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

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 …

Sen. Hagel doubts Palin's ready  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska on Wednesday became the nation's most prominent Republican officeholder to publicly question whether Sarah Palin has the experience to serve as president.  —  “She doesn't have any foreign policy credentials,” Hagel said in an interview.

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 at the switch” saying that if he were president …

Democratic Congress May Adjourn, Leave Crisis to Fed, Treasury  —  Sept. 18 (Bloomberg) — The Democratic-controlled Congress, acknowledging that it isn't equipped to lead the way to a solution for the financial crisis and can't agree on a path to follow, is likely to just get out of the way.

Biden says McCain's economic answers go nowhere  —  CANTON, Ohio - Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday called Republican John McCain's answers to the current economic crisis “the ultimate bridge to nowhere” and said that paying higher taxes would be patriotic for wealthier Americans.

Key Bush States Might Flip  —  BARACK OBAMA IS DOING WELL IN FOUR OF FIVE BUSH-WON BATTLEGROUNDS POLLED BY ALLSTATE/NATIONAL JOURNAL.  —  Propelled by dissatisfaction with the country's direction but hampered by doubts about his readiness for the presidency, Barack Obama is forcefully challenging John …

Obama mocks McCain in Nevada stops  —  Barack Obama sharpened his attacks on John McCain and mocked the Republican's recent calls for reform in two stops in Nevada on Wednesday after days of listening to nervous supporters fret about the Democrat's chances of taking the White House.

State of the Race: Is McCain In Trouble?  —  One of the unpleasant things you discover when you sit in major league baseball press boxes from time to time is that the press — or at least the print media — actually do not like close baseball games.  A walk-off home run or a blown save means …

McCain/Palin Rally in Cedar Rapids  —  I arrived on scene about an hour and a half before the event is to start.  The traffic along I-380 was starting to get dicey, folks waiting in line to enter the parking area and wait for a shuttle to the airplane hanger where the rally will take place.

Palin Unscripted  —  Gov. Sarah Palin and Senator John McCain held a town-hall-style meeting Wednesday in Grand Rapids, Mich. (Photo: Todd Heisler/The New York Times)  —  GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - As she took questions from voters for the first time since she was tapped as Senator John McCain's running mate …

Clarke: Cuba's No State Sponsor of Terrorism  —  One obstacle to the adoption of a more humane and sensible Cuba policy is that the country has found itself on the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism.  It's pretty clear to anyone who thinks about it that this is a politically …

Worst Crisis Since '30s, With No End Yet in Sight  —  The financial crisis that began 13 months ago has entered a new, far more serious phase.  —  Lingering hopes that the damage could be contained to a handful of financial institutions that made bad bets on mortgages have evaporated.

McCain's Closing Argument  —  Man is in love and loves what vanishes.  —  What more is there to say?  —  Conservatives, who reputedly have lumps of coal where their hearts should be, have fallen in love.  So have many people who are not doctrinal conservatives.