Two current examples of how bloggers are not just commenting on the political news of the day, but actually making it: Al Giordano and Bill Conroy of NarcoNews broke the Sarah Palin tanning bed story, and Eartha Jane Melzer of the Michigan Messenger broke the story of plans by the state GOP to disenfranchise voters whose homes have been foreclosed.

Citizen-journalists chosen by Decision '08, contest for "Why are you a Democrat/Republican," what do pollworkers of the 21st Century look like?, fears of security threats at the Democratic National Convention, Twitter scandal erupts over fake "speakerpelosi" account, and coded messages directed at Evangelicals in John McCain's "The One" ad.

The Huffington Post's OffTheBus project hits a milestone; Color of Change, MoveOn and hip hop superstar Nas join forces to push back against Fox News' coverage of race; we have a look at who is a self-proclaimed card-carrying liberal: we've got your beach reading list ready to go; and a great deal more.