Dems rip into McCain at Obama's convention

Dems rip into McCain at Obama's convention

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., waves to the crowd as she tours the site of the Democratic National Convention in Denver Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008 in preparation for her speech to the convention this evening.

DENVER (AP) -- Democrats ripped into John McCain as indifferent to the plight of the working class and an ally of big oil on Tuesday, launching wave after wave of attacks from the podium of their national convention.

"If he's the answer, then the question must be ridiculous," New York Gov. David Paterson said of the Republican presidential candidate.

By contrast, said party elder Ted Sorensen, "we have the man we need at last to embrace the future, not the past, and to dispel eight years of pain and shame. Barack Obama is his name. Call the roll!"

Not yet.

Obama's formal nomination was set for Wednesday night. First came Hillary Rodham Clinton, his tenacious rival in a riveting battle for the nomination, who was closing out her own history-making quest for the White House.

Despite lingering unhappiness among some delegates nursing grievances over Clinton's loss, party chairman Howard Dean declared the convention determined to make Obama the nation's first black president. "There is not a unity problem. If anyone doubts that, wait till you see Hillary Clinton's speech," he said.

Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner was tapped to deliver the keynote address on the convention's second night. It was the same assignment that Obama - then an Illinois state lawmaker running for the Senate - used four years ago to launch his astonishing ascent in national politics.

Olympic champs Nadal, Dementieva win at US Open

Olympic champs Nadal, Dementieva win at US Open

Rafael Nadal, of Spain, celebrates his win over Bjorn Phau, of Germany, at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Monday, Aug. 25, 2008.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Olympic champions Rafael Nadal and Elena Dementieva showed their mettle at the U.S. Open, overcoming early challenges to win Monday in the start of what's expected to be a wide-open tournament.

Former champs Lindsay Davenport and Svetlana Kuznetsova also opened with straight-sets victories. Many of the stars like to hurry through the first round - it takes seven wins for the title, and any rest is welcome.

Playing for the first time as the world No. 1, Nadal swatted his very first shot wide against No. 136 Bjorn Phau. The Wimbledon and French Open champ was two points from dropping the first set when he surged and, despite needing to bandage a nasty blister, won 7-6 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (4).

"I didn't play with normal intensity," Nadal said. "Probably I'm a little bit tired."

Asked whether he was more worn down mentally, physically or emotionally from Beijing, he said: "I think it is a little bit of everything."

Nadal got a stiffer test from the German qualifier than many anticipated, and shook his head near the end of a match that lasted nearly 3 hours.

Dementieva looked like gold while taking the final four games to defeat Akgul Amanmuradova 6-4, 7-5. The fifth-seeded Russian was glad to win quickly and give her mind and body a break.

"It's very hard not to think about the Olympic Games," Dementieva said. "Very difficult to refocus. I mean, all my thinking is there in Beijing."

Tenth-seeded Anna Chakvetadze was the top player to lose, beaten by Ekateria Makarova 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 in a matchup of Russians.

James Blake and Jelena Jankovic led the lineup of Monday night matches.

Roger Federer, bidding for his fifth straight U.S. Open title, was scheduled to begin Tuesday, as were No. 1 Ana Ivanovic and the Williams sisters.

The final Grand Slam event of the season figured to be a scramble on both sides.

Nadal seems like the natural favorite, yet has never gone beyond the quarterfinals in five previous tries at Flushing Meadows. The 22-year-old Spanish dynamo took a while to find his rhythm against Phau, whose spirited play made him a crowd favorite.

Fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium, often quiet during early daytime sessions, cheered when Phau dived for a shot, rolled over on his back and chased a return.

The women's draw is even more tricky, now that 2007 champion Justine Henin has retired and Maria Sharapova is out with an injured shoulder.

Six different women have won the U.S. Open in the last seven years, and Dementieva is seeking her first major championship. To her, the Olympic singles title counts.

"The biggest goal for the year was Beijing," she said. "In Russia, if you stop anyone in the street and ask what is a Grand Slam, I don't think many people can tell you. But everyone knows the Olympic Games. There is nothing bigger."

During a quick stopover in Moscow to see her mom and drop off her gold medal, she found out how much the win meant.

"People just come to me and say, 'Oh, I'm happy for you. You're always losing in the final. It's so great that you finally win something big,'" she said.

Dementieva put together a workmanlike win over Amanmuradova. Her opponent from Uzbekistan served for the second set ahead 5-3, but Dementieva still had enough energy.

"I don't know what is best, to be a little bit tired but very comfortable and very positive, or to be fresh and not play in the Olympic Games," she said.

Li Na, who beat Venus Williams in Beijing, beat No. 24 Shahar Peer of Israel 2-6, 6-0, 6-1. The No. 23-seeded Davenport defeated Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada, 6-4, 6-2 and No. 3 Kuznetsova beat Zhang Shuai of China 6-4, 6-2.

No. 12 Marion Bartoli of France, No. 14 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and No. 15 Patty Schnyer of Switzerland also won.

On the men's side, fourth-seeded David Ferrer of Spain beat Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina 7-6 (1), 6-2, 6-2 and No. 6 Andy Murray of Britain beat Sergio Roitman of Argentina, 6-3, 6-4, 6-0.

Also winning were No. 7 David Nalbandian of Argentina, No. 10 Stanislas Wawrinka and No. 16 Gilles Simon of France. The No. 29-seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina lost to Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-2, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.

Dems seek peace in party as Obama convention opens

Dems seek peace in party as Obama convention opens

Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., stands at the podium as she tours the site of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Monday morning, Aug. 25, 2008. The Democratic gathering begins Monday evening.

DENVER (AP) -- Democrats opened their national convention on Monday, seeking peace in the family as they pursue victory in the fall for Barack Obama and his historic quest for the White House.

An appearance by the ailing, aging Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and a primetime speech by Obama's wife, Michelle, headlined the convention's first night.

In excerpts released in advance, the would-be first lady said she and her husband were raised with solid American values: "that you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond and you do what you say you're going to do, that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them, and even if you don't agree with them."

The convention's opening gavel fell with Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton still struggling to work out the choreography for the formal roll call of the states that will make him - a 47-year-old senator bidding to become the first black president - the party nominee.

"There is no doubt in anyone's mind that this is Barack Obama's convention," the former first lady told reporters. And yet, she said, some of her delegates "feel an obligation to the people who sent them here" and would vote for her.

As the delegates took their seats in the Pepsi Center, Obama campaigned in Iowa, the first in a string of swing states he is visiting en route to Colorado. He arranged to watch his wife's speech on television later from Kansas City, then speak briefly to the convention via a huge TV screen.

Public opinion polls made the race with Republican John McCain a close one, unexpectedly so given a widespread desire for change in an era of economic uncertainty, continuing conflict in Iraq and poor approval ratings for GOP President Bush.

Obama delivers his acceptance speech on Thursday at a football stadium, before a crowd likely to total 75,000 or more. Then he and Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, his vice presidential running mate, depart for the fall campaign.

If the opening night's convention program had a feel-good quality, not so the intensifying campaign outside the hall.

Obama shipped a new commercial that used humor to depict McCain as an extension of the Bush administration, the latest in a series of negative advertisements by both sides.

"Really can't explain the price of gas, or what has happened to the middle class," the announcer sings to the tune of Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World." With McCain and Bush appearing together on the screen, the announcer says, "Do we really want four more years of the same old tune?"

