obama operation wanted Monday to be all about Michelle. Michelle Obama Addresses the Democratic National Convention OBAMA: As you might imagine, for Barack, running for President is nothing compared to that first game of basketball with my brother Craig. I can't tell you how much it means to have Craig and my mom here tonight. Like Craig, I can feel my dad looking down on us, just as I've felt his presence in ... Sen. Kennedy Delivers Remarks at the Democratic National Convention SPEAKER: SEN. EDWARD M. KENNEDY, D-MASS. [*] KENNEDY: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Caroline. My fellow Democrats, my fellow Americans, it is so wonderful to be here. (APPLAUSE) And nothing -- nothing is going to keep me away from this special gathering tonight. (APPLAUSE) I have come... Speaker Pelosi Delivers Remarks at the Democratic National Convention REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CALIF.), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Good evening, Democrats. Clinton Calls for Unity as Convention Begins DENVER, Colo. -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton issued a call for unity as the Democrats prepared to kick off their national convention this evening with a full slate of speakers who will sell Sen. Barack Obama to a national primetime audience.