Wondering No More  —  Yep.  The day after 9/11, as part of its “get tough” makeover, the Obama campaign is mocking John McCain for not using a computer, without caring why he doesn't use a computer.  From the AP story about the computer illiterate ad: … Well, I guess it depends on what you mean by “extraordinary.”

Charlie Gibson's Gaffe  —  “At times visibly nervous . . . Ms. Palin most visibly stumbled when she was asked by Mr. Gibson if she agreed with the Bush doctrine.  Ms. Palin did not seem to know what he was talking about.  Mr. Gibson, sounding like an impatient teacher …

McCain Barbs Stirring Outcry as Distortions  —  Harsh advertisements and negative attacks are a staple of presidential campaigns, but Senator John McCain has drawn an avalanche of criticism this week from Democrats, independent groups and even some Republicans for regularly stretching the truth …

Ike closes in on Galveston  —  Hurricane Ike is hours away from landfall on the upper Texas coast, and is already generating huge storm surges in Texas and Lousiana.  Although still of Category 2 strength, Ike remains larger and more powerful than Category 5 Katrina or Category 5 Rita.

Excerpts: Charlie Gibson Interviews GOP Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin  —  Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sits Down for First Exclusive Interview … And watch Gibson's exclusive interviews with Palin tonight on “World News” at 6:30 p.m. ET, a special “20/20,” at 10 p.m. ET, and “Nightline” at 11:35 p.m. ET

The new NEWSWEEK Poll shows McCain and Obama deadlocked  —  With 53 days until Election Day, John McCain has pulled even with Barack Obama in the latest NEWSWEEK Poll.  Buoyed by the Republican convention and overwhelming partisan enthusiasm for his choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate …

Pakistan Raid Start Of Concerted Bid To Hit Al-Qaida  —  · NPR has learned that the raid by helicopter-borne U.S. Special Operations forces in Pakistan last week was not an isolated incident but part of a three-phase plan, approved by President Bush, to strike at Osama bin Laden and top al-Qaida leadership.

Second-Guessing  —  I'm watching Chris Matthews and he's reminding me that Sarah Palin repeatedly said that in her Charlie Gibson interview that it would be inappropriate for an American President to “second-guess” Israeli policy vis-à-vis Iran or, it seems, any other actor in the region.

Obama Implies McCain Puts Other Countries First  —  A pretty scathing charge from Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., this morning as he spoke to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and assailed Sen. John McCain's, R-Ariz., position on free trade.

Les Misbarack  —  Whatever happens, the McCain campaign could never pull this off.  Patience, steel... triumph.

U.S. Gives Banks Urgent Warning to Solve Crisis  —  As Lehman Brothers teetered Friday evening, Federal Reserve officials summoned the heads of major Wall Street firms to a meeting in lower Manhattan and insisted they rescue of the stricken investment bank and develop plans to stabilize the financial markets.