While the White House is the biggest prize of the election year, prominent Democrats expressed optimism in Associated Press interviews about major gains in the fall in races for the House and Senate.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said 70 or more House seats are competitive, the majority of them currently in Republican hands.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said fashioning a 60-seat, filibuster-proof Senate majority was a stretch. But he added that Democrats lead for five seats currently in Republican hands, and several others are competitive.

Howard Dean, the party chairman, rapped the opening gavel precisely on schedule at 3 p.m. Mountain Time - before only a smattering of delegates.

"We are ready to compete in all 50 states in November," he said, even though Obama has already written off large portions of the South and Mountain West.

Schumer and Van Hollen said only a small fraction of Clinton's delegates remained unreconciled to Obama's triumph in the bruising primaries of the winter and spring.

Perhaps so, but they were vocal about it, and officials said one of the issues under discussion was whether to permit a noisy floor demonstration by Clinton's supporters when the former first lady's name is placed in nomination on Wednesday night.

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the eldest child of the late Robert F. Kennedy and a former lieutenant governor of Maryland, said the animosity that some Clinton delegates feel toward Obama is worsening. "There's a moment that you want to enjoy your bitterness," she said, although she emphasized that she is supporting Obama.

Another Maryland delegate, Mary Boergers said she didn't care what Clinton's wishes were about whom to support on a roll call. "To try to suppress the celebration that we all want to have about her achievements is what would tear this party apart," she said.

Boergers, a lifelong Democrat, added she is unsure whether she will vote for Obama in November.

Obama told reporters that his former rival and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, "couldn't have been more clear" in their support for his candidacy.

But the sniping was impossible to miss.

"I'm getting a lot of calls and e-mails, especially from women, who are quite upset that she was not vetted (for vice president) even though senator Obama said she was on the short list," said Lanny Davis, a longtime Clinton loyalist.

All the talk about disunity was grating on some.

"To stay wallowing in all of this is not productive," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.

"So we can talk about this forever, or we can talk about how we're going to take our message to the American people, to women all across America, to see the distinctions" between Obama and McCain.

Obama's campaign set that as one of the principal goals of the convention week.

"Obama's major challenge at this convention is to focus on the middle class, to show empathy because he had to climb his way up," to demonstrate he has plans to remedy their concerns and the ability to get things done in Washington, Schumer said.

But first came the tribute to Kennedy, now 76 and battling brain cancer. After flying to Denver, he was expected to be in the hall for the video tribute, although Democrats insisted they did not know if he would speak.

Even so, his presence "gives everyone a big lift," Schumer said of the last surviving brother of the late President John F. Kennedy and a party icon across more than four decades in the Senate.

Kennedy's decision to endorse Obama in the early days of the primary campaign was a turning point, not only because it was a ceremonial passing of the torch but also because of his ability to serve as a political reference of sorts for Hispanics, union workers and others.

Obama's wife, accompanied by their two children, made a midmorning visit to the convention hall to familiarize herself with the podium.

The campaign said her speech would present a personal view of her husband, and "talk about their life together, and building a family grounded in faith and values."

The Boondocks at Phila. Front Page News

The Boondocks at Phila. Front Page News

US Navy warship sails into Georgia with aid

US Navy warship sails into Georgia with aid

Russian armored vehicles enter the Roki tunnel, moving toward the border with Russia's North Ossetia, 70 km (43 miles) north of Tskhinvali, the Georgian breakaway province of South Ossetia's capital, on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008. Russia pulled the bulk of its troops and tanks from Georgia on Friday after a brief but intense war but built up its forces in and around two separatist regions and left other positions deeper in the former Soviet republic.

ABOARD THE U.S.S. MCFAUL (AP) -- A U.S. Navy warship carrying humanitarian aid anchored at the Georgian port of Batumi on Sunday, sending a strong signal of support to an embattled ally as Russian forces built up around two separatist regions.

Ahead of the USS McFaul's arrival, a top Russian general suggested that the presence of U.S. and other NATO ships in the Black Sea would worsen tensions already at a post-Cold War low.

Russia pulled the bulk of its troops and tanks from its small southern neighbor Friday after a brief but intense war, but built up its forces in and around two separatist regions - South Ossetia and Abkhazia - and left other military posts deep inside Georgia.

In central Georgia, an oil train exploded and caught fire, sending plumes of black smoke into the air. A Georgian official said the train hit a land mine and blamed the explosion on departing Russian forces. The Russian Defense Ministry declined to comment.

The guided missile destroyer USS McFaul, loaded with some 80 pallets containing about 55 tons of humanitarian aid, is the first of five American ships scheduled to arrive this week, according to the U.S. Embassy. The aid includes baby food, diapers, bottled water, and milk.

The much-needed aid and the damaged train were a stark reminder that it will take substantial aid and many months of rebuilding before Georgia can recover from the war with Russia. Five days of fighting damaged cities and towns across the country and displaced tens of thousands of Georgians.

The commander of the five-ship U.S. task force, Navy Capt. John Moore, downplayed the significance of a destroyer bringing aid. "We really are here on a humanitarian mission," he said.

The McFaul, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, is also outfitted with an array of weaponry, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, which can carry either conventional or nuclear warheads, and a sophisticated radar system. For security reasons the Navy does not say if ships are carrying nuclear weapons, but they usually do not.

At dockside in Batumi, with the McFaul anchored offshore, U.S. Navy officials in crisp white uniforms were met Sunday by Georgian officials, including Defense Minister David Kezerashvili.

Speaking to The Associated Press on the aft missile deck of the McFaul, anchored a mile offshore, Kezerashvili said Georgians would feel safer now.

"They will feel safe not because the destroyer is here but because they will feel they are not alone facing the Russian aggression," he said.

The deputy chief of Russia's general staff suggested that the arrival of the ship and those of other NATO members would increase tensions in the Black Sea. Russia shares the sea with NATO members Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria as well as Georgia and Ukraine, whose pro-Western president also is leading a drive for NATO membership.

"I don't think such a buildup will foster the stabilization of the atmosphere in the region," Russia's ITAR-Tass news agency quoted Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn as saying Saturday.

The conflict between Russia and Georgia, a small ex-Soviet republic whose pro-Western leaders have tried to shed Moscow's influence and sought NATO membership, has strained Russian-U.S. relations.

Georgia straddles a key westward route for oil from Azerbaijan and other Caspian Sea nations including Kazakhstan, giving it added strategic importance as the U.S. and the European Union seek to decrease Russia's dominance of oil and gas exports from the former Soviet Union.

The director of Georgia's railways, Irakli Ezugbaia said the train that exploded on Sunday was carrying crude oil from Kazakhstan to a Georgian Black Sea port.

An Associated Press reporter saw 12 derailed tanker cars, some askew on the railway line and others flipped onto their sides. Firefighters hosed down the wreckage.

Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said the train hit a mine, as did the country's railway director. Utiashvili said there were no casualties, but the blast had also set off explosions at an abandoned munitions dump nearby.

Utiashvili blamed the explosion on the Russians. Georgian officials say Russian forces have sabotaged infrastructure to weaken Georgia, and accused them of blowing up a train bridge last week.

Ezugbaia said other mines were found on the tracks, and Georgian forces removed a large artillery shell that was jammed under the tracks and covered with stones.

Hundreds of Georgians flocked back to Gori on Saturday, one day after the Russians withdrew, to begin rebuilding their lives. Their homecoming was laced with despair, disbelief and anger.

