Holtz-Eakin: McCain helped create BlackBerry  —  Asked what work John McCain did as Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee that helped him understand the financial markets, the candidate's top economic adviser wielded visual evidence: his BlackBerry.  —  “He did this,” Douglas Holtz-Eakin …

Fed to Offer Bridge Loan to A.I.G. and Take Control of Firm  —  Updated: The Federal Reserve plans to offer an $85 billion bridge loan to the American International Group in return for control of the ailing insurance giant, people briefed on the matter said Tuesday night.

Palin fires back in Troopergate, releases memos showing insubordination  —  Sarah Palin issued a response to the Troopergate investigation yesterday by releasing internal memoranda that show Walt Monegan got fired for insubordination on budget matters and not because of his refusal to fire Palin's former brother-in-law.

GOP delegate's hotel tryst goes bad when he wakes up with $120,000 missing  —  He met her in the bar of the swank hotel and invited her to his room.  Once there, the woman fixed the drinks and told him to get undressed.  —  And that, the delegate to the Republican National Convention told police, was the last thing he remembered.

Count the Lies  —  John McCain may be trying to sell himself as a “maverick” and a “straight talker” who will tell the truth no matter the consequences, but independent, non-partisan watchdog groups aren't buying it.  But, since he wrapped up his party's nomination, John McCain has offered more of the same false attacks and smears.

Palin to Meet Foreign Leaders at U.N.  —  Monica Langley reports on the presidential race.  —  Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin will meet with foreign leaders next week at the United Nations, a move to boost her foreign-policy credentials, a Republican strategist said.

Cash-poor Obama says no to Reid  —  Earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made a personal appeal to Barack Obama: Help me grow the Democrats' Senate majority by sharing some of the $77 million you've got in the bank.  —  Obama's campaign said no.

Studies Detail Contrasts in Rivals' Health-Care Plans  —  Obama's Proposal Would Insure More but at Higher Cost  —  WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate John McCain's health-care plan would make only a small dent in the ranks of the uninsured, at best covering about five million more people, two new reports conclude.

Palin's Favorability Numbers Eroding  —  As voters have taken a second look at Sarah Palin in venues like the Charlie Gibson interview and even Tina Fey's SNL sketch, they may not be as enamored of what they're seeing.  —  The Research 2000 poll for Daily Kos now has Palin's favorability-unfavorability scores at 45-44 — just a +1.

McCain press pack stages mini-insurrection  —  Amie Parnes reports:  —  Reporters traveling with John McCain are slightly miffed that the senator hasn't had any face time with them in, well, a month and three days (But who's counting?)  —  So, when Straight Talk Air departed Tampa today, a dozen reporters chanted, “Bring Mac back!

Gallup Daily: Presidential Contest Remains a Dead Heat  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The Sept. 13-15 Gallup Poll Daily tracking update shows John McCain (47%) and Barack Obama (46%) locked in a close contest when registered voters are asked for whom they would vote if the election were held today.

Russia halts trading after 17% share price fall  —  By Catherine Belton and Charles Clover in Moscow and Rachel Morarjee in London  —  Russian shares suffered their steepest one-day fall in more than a decade on Tuesday, losing up to 20 per cent, as a sharp slide in oil prices …

Palin 47%, Biden 44% in Make-believe Presidential Match-up  —  Sarah Palin bests Joseph Biden 47% to 44% in a hypothetical head-to-head match-up for the presidency, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey (see crosstabs).  —  Just over half of voters view …

Is Obama abandoning Virginia?  —  I just got an email from Barack Obama's campaign urging me to drive to Pennsylvania.  The thing is... I live in Virginia.  Virginia is supposed to be a swing state.  They would rather have me knock on doors in Pennsylvania than Virginia?

MCCAIN, SOCIAL SECURITY PRIVATIZATION, AND THE FINANCIAL CRISIS.  —  I sort of buried this in a previous post, but it's worth drawing out.  Today, John McCain said, “Wall Street has betrayed us.  They've broken the social contract between capitalism and the average citizen and the worker.

Obama vs. Palin  —  If you want to know why Gov. Sarah Palin drives liberal Democrats crazy — and is helping Sen. Barack Obama raise money at a record pace — here's an excerpt from an viral email making its way around the country:  — If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're “exotic, different.”