The results from the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal presidential poll aren't all that surprising: Democrat Barack Obama leads Republican John McCain by a modest 6 percent. But things change when pollsters ask voters to factor in third-party candidates Bob Barr and Ralph Nader -- Obama's lead doubles. Are small-party candidates a big threat to McCain? MSNBC.com has the full results.

Appearing before a huge crowd in Germany, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama urges Europeans and Americans to work together to defeat terrorism. While Obama declares that he's speaking only as a "citizen," the pomp and attention surrounding the speech are more in line with that given to a visiting head of state.

A week after The New Yorker published a satirical cartoon of Barack Obama and his wife, Vanity Fair decides it won't be outdone. The magazine creates a fake cover -- published on vanityfair.com -- featuring John McCain and his wife in a similar Oval Office setting. He's using a walker and she's cradling an armful of prescription pill bottles. Check out both illustrations and weigh in, below.

Defending his proposal to negotiate with Iran, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama says he would use "big sticks and big carrots" in trying to persuade the country to drop any plans for nuclear weapons. His comments draw fire from the campaign of Republican rival John McCain, which accuses him of backtracking on earlier statements.

GOP presidential candidate John McCain has made a series of verbal slip-ups in the past few weeks, mixing up countries, Shiites and Sunnis and even confusing one NFL team for another. The flubs have given McCain's critics a chance to call attention to his age -- an issue that is a regular target for late-night comics.

Remember the infamous "butterfly" ballot that kept the 2000 presidential election in limbo for weeks? Well, its legacy lives on. Although Congress approved $3 billion for fixing problems with voting systems, poorly designed ballots continue to confuse voters and affect election results, a study says.