"Barbarians, that's what they are. They kill innocent people here ... how many kilometers outside the battlefield? They bombed all over Georgia," Zurab Gvarientashvili, a 31-year-old engineer, said as he viewed his apartment, destroyed by a Russian bomb.

Gori is 20 miles south of the capital of the separatist region South Ossetia, where Georgian forces launched an assault on Aug. 7, sparking the war and an international crisis.

South Ossetian officials accused Georgia on Sunday of building up military forces along the edge of South Ossetia and claimed a Georgian unit fired sporadically at villages overnight. There were no reports of casualties, but South Ossetian spokeswoman Irina Gagloyeva said residents were asking to be evacuated.

Georgian Security Council chief Alexander Lomaia denied that Georgian forces had fired any shots but said Russian forces were obligated to leave positions in the area, which is in Georgia.

Lomaia also said Russian forces were still holding 12 of 22 Georgian servicemen taken prisoner in Poti last week.

Next to one bomb crater in Gori, Merdiko Peredze's goats grazed on burnt grass.

Peredze said he was refugee twice over - once after fleeing his home amid fighting in the early 1990s in Abkhazia and now again, with his house in Gori in tatters.

"I'm an old man but I will return to Abkhazia," he vowed. "Russian, Georgians, Ossetians - we should all be living in peace together, like we did under Stalin."

Mixed legacy likely as China's Olympics conclude

Mixed legacy likely as China's Olympics conclude

Fireworks explodes over the National Stadium during the closing ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Olympics in Beijing, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008.

BEIJING (AP) -- With help from British star power, China concluded its debut as Olympic host Sunday after 16 days of near-flawless logistics and superlative athletic achievement - coexisting awkwardly with the government's wariness of dissent and free speech.

A spectacular closing ceremony opened with torrents of fireworks and included a pulsating show-within-a-show by London, host of the 2012 Games. From a stage formed from a red double-decker bus, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page played classic rock hit "Whole Lotta Love" and soccer icon David Beckham booted a ball into the surrounding throng of athletes on the stadium floor.

Then more lyrical music returned, and the Olympic flame atop the stadium was extinguished.

To a large extent, China, an emergent superpower, got what it had craved from these long-sought games: a dominant effort by its athletes to top the gold-medal standings for the first time and almost glitch-free organizing that showcased world-class venues and cheerful volunteers to the largest-ever peaceful influx of foreign visitors.

As a bonus, not just one but two athletes gave arguably the greatest performances in Olympic history - Michael Phelps with his eight gold medals in swimming, Jamaica's ebullient Usain Bolt with three golds and three world records in the sprints.

The International Olympic Committee, whose selection of Beijing as host back in 2001 was widely questioned, insisted its choice had been vindicated.

"Tonight, we come to the end of 16 glorious days which we will cherish forever," IOC President Jacques Rogge told the capacity crowd of 91,000 at the National Outdoor Stadium, and a global TV audience. "Through these Games, the world learned more about China, and China learned more about the world."

"These were truly exceptional games," he said, before declaring them formally closed.

The head of the Beijing organzing committee, Liu Qi, said the games were "testimony to the fact that the world has rested its trust in China." He called them "a grand celebration of sport, of peace and friendship."

Rogge and the IOC were criticized by human rights groups for their reluctance to publicly challenge the Chinese as various controversies arose over press freedom and detention of dissidents. Athletes shied away from making political statements, and "protest zones" established in Beijing went unused as the authorities refused to issue permits for them.

But the atmosphere was festive at the stadium as fireworks burst from its top rim - and from locations across Beijing - to begin the closing ceremony.

After an army band played the Chinese national anthem, hundreds of gayly dressed dancers, acrobats and drummers swirled onto the field, then made room for the athletes, strolling in casually and exuberantly from four different entrances.

China invested more than $40 billion in the games, which it viewed as a chance to show the world its dramatic economic progress. Olympic telecasts achieved record ratings in China and the United States, and the games' presence online was by far the most extensive ever.

Rogge said these Olympics would leave a lasting, positive legacy for China - improved transportation infrastructure, more grass-roots interest in recreational sports, a more aggressive approach to curbing air pollution and other environmental problems. Smog that enveloped the city early in the games gave way to mostly clear skies, easing fears that some endurance events might be hazardous for the athletes.

American rower Jennifer Kaido of West Leyden, N.Y., said the games exceeded her expectations.

"We were prepared for smog, pollution, demonstrations, but everything has gone very smoothly," she said.

Rogge acknowledged that China, despite promises of press freedom during the games, continued to block access to numerous politically oriented Web sites, including those related to Tibet and the outlawed spiritual movement Falun Gong.

However, he contended that media restrictions were looser during the Olympics than beforehand, "and so we believe the games had a good influence."

Human rights groups disagreed.

"The reality is that the Chinese government's hosting of the games has been a catalyst for abuses, leading to massive forced evictions, a surge in the arrest, detention and harassment of critics, repeated violations of media freedom, and increased political repression," said Sophie Richardson of Human Rights Watch. "Not a single world leader who attended the games or members of the IOC seized the opportunity to challenge the Chinese government's behavior in any meaningful way."

Led by Phelps and Bolt, athletes broke 43 world records and 132 Olympic records during the games. Yet Rogge, who visited every venue, said the most touching moment for him came after the 10-meter air pistol event, when gold medalist Nino Salukvadze of Georgia embraced runner-up Natalia Paderina of Russia even as their two countries' armies fought back in Georgia.

"That kind of sportsmanship is really remarkable," Rogge said.

Obama, McCain camps spar over Democrats' VP pick

Obama, McCain camps spar over Democrats' VP pick

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, talks with Pastor John Kerr, and Associate Pastor Jennifer Elmquist outside the First Lutheran Church before attending a service in Eau Claire, Wis., Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008.

DENVER (AP) -- John McCain's campaign said Sunday that rival Barack Obama snubbed Hillary Rodham Clinton as a running mate because of her criticism of the Democratic presidential candidate, a claim the Obama campaign immediately dismissed.

A new McCain ad, the second since Obama revealed his choice of fellow Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware on Saturday, challenges Obama's motives in passing over his former top rival and settling on Biden, who dropped out of the presidential contest after a poor showing in Iowa, the first contest. Chief Obama strategist David Axelrod insisted Biden was "a better fit."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Biden offered "the full package." She said he "has challenged the status quo. And he's even criticized Senator Obama, so it's a tribute to Senator Obama that he's not just choosing a yes man but a person who will speak what he believes."

Fresh from announcing his running mate, Obama was resuming pre-convention campaigning with a scheduled stop in Wisconsin in the run-up to accepting the Democratic nomination for president. He was also campaigning in Iowa, Missouri and Montana before the nomination becomes his Thursday in Denver.

Also Sunday, the party's credentials committee was poised to restore full voting rights at the convention to delegates from Florida and Michigan, initially stripped of all delegates for holding their primaries too early. With his nomination assured, Obama sought the show of unity to shore up support in those two important states.

Since Biden's selection, the McCain campaign has come out with two campaign ads addressing the Democratic candidate's choice of a running mate.

The latest ad, released by the campaign early Sunday, features clips of Clinton during the primary battle saying critical things about Obama, including, "Senator Obama's campaign has become increasingly negative."

A voiceover announcer says, "She won millions of votes but isn't on the ticket. Why? For speaking the truth."

