FATHER OF HACKER Is Tennessee Dem State Rep!!!!! ...  Update: Name- David Kernell ...Update: He's Been Contacted by Feds!  —  FOLKS— MEET DAVID KERNELL—  WOAH!!!!!!  —  Do you remember this from Michelle Malkin's post last night: … Now there's this...  Wired.com has the latest on the Palin scandal:

McCain Flub?  Republican Says He'd Fire SEC Chair as President  —  ABC News' David Wright reports: At a joint rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Thursday, Republican John McCain slammed the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) for being “asleep,” saying that if he were president, he would fire Chris Cox …

Palin's transparency proposal already exists in D.C.  —  CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (CNN) - Sarah Palin likes to tell voters around the country about how she “put the government checkbook online” in Alaska.  On Thursday, Palin suggested she would take that same proposal to Washington.

McCain Slights Spanish Prime Minister  —  The Union Radio interview with John McCain on issues of interest to Hispanics was conducted in English and only later translated into Spanish for listeners.  The audio above is of the English-only interview.  —  By Glenn Kessler and Ed O'Keefe

Palin disinvited from Iran rally  —  The organizers of an anti-Iran rally Monday rescinded their invitation to Alaska Governor Sarah Palin after Democrats protested that her presence would turn the event into a political rally, McCain campaign and Jewish community sources said.

Wall Street mega bailout ahead?  —  CNBC reported this afternoon that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is shopping an idea around Capitol Hill whereby the feds would create a virtual landfill for the toxic assets now owned by financial institutions.  —  Such a move would allow institutions …

Shocker: Palin Cancels Big California Swing  —  Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who was to star at two major California fundraisers and an Orange County rally for 15,000 next week, has canceled her two-day swing through the Golden State, campaign sources said.  —  The change is a shocker …

Dodgy Journalism: Time's Michael Scherer debates strawman, loses  —  Under the header “Dodgy Politics: Using Old Votes to Obscure Current Policies,” Time's Michael Scherer unsuccessfully debunks a claim Barack Obama didn't make in order to accuse the Democratic candidate of offering misleading criticisms of John McCain.

Michelle Obama: Don't vote because 'she's cute' … CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Michelle Obama asked voters Thursday to make their choice on the issues, not because, “I like that guy” or, “she's cute.”  —  Might she be talking about Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin?

Obama and McCain in tight race in inaugural Big Ten Battleground Poll  —  In the inaugural Big Ten Battleground Poll taken as the nation's financial crisis worsened this week, John McCain and Barack Obama were in a statistical dead heat in seven of the eight Midwest states included in the survey.

Republican congressman endorses Obama  —  Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, a maverick Republican from Maryland, endorsed Illinois Democratic Sen. Barack Obama for president in an interview Wednesday with WYPR, Baltimore's National Public Radio station.  —  Gilchrest, who lost a primary campaign …

Gallup Daily: Obama 48%, McCain 44%  —  Marks Obama's first statistically significant lead in two weeks  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The Sept. 15-17 Gallup Poll Daily tracking update shows Barack Obama with a 48% to 44% lead over John McCain among registered voters, marking the first time that Obama …

A New McCain on the Campaign Trail  —  VIENNA, Ohio — Senator John McCain's campaign events were once free-wheeling journeys marked by flashes of humor, candor and arch observations from the candidate about presidential politics — and John McCain.  Oh, and moments that left no doubt that Mr. McCain was not working from any script.

Putnam Investments Closes $12B Money-Market Fund  —  Putnam Investments has closed a $12.3 billion money-market fund to limit losses to its investors, the large mutual fund company said today.  The highly unusual announcement is the latest sign that tremendous financial pressures are now threatening …

Records reveal Palin's push for earmarks  —  As a vice presidential candidate, Gov. Sarah Palin has railed against federal earmarks, or congressional funding for pork-barrel projects.  “In our state, we reformed the abuses of earmarks,” Palin recently boasted to a rally in Lancaster, Pa. …