McCain on banking and health  —  OK, a correspondent directs me to John McCain's article, Better Health Care at Lower Cost for Every American, in the Sept./Oct. issue of Contingencies, the magazine of the American Academy of Actuaries.  You might want to be seated before reading this.

Linking Obama to Ex-Fannie Mae Chief Is a Stretch  —  “Obama has no background in economics.  Who advises him?  The Post says it's Franklin Raines, for ‘advice on mortgage and housing policy.’ Shocking.  Under Raines, Fannie Mae committed ‘extensive financial fraud.’ Raines made millions.

Congressional Leaders Stunned by Warnings  —  WASHINGTON — It was a room full of people who rarely hold their tongues.  But as the Fed chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, laid out the potentially devastating ramifications of the financial crisis before congressional leaders on Thursday night, there was a stunned silence at first.

Obama votes ‘present’ on new economic rescue plan for now  —  CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Sen. Barack Obama today met with some of his many economic advisors and made an announcement that he was not going to make an announcement about any new plan to plan plans.  —  Obama did suggest a bipartisan effort …

Exclusive: New Doubts Over Palin's Troopergate Claims  —  Internal Government Document Contradicts Sarah Palin, Campaign  —  An internal government document obtained by ABC News appears to contradict Sarah Palin's most recent explanation for why she fired her public safety chief …

Army Alters Photographs, Issues Them To AP  —  The Associated Press retracted two government-issued photographs last night after a photographer in Texas alerted the agency that the photos in question appeared to be doctored.  —  Bob Owen, chief photographer of the San Antonio Express-News …

ASTONISHING: Rep. Rangel Calls Palin ‘Disabled’  —  Embattled Politician: It's Laughable That GOP VP Nominee Bases Foreign Policy On Being Able To See Russia  —  Republicans Infuriated; Rep. King Blasts Rangel  —  NEW YORK (CBS) ― Already under fire for his tax troubles …

Karzai Agrees To Meet With Palin  —  Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin will meet next week with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in New York, on the sidelines of the opening of the U.N. General Assembly, according to Afghan officials in Washington.

High Anxiety  —  We went from playing inflation-era Monopoly to playing depression-era Monopoly in mid-game.  —  Friends and tradesmen, not to mention clients, have all been asking me the same question in the past few weeks.  Is this 1929?  Are we headed for a depression?

The Palin Effect  —  Her enemies are bellowing like a wounded moose.  —  Now that the dust is beginning to settle from the whirlwind descent of Hurricane Sarah, it may be time to stand back a little and assess in perspective what the moose-hunting beauty from Wasilla, Alaska, has wrought.

Racial views steer some white Dems away from Obama  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Deep-seated racial misgivings could cost Barack Obama the White House if the election is close, according to an AP-Yahoo News poll that found one-third of white Democrats harbor negative views toward blacks …

Al Qaeda's Defeat In Iraq  —  Senator Barack Obama's answer to Katie Couric's question a few days ago about why he thinks there have been no terrorist attacks on American soil since September 11, 2001, was bizarre.  —  “Well,” he said, “I think that the initial invasion into Afghanistan disrupted al Qaeda.

One thought pushes fence-sitters to the left: Palin  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Five weeks ago, the St. Petersburg Times convened a group of Tampa Bay voters who were undecided about the presidential election.  Their strong distrust of Barack Obama suggested it was a group ripe for John McCain to win over.

Once pro-Obama, but now swoon for McPalin?  Who the hell are you?  —  E  —  very white woman I know is positively horrified.  —  Wait, that's not exactly true.  It's more accurate to say that every thoughtful or liberal or intuitive or open-minded white woman I know worth her vagina monologue …

Obama 101  —  On Monday, in an opinion piece published in the New York Post, I suggested that Senator Barack Obama had urged Iraqi leaders to postpone making an agreement with the United States until there was a new administration in Washington.  —  I said this because Obama himself had said it.