Axelrod said Obama "has a high regard for Senator Clinton. She's going to be an important voice in this campaign, she's going to be an important voice in moving this country forward in the next administration. But he felt Senator Biden would be the best fit for him at this time."

In addition to Biden's long resume, including his chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, "he's an independent guy who will tell the president what he needs to know even if he doesn't want to hear it," Axelrod said.

Caroline Kennedy, a member of Obama's search team, said "Joe Biden was absolutely the best" of the choices under review. She declined to say whether Clinton was screened, but called her a "tremendous groundbreaking figure. Everyone admires her greatly. He is going to need her in the Senate."

Two potential swing-state governors - Virginia's Tim Kaine and Colorado's Bill Ritter - welcomed Biden's selection.

Kaine, who had been on Obama's short list for a running mate, said Obama and Biden were "a good team personality-wise. They complement each other well. I think you're going to see them really enjoying being out on the trail together."

Ritter said Obama and Biden together would help the ticket, particularly with independent voters in the West.

Biden returned to Delaware after their first joint appearance Saturday in Springfield, Ill., where Obama had begun his campaign in February 2007. Obama headed to Eau Claire, Wis., a city of 65,000 about 85 miles east of St. Paul, Minn., site of the Republican convention next month. He was expected to discuss ways to stimulate the economy and help middle-class families.

Biden attended church near his home in Greenville, Del. He left the service without commenting to reporters. Obama was attending church in Eau Claire.

McCain, who had no public schedule Sunday, told CBS News that Biden was a "wise selection" who will be formidable. But the Arizona senator was critical of the Obama-Biden ticket on foreign policy, citing disagreements with Biden's decision to vote against the first Gulf War as well as his position that Iraq should be divided "into three different countries."

McCain, who has not announced his running mate, holds a 2-1 lead over Obama as more knowledgeable on world affairs and as better suited to be commander in chief, according to an ABC News-Washington Post poll released Sunday. The same poll, which gave Obama a slight 49 percent to 43 percent lead overall, found that three-fourths said the addition of Biden would make no difference in their vote, while the remainder were evenly split on whether it would make them more or less likely to vote for Obama.

Axelrod spoke on ABC's "This Week" while Kaine and Ritter appeared on "Fox News Sunday.

US hoops back on top, beats Spain for gold medal

US hoops back on top, beats Spain for gold medal

Team USA's Tayshaun Prince, left, Carmelo Anthony, center, and Kobe Bryant show off their gold medals following their win over Spain in the gold medal basketball game at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008.

BEIJING (AP) -- Order is restored in international basketball. The United States is back on top, but not by that much anymore. Culminating a three-year mission to end years of embarrassment, the U.S. Olympic team survived a huge challenge from Spain, winning 118-107 Sunday in the gold-medal game.

After overwhelming everyone for seven games, the Americans led by only four points with under 2 1/2 minutes to play. Then the U.S. proved it could handle a close game that seemed would never come in Beijing.

Their prize: the first U.S. gold medal since the 2000 Olympics.

"Much respect to Spain, but the U.S. is back on top again," LeBron James said.

Argentina won the bronze with an 87-75 victory against Lithuania.

Dwyane Wade scored 27 points for the Americans, who found a much gamer Spanish team than the one it humiliated by 37 points earlier in the tournament. Kobe Bryant added 20 points.

In a game so devoid of defense that it felt more like an NBA All-Star game than one with a title at stake, the Americans had too much offense down the stretch. Bryant converted a clutch four-point play with 3:10 remaining, holding his finger to his lips to quiet the rowdy Spanish crowd behind the basket.

Wade added another 3-pointer that made it 111-104 with just over 2 minutes left, and only then could the Americans relax a little.

They began to celebrate during a break after some technical fouls on Spain with 26 seconds left, then partied at midcourt when it was over with "Born in the USA" blaring over the arena's speakers.

"We played with great character in one of the great games in international basketball history, I think," U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

Nobody else had been close to the Americans in Beijing. This team's only Olympic competition had been history, in a Dream matchup with guys named Jordan, Magic, Bird and the rest of the U.S. team that dominated the Barcelona Games in 1992.

Forget comparisons to those guys. The Americans were lucky to be better than Spain on Sunday.

Rudy Fernandez scored 22 points and Pau Gasol had 21 for the Spanish, the reigning world champions who were hoping to win their first Olympic gold.

U.S. players appreciated the game Spain gave them. After the contest they hugged the Spanish players. Bryant had an especially long embrace for Gasol, patting his Los Angeles Lakers teammate on the back.

"They did what they were supposed to do," Gasol said. "We fought hard all the way."

Seeming to appreciate the moment, after congratulating Spain, the team joined in a circle, jumping up and down at center court and waving triumphantly to the crowd as Krzyzewski applauded on the sidelines.

The Americans had won their first seven games by 30.3 points, including a 119-82 rout of Spain. But they never had control of this game, giving up open looks from the perimeter and plenty of points in the paint.

But Bryant, who waited so long to finally wear the red, white and blue, hit two 3-pointers in a big fourth quarter to add the gold medal to the only piece of hoops hardware he didn't already own. The NBA MVP pounded his hands toward the floor in celebration at the end.

James scored 14 points, while Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul had 13 apiece for the Americans, who had won bronze medals in their last two international events, the 2004 Olympics and '06 world championships.

The U.S. started planning for this game after that first event, the low point in its hoops history, following a sixth-place flop two years earlier in the world championships. Jerry Colangelo was given control of USA Basketball and constructed a national team program in 2006, requiring those who wanted to play to commit to three years.

He got Bryant and James quickly on board and landed almost everyone else he asked for, finding a group of NBA stars eager to give up their summer to get back what they felt belonged to their country.

And he needed all of them against a Spain team that on this day would have likely beaten any other recent U.S. squad.

Jason Kidd ran his record to 56-0 in senior international play and collected another gold to place alongside the one he earned in 2000, becoming the 13th U.S. player with multiple golds.

That elite list, which includes Michael Jordan and seven other Dream Teamers, could grow in 2012. Paul and Dwight Howard said they would be in London if asked, and perhaps half this team could join them.

James ran out for pregame warmups with his finger in the air, already believing the U.S. was No. 1. But even though the Americans were shooting better than 70 percent for most of the first half, it would take a long time to prove it.

James and Bryant were both on the bench after picking up two fouls in the first 3 1/2 minutes, and though Wade came in and picked up their scoring load, the U.S. reserves couldn't open their usual cushion.

Spain hit seven of its first nine shots, leading for much of the first quarter. A quick burst of 10 points by James and Wade had the U.S. advantage up to 14 points with 4 minutes left in the half, but Spain chipped away and trailed only 69-61 at the break.

Spain was within four on a number of occasions in the third, and Fernandez's 3-pointer cut it down to 91-89 with 8:13 remaining. Bryant answered with a bucket, later added a 3, and things seemed safe when James scored to make it 103-92.

Spain made one last push to close within 108-104 on Carlos Jimenez's 3-pointer, but Wade hit one on the other end, and the final score became lopsided when the Americans hit a bunch of free throws after the Spanish became frustrated and were called for the technicals.

US women's basketball wins fourth straight gold

US women's basketball wins fourth straight gold

USA player from left, Candace Parker, Lisa Leslie and DeLisha Milton-Jones pose with their medal after winning against Australia in women's basketball at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008.

BEIJING (AP) -- Lisa Leslie and the U.S. women's basketball team were once again too good for Australia at the Olympics.

