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 …

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 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'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.

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 …

Palin disinvited from Iran rally  —  The organizers of an anti-Iran rally Monday rescinded their invitation to Alaska Governor Sarah Palin after Democrats protested that her presence would turn the event into a political rally, McCain campaign and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

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

Supporting our troops  —  PERHAPS the most insidious byproduct of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has been a reflexive sanctification of the military.  To put this in bumper stickerese: Support the Troops.  —  Well, I have an ugly confession to make: I don't support the troops - at least not unconditionally.

CNN: Palin's suggested oil export ban ‘not exactly easy to understand.’  —  This afternoon on CNN, host Wolf Blitzer showed video from last night's townhall with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK), in which Palin — whom McCain said “knows more about energy than …

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.

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.

Palin asked daughters on veep vote after they were already in OH for announcement  —  Appearing on Fox last night, Sarah Palin told Sean Hannity a heartwarming story of how she asked her teenage daughters for their opinion before accepting the vp offer.  —  “So ask the girls what they thought …

Revolting: GM Executive Bob Lutz Denies Global Warming, Trashes His Company's Car  —  General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz, on the 100th anniversary of GM's founding, appeared on Stephen Colbert's show last night, and embarassed his company.  Lutz, unfortunately for this aging industrial giant …