Leslie capped off her illustrious Olympic career with a fourth straight gold medal scoring 14 points in a 92-65 victory against Australia on Saturday night. She joined former teammate Teresa Edwards as the only basketball players ever to win four gold medals.

"It's a blessing for me to be out on this floor, now participating in my fourth Olympics and walking away with a fourth gold medal," Leslie said.

Russia took the bronze medal beating host China 94-81 as Becky Hammon scored 22 points.

The Aussies have now lost to the Americans in the gold medal game in the past three Olympics with all three defeats coming by double-digit margins.

Australia figured this was its best shot to beat the Americans as Penny Taylor and Erin Phillips missed the first half of the WNBA season so that they could train for the Beijing Games. Lauren Jackson left the Seattle Storm two weeks before the Olympic break so she could join her teammates.

Even with their extra training and Taylor returning to the starting lineup after missing the semifinals with a sprained right ankle, the Australians just couldn't match the Americans' depth.

"We've said from day one that top to bottom we are a deep team," said Kara Lawson, who led the U.S. with 15 points. "We just send wave after wave of players at you."

She was 5-for-5 from the field and helped the American reserves outscore Australia's 59-11.

"We weren't going to be the team to let Lisa lose," said Parker, who added 14 points. "We wouldn't let her Olympic career end that way."

Trailing 13-10 late in the first quarter, U.S. coach Anne Donovan inserted her second unit, led by Lawson. Once again, the bench delivered just as it had throughout the Olympics with Lawson scoring the first six points of a 12-2 run to close the quarter as the U.S. took a 22-15 lead.

Then Parker, who has had a relatively quiet Olympics averaging only 8.7 points, took over. She scored eight of the Americans' 10 points to open the second quarter, including two three-point plays. On her second, the 6-foot-4 forward took the ball from the top of the key, dribbled through her legs and drove to the basket for a layup - a play that thrilled the U.S. men's basketball players in the stands and brought a standing ovation from LeBron James.

Lawson closed the half with five straight points to give the U.S. a 47-30 lead, capping the Americans' most impressive half in Beijing. The U.S. shot 63 percent (19-for-30) and held the Aussies to just 22 percent (8-for-37).

Jackson tried her best to rally Australia in the third quarter, but the Aussies could get no closer than 12 in the second half. Jackson finished with a game-high 20 points to lead Australia.

"You can't shoot less than 40 percent and expect to win gold medals," said Australia coach Jan Stirling after her team shot 19-for-76 (25 percent) from the field.

Leslie ended her Olympic career by fouling out with 6:33 left in the game. She left to a loud ovation from the crowd and hugged her teammates.

The U.S. has won 33 straight games in the Olympics with the last loss coming to the Unified team in the semifinals of the 1992 Barcelona Games.

New Orleans repeating deadly levee mistakes

New Orleans repeating deadly levee mistakes

Geneva Stanford, a 76-year-old health care worker, says she is glad to be home as she talks in front of her house in the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans Monday, Aug. 4, 2008. Her home is approximately 200 feet from a rebuilt floodwall that Hurricane Katrina broke.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Signs are emerging that history is repeating itself in the Big Easy, still healing from Katrina: People have forgotten a lesson from four decades ago and believe once again that the federal government is constructing a levee system they can prosper behind.

In a yearlong review of levee work here, The Associated Press has tracked a pattern of public misperception, political jockeying and legal fighting, along with economic and engineering miscalculations since Katrina, that threaten to make New Orleans the scene of another devastating flood.

Dozens of interviews with engineers, historians, policymakers and flood zone residents confirmed many have not learned from public policy mistakes made after Hurricane Betsy in 1965, which set the stage for Katrina; many mistakes are being repeated.

"People forget, but they cannot afford to forget," said Windell Curole, a Louisiana hurricane and levee expert. "If you believe you can't flood, that's when you increase the risk of flooding. In New Orleans, I don't think they talk about the risk."

Tyrone Marshall, a 48-year-old bread vendor, is one person who doesn't believe he's going to flood again.

"They've heightened the levees. They're raised up. It makes me feel safe," he said as he toiled outside his home in hard-hit Gentilly, a formerly flooded property refashioned into a California-style bungalow.

Geneva Stanford, a 76-year-old health care worker, is a believer, too. She lives in a trim and tidy prefabricated house in the Lower 9th Ward, 200 feet from a rebuilt floodwall that Katrina broke.

"This wall here wasn't there when we had the flood," Stanford said, radiant in a bright kanga-style dress. "When I look at it now, I say maybe if we had had it up it there then, maybe we wouldn't have flooded."

They're not alone. A recent University of New Orleans survey of residents found concern about levee safety was dropping off the list of top worries, replaced by crime, incompetent leadership and corruption.

This sense of security, though, may be dangerously naive.

For the foreseeable future, New Orleans will be protected by levees unable to protect against another storm like Katrina.

When and if the Army Corps of Engineers finishes $14.8 billion in post-Katrina work, the city will have limited protection - what are defined as 100-year levees.

This does not mean they'd stand up to storms for a century. Under the 100-year standard, in fact, experts say that every house being rebuilt in New Orleans has a 26 percent chance of being flooded again over a 30-year mortgage; and every child born in New Orleans would have nearly a 60 percent chance of seeing a major flood in his or her life.

"It's not exactly great protection," said John Barry, the author of "Rising Tide," a book New Orleans college students read to learn about the corps' efforts to tame the Mississippi.

As a rule, any levee building makes people feel good in this unsettling landscape where the Gulf of Mexico can be seen gleaming from the top floors of skyscrapers and where the ubiquitous dynamics of a sinking and eroding river delta ripple through every aspect of life.

Levees tend to get built after devastating hurricanes: It's happening now and it happened after Betsy struck and flooded much of the same low ground that Katrina invaded.

"We did go in and did a whole bunch of levee work right after Betsy," said Philip Ciaccio, a New Orleans appellate judge and longtime former politician from eastern New Orleans, a reclaimed swamp transformed into the Big Easy's version of the American suburban dream.

Between Betsy and Katrina, about 22,000 homes were constructed in eastern New Orleans out of an abundance of confidence.

"We were under the illusion that what we had done would prevent another Betsy from flooding the area," Ciaccio said. "Hopefully the experts know what they're doing this time."

The corps says its work is making the city safer, but there are serious doubts.

At every step in the scramble to correct the engineering breakdowns of Katrina, independent experts have questioned the ability of the corps, an agency that has accumulated ever more power over the fate of New Orleans, to do the right job.

On the road to recovery, the agency has installed faulty drainage pumps, used outdated measurements, issued incorrect data, unearthed critical flaws, made conflicting statements about flood risk and flunked reviews by the National Research Council.

At the same time, the corps has run into funding problems, lawsuits, a tangle of local interests and engineering difficulties - all of which has led to delays in getting the promised work done.

An initial September 2010 target to complete the $14.8 billion in post-Katrina work has slipped to mid-2011. Then last September, an Army audit found 84 percent of work behind schedule because of engineering complexities, environmental provisos and real estate transactions. The report added that costs would likely soar.

A more recent analysis shows the start of 84 of 156 projects was delayed - 15 of them by six months or more. Meanwhile, a critical analysis of what it would take to build even stronger protection - 500-year-type levees - was supposed to be done last December but remains unfinished.

Another opportunity for setbacks: The corps says it will need more than 100 million cubic yards of clay and dirt to build up levees - enough to fill the Louisiana Superdome 20 times.

Also on the corps' drawing board are gigantic pumps capable of pushing more than 20,000 cubic feet of water per second. For comparison, the biggest pumps in New Orleans move about 6,000 cfs every second and they're among the most impressive in the nation.

That's not all: The corps has awarded The Shaw Group a $695 million contract to build a massive barrier against storm surge in the Industrial Canal. It's touted as one of the biggest public works projects ever performed by the agency.

Publicly, the corps says the work is on budget and will be done by 2011.

"The progress I see each time I visit is really remarkable. The region has a better hurricane and storm damage reduction system in place than ever before in its history - and it will continue to get better," Lt. Gen. Robert Van Antwerp, the corps chief, wrote on his blog in April.

Al Naomi, a corps branch chief who's worked for the past 37 years in New Orleans, said he was upbeat because Congress has shown a willingness to fund the work. In addition, he said, enough elements are coming together to make him "cautiously optimistic" the work will stay on track.

"We are in pretty good shape financially to do quite a bit of work in this area," he said.

Doubts, though, weigh on those familiar with the game plan.

"It's almost one of those proverbial `you can't get there from where we are' situations," said Gerald Spohrer, executive director of the West Jefferson levee district. The deadline, he said, is "overly optimistic."

The trouble so far stirs up bad memories: Of the four decades of excruciatingly slow levee building after Betsy.

Betsy was eerily similar to Katrina. The levees broke. Water reached roof tops and people clung to trees for survival. A flotilla of rescuers worked for days in lingering floodwaters.

In Betsy's aftermath, President Lyndon B. Johnson - like President Bush - pledged to rebuild New Orleans and make it safe from hurricanes. Little more than a month after the storm, Congress gave the corps $85 million to build a Category 3 hurricane levee system.

By 1976, though, the Government Accountability Office found the completion date for the work had slipped 13 years, from 1978 to 1991. Costs had soared to $352 million. By 1982, the GAO found that the project's cost had increased to $757 million and the agency said the work would not get done by 2008.

Katrina's storm surge laid bare the incomplete and inadequate work.

What happened? By 1968, a Congress worn down by the Vietnam war and economic turmoil began reining in spending; at the same time, the work met resistance from Louisiana politicians, communities, environmentalists and businesses fighting for individual interests.

For example, the corps scrapped a plan in the 1970s to build a floodgate at the entrance to Lake Pontchartrain out of concern that it would impede boats and marine life. Next, the alternate plan to build gates at the mouths of city drainage canals was rejected. Finally, the corps built floodwalls on the canals - and they broke during Katrina.

Can this sort of history repeat itself?

"All the human instincts post-Katrina are the same (as) post-Betsy," said Oliver Houck, a natural resources law professor at Tulane University and longtime New Orleans resident who participated in many of the fights since Betsy.

Some present-day examples of those instincts:

- Politicians have pushed for development in wetlands, undercut flood protection efforts with legislation and balked at paying for levee work.

- Environmentalists have pushed for wetlands-sensitive policies that arguably could add millions of dollars in costs.

- Residents have filed lawsuits to stop the corps from removing trees the agency says pose a risk to levees and sued the corps over the Katrina levee breaches.

- Policymakers are encouraging development in risky areas.

Ameliorating that last instinct is the business of Joe Sullivan, the 82-year-old city engineer who's overseen the New Orleans drainage and water department for nearly a half century.

"We keep building in holes, and contractors keep trying to move in and take advantage of a situation: They come in with a bunch of contractors, sell off property in low places, take their money and run," Sullivan said.

He runs his finger across a city drainage map. On it, green indicates low-lying terrain, and green is everywhere.

"You see that green spot up there? That's below sea level, well below sea level," he said. "There's some people going to have dinner tonight out there in New Orleans east, they're walking on the floor inside their house at 13 feet below sea level."

Naomi, the Corps of Engineers veteran, said his agency was candid about telling people the risk they face.

"We're in the job of risk reduction, not risk elimination," he said. "Strictly relying on levees alone should not give anyone the impression they are risk free. I think that would be a horrible mistake to make."

Three years since Katrina killed more than 1,600 people and destroyed a way of life here, New Orleans is trying to reclaim a past taken away from it.

And there are some promising signs.

Streetcars are swaying on St. Charles Avenue again. Coteries of old men have reappeared, swapping stories in the shade. There are plans for new parks, schools and theaters.

But the past remains prologue in another sense, too: This majestic city is still perilously at the mercy of the next hurricane.

"What we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history," said Tim Doody, the president of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East, a consolidated regional levee board created after Katrina to improve levee protection.

"What happened after Betsy? Katrina," Doody said. "And what's going to happen after Katrina? Pick a name and put it on it and it's going to happen again unless we pull together to make sure."

Biden pick draws Democratic praise, GOP criticism

Biden pick draws Democratic praise, GOP criticism

Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, Barack Obama's pick for the Democratic ticket's vice presidential candidate, and his wife, Jill, right, greet supporters as they depart their home, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008, in Greenville, Del., to join Obama for a rally in Illinois.

CHICAGO (AP) -- Democrats quickly coalesced around Sen. Joe Biden as Barack Obama's running mate on Saturday while Republicans recycled the Delaware lawmaker's less-than-favorable past descriptions of his new political benefactor.

As the newly minted ticket readied for its first joint appearance, in Springfield, Ill., former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton called Biden "an exceptionally strong, experienced leader and devoted public servant." Clinton, Obama's most persistent rival through the primaries and the caucuses, was an also-ran in Obama's vice presidential search.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the Obama-Biden ticket will bring the change the country needs, including a filibuster-proof Senate majority.

The Democratic National Convention opens on Monday in Denver and will formally anoint Obama as the party's presidential nominee later in the week.

Biden's approval as running mate is likewise assured, his selection an attempt by Obama to balance the ticket with a seasoned senator, widely regarded for his foreign policy expertise.

Sen. John McCain, Obama's Republican rival in the race for the White House, called Biden, his longtime Senate colleague and friend, to congratulate him.

But McCain's campaign wasted no time trying to turn the selection to its own purposes.

It quickly produced a television ad featuring Biden's previous praise for McCain and comments critical of Obama. In an ABC interview last year, Biden had said he stood by an earlier statement that Obama wasn't yet ready to be president and "the presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training."

Biden drew praise from some Senate Republicans, including Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, with whom he has worked closely over the years. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., called Biden "the right partner for Barack Obama" and the decision "good news for Obama and America."

The Obama-Biden rally was set for the old state Capitol where the Illinois senator kicked off his presidential campaign nearly 20 months ago. Aides said Obama's wife, Michelle; Biden's wife, Jill; and the Bidens' three adult children, Hunter, Beau and Ashley, would join them.

Biden made the trip from his home in Delaware by chartered jet, pausing long enough to wave to well-wishers gathered to see him off.

The Obama campaign sent a text message announcing his choice to supporters' phones and e-mail addresses about 3 a.m. EDT, the latest innovation by a tech-savvy operation that has deftly used the Web as a fundraising and organizing tool. A meticulously planned rollout was pre-empted when word of Obama's choice was reported on Friday night.

Bill Burton, a spokesman for the campaign, said Obama had called Biden on Thursday to offer him the vice presidential spot on the ticket. No details were available of the conversation.

But the secret held for more than 24 hours as speculation swirled around a list of potential running mates that included Govs. Tim Kaine of Virginia, Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana and Rep. Rep. Chet Edwards of Texas.

Biden, 65, is a creature of Washington, a 35-year Senate veteran and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee whose national security credentials will help patch a hole in Obama's relatively thin resume. Polls show that McCain holds a wide lead over Obama on the question of who is better prepared to be commander in chief.

Biden's straightforward style and working-class Catholic roots in Scranton, Pa., were also expected to help Obama appeal to middle- and working-class voters in battleground states like Ohio and Pennsylvania who favored Clinton in the primaries.

Officials close to Clinton said she was never formally vetted for the No. 2 position. The former first lady, who finished narrowly behind Obama in the primaries, will address the convention Tuesday night and her name will be placed in nomination even though she has endorsed Obama and has urged her delegates to support him.

"Sen. Biden will be a purposeful and dynamic vice president who will help Sen. Obama both win the presidency and govern this great country," Clinton said in the statement.

Biden has established a generally liberal voting record and a reputation as a long-winded orator. As a member of the Judiciary Committee - he was its chairman from 1987 to 1995 - he has played a key role in considering anti-crime legislation, Supreme Court nominees and constitutional issues.

While the war in Iraq has been supplanted as the campaign's top issues by the economy in recent months, the recent Russian invasion of Georgia has returned foreign policy to the forefront.

Biden was elected to the Senate at the age of 29 in 1972, but personal tragedy struck before he could take office. His wife and their 13-month-old daughter, Naomi, were killed when a tractor-trailer broad-sided her station wagon. Biden took his oath of office for his first term at the hospital bedside of one of his sons.

Biden dropped out of the 2008 race for the Democratic presidential nomination after a poor finish in the Iowa caucuses, but not before he talked dismissively of joining someone else's ticket.

He had stumbled on his first day in the race, apologizing for having described Obama as "clean." Months later, Obama spoke up in Biden's defense, praising him during a campaign debate for having worked for racial equality.

It was Biden's second try for the White House. The first ended badly in 1988 when he was caught lifting lines from a speech by British Labor Party leader Neil Kinnock.

TV Anchor Larry Mendte Pleads Guilty to E-Mail Hacking

TV Anchor Larry Mendte Pleads Guilty to E-Mail Hacking

Former CBS 3 TV news anchor Larry Mendte has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges that he hacked into the e-mail of former co-anchor Alycia Lane.

Larry Mendte said he was wrong and that he makes no excuses for his behavior during a press conference at his lawyers Center City office Friday. He says it all started five years ago, when Lane first came to CBS3.

Mendte, married to local FOX 29 anchor Dawn Stensland, says he and Lane had what he called a "flirtatious, unprofessional and improper relationship" and that his wife got wind of that relationship and confronted him. Mendte says he admiited it was true and apologized:

For full story go to: http://www.kyw1060.com/

Bolt goes 3-for-3, adding relay gold to 100, 200

Bolt goes 3-for-3, adding relay gold to 100, 200

Jamaica's Usain Bolt celebrates winning his third gold medal after the final for the men's 4x100-meter relay during the athletics competitions in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Friday, Aug. 22, 2008.

BEIJING (AP) -- Usain Bolt loves the cameras, the cameras love Usain Bolt, and when they connected during his third victory lap of these Olympics, he smiled that infectious smile and raised three fingers.

As in: 3-for-3-for-3.

As in: three events, three gold medals, three world records.

Bolt capped his spectacular Summer Games by tearing through his portion of the 400-meter relay Friday night, setting up Jamaica's victory in 37.10 seconds to break a 16-year-old world record.

It was the perfect way to end a weeklong coming-out party that began with a world record of 9.69 in the 100 meters Saturday, followed by a world record of 19.30 in the 200 meters Wednesday.

"The greatest Olympics ever," Bolt called it.

Who could argue?

Bolt joins quite a list: The only other men to win gold medals in the 100, 200 and the sprint relay at one Olympics were Carl Lewis in 1984, Bobby Morrow in 1956 and Jesse Owens in 1936. None of those greats set world records in either the 100 or 200, though, much less both.

"People can only dream of doing what he's done. He's basically cemented himself as a legend of track and field," said Bolt's relay teammate Michael Frater. "I don't think any performance can top what he's done here."

If not for Michael Phelps, the Beijing Games would go down in history as the Bolt Games.

Impossible as it might have seemed after Phelps collected his Olympics-record eight golds in the pool, the 6-foot-5 sprinter managed to share top billing thanks to speed that stuns and charisma that gets people talking.

And while there was drama at the Water Cube - one of Phelps' golds came by a hundredth of a second, another came thanks to a relay teammate's huge comeback - Bolt left no room for doubt in any of his three events at the Bird's Nest.

He won the 100 by 0.20, then the 200 by 0.66. The margin in the relay, 0.96 over second-place Trinidad and Tobago, was the biggest in that event at the Olympics since 1936. Japan was third.

"We simply couldn't compete," Trinidad and Tobago's Marc Burns said.

The relay actually was close after Nesta Carter ran the first leg for Jamaica, and Frater the second. Bolt changed that quickly, putting his team way out in front, even if he wasn't running the leg he hoped.

"Usain wanted to start. He wanted to lay the hammer down from the start," Frater said. "The coaches wanted him to run the third leg. We listened to the coaches."

Good call.

After passing along the baton to anchor Asafa Powell - no small feat, if you ask the U.S. teams that bungled exchanges in qualifying a night earlier, or the Jamaican women, who did the same thing earlier Friday - Bolt pointed at Powell and yelled encouragement. Even as Bolt slowed in his lane, his work done, the other teams' anchors couldn't catch him for about 30 meters - that's how big Jamaica's lead was.

The Jamaicans shattered the old mark of 37.40, originally set by a U.S. team that included Lewis at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, then matched by another American quartet in 1993.

With that latest gold and world record secured, Bolt went into his now-familiar postrace routine. He yanked off his golden spikes and did a barefoot dance. He pointed his fingers to the sky, pantomiming an archer's stance.

This time, though, thrilled to be part of a team effort, he added a new wrinkle, chest-bumping Powell, the man who held the 100 record for three years until this kid came along. It was Powell's first Olympic medal.

"I said to Asafa, 'Can we do this?'" Bolt recounted, "and he was like, 'Don't worry, mon, we got this one.'"

Not that it's all that easy to get a baton all the way around a track, not at high speed, at the Olympics, with the world watching. How else to explain all of the goof-ups? First by the U.S. men in qualifying Thursday - which is why they weren't on the track to push Bolt, Powell and Co. in the final - then by the U.S. women in 400 qualifying and then by the Jamaican women in the 400 final.

That last error wiped out the Caribbean island's bid to become only the second country to go 6-for-6 in the sprinting events at an Olympics; the United States won the men's and women's 100s, 200s and 400 relays at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, which were boycotted by the Soviet Union.

Still, 5-of-6 ain't bad. Consider the flip side: The United States will leave an Olympics 0-for-6 in the sprint races for the first time.

"All I can say is: Yo, Jamaican sprinters, taking over the world," Bolt said.

The Jamaicans were overwhelming favorites in the women's 400 relay final, given that their squad boasted the 100 (Shelly-Ann Fraser) and 200 (Veronica Campbell-Brown) champions, along with the women who tied for silver in the 100 (Kerron Stewart and Sherone Simpson).

Second-leg runner Simpson tried to hand off the stick, vigorously shaking her hand forward, and Stewart tried to grab it, forcefully thrusting her hand backward, but they simply could not get the exchange done. Eventually, they bumped into each other, and Jamaica was disqualified. Russia won in 42.31.

As the replays of the miscue ran repeatedly on the overhead video boards, Simpson, Stewart and anchor Campbell-Brown watched and discussed what happened.

Even with that disappointment, Jamaica's six overall gold medals in track and field are one more than the U.S. team, which got No. 5 from Bryan Clay in the decathlon Friday.

"I'd love for this to be a spark for the decathlon," said Clay, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, "and bring it back to the forefront."

In other medal events, Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia won the women's 5,000 in 15 minutes, 41.40 seconds, more than 1 1/2 minutes slower than her world record, to add that gold to the one she earned in the 10,000; Steve Hooker won Australia's first track gold medal of these Summer Games and cleared an Olympic-record 19 feet, 6 3/4 inches (5.96 meters) in the pole vault; and Maurren Higa Maggi of Brazil leaped 23 feet, 1 1/4 inches (7.04 meters) on her first attempt to beat defending Olympic champion Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia by a half-inch in the women's long jump.

The long jump bronze went to Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria, who originally didn't qualify for the final but made the field when Lyudmila Blonska of Ukraine was kicked out because she tested positive for a steroid after winning the silver medal in the heptathlon last weekend.

There were those who wondered whether doping cases like hers would define track and field at the 2008 Olympics. Instead, Bolt provided the longest-lasting memories, with his excellence and his exuberance.

The only thing International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge had to worry about was whether the Jamaican was having too good a time. Instead of thanking Bolt, Rogge chastised him, saying the sprinter didn't show enough respect for his opponents and engaged in too much "Look at me" hot-dogging.

Bolt shrugged off the criticism.

"The crowd loves it - they love when I put on a show for them," Bolt said. "They come out and pay their money to see a good performance and also to see a personality. So I go out there and give them a show."

Oh, does he ever.

Gymnasts' parents 'indignant' over age questions

Gymnasts' parents 'indignant' over age questions

China's gymnast gold medal winner He Kexin poses with her gold medal during the uneven bars apparatus finals at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 18, 2008.

BEIJING (AP) -- The parents of the Chinese gymnasts are indignant, the International Olympic Committee sounds satisfied and the Beijing Games are almost over. Yet questions persisted Friday about the ages of China's gold-medal women's gymnastics team.

Are they 14? Are they 16?

Hoping to put a definitive end to a simmering controversy, China was asked to provide additional documents that prove five of the six team members were old enough to compete at these games. The request, by the International Gymnastics Federation, was made at the urging of the IOC, despite China's insistence that its athletes were not underage and the fact that there is no irrefutable proof to the contrary.

Still, the questions haven't abated, and so the Chinese federation was asked one more time to prove the girls were eligible.

"It's not a question of a final decision," IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said. "We simply want the federation to work with the national federation ... to just put to bed once and for all the questions."

The FIG asked China for documents on He Kexin, Yang Yilin, Jiang Yuyuan, Deng Linlin and Li Shanshan, and said it will forward all information to the IOC. The organization didn't set a deadline, but with the games ending Sunday, the IOC wants to dispel any lingering doubts as quickly as possible.

Questions about the Chinese women have been swirling for months, with media reports and online records suggesting that He, Yang and Jiang might be as young as 14. Gymnasts must turn 16 during the Olympic year to be eligible.

Four of China's six medals could be affected if evidence of cheating is found. In addition to the team gold, He won the gold medal on uneven bars and Yang won bronzes on bars and the all-around.

"It is in the interests of all concerned, not least the athletes themselves, to resolve this issue once and for all," the FIG said in a statement.

That's all anyone wants, said Jim Scherr, chief executive of the U.S. Olympic Committee, which sent a letter to the IOC and FIG on Friday asking that they take one last look.

"We certainly believe that it's important for the IOC and the international federation to review the issue and hopefully lay it to rest because the questions surrounding the age of some of the athletes have been out there for quite a while and it's unfair to them and unfair to the other athletes to continue to linger," Scherr said.

No one would be happier to finally have closure on the controversy than the gymnasts' parents.

China coach Lu Shanzhen said the parents are "indignant" over persistent questions about their daughters' ages.

"It's not just me. The parents of our athletes are all very indignant," Lu said. "They have faced groundless suspicion. Why aren't they believed? Why are their children suspected? Their parents are very angry."

In an interview with The Associated Press, Lu said Asian gymnasts are naturally smaller than their American and European rivals.

"At this competition, the Japanese gymnasts were just as small as the Chinese," he said. "Chinese competitors have for years all been small. It is not just this time. It is a question of race. European and American athletes are all powerful, very robust. But Chinese athletes cannot be like that. They are by nature that small."

Lu said the governing body of gymnastics has already been given some of the requested documents, turning over He's current and former passport, ID card and family residence permit Thursday. Lu said the documents all say she was born in 1992, which would have made her eligible to compete.

"Surely it's not possible that these documents are still not sufficient proof of her birthdate?" Lu asked. "The passports were issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The identity card was issued by China's Ministry of Public Security. If these valid documents are not enough to clarify this problem, then what will you believe?"

Earlier this month, the AP found registration lists previously posted on the Web site of the General Administration of Sport of China that showed both He and Yang were too young to compete. He was born Jan. 1, 1994, according to the 2005, 2006 and 2007 registration lists. Yang was born Aug. 26, 1993, according to the 2004, 2005 and 2006 registration lists. In the 2007 registration list, however, her birthday has changed to Aug. 26, 1992.

"If you trust every Web site but not a government...," Lu said. "There are so many Web sites, so much hearsay. These are not official. Is it possible that all news on the Internet is accurate?"

The FIG and IOC thought they had addressed the issue at the start of the games. The FIG said a passport is the "accepted proof of a gymnast's eligibility," and that China's gymnasts presented ones that show they are age eligible. The IOC also checked the girls' passports and deemed them valid before the games.

But the controversy never quite went away, with He being asked about her age as recently as Monday, after she won the bars gold. Neither the IOC or FIG would say why the IOC asked gymnastics officials to investigate "what have been a number of questions and apparent discrepancies" now, three days after the gymnastics competition ended.

"With some questions still remaining, we asked the federation to take a closer look," Davies said.

The IOC, however, sounded as if it did not expect anything to be found.

"We believe the matter will be put to rest and there's no question ... on the eligibility," Davies said. "The information we have received seems satisfactory in terms of the correct documentation - including birth certificates."

Age falsification has been a problem in gymnastics since the 1980s after the minimum age was raised from 14 to 15 to protect young athletes from serious injuries. The minimum age was raised to its current 16 in 1997. Younger gymnasts are considered to have an advantage because they are more flexible and are likely to have an easier time doing the tough skills the sport requires. They also aren't as likely to have a history of injuries or fear of failure.

North Korea was barred from the 1993 world championships after FIG officials discovered Kim Gwang Suk, the gold medalist on uneven bars in 1991, was listed as 15 for three years in a row. Romania admitted in 2002 that several gymnasts' ages had been falsified, including Olympic medalists Gina Gogean and Alexandra Marinescu.

Even China's own Yang Yun, a double bronze medalist in Sydney, said during an interview aired on state broadcaster China Central Television that she was 14 during the 2000 Games.