No deal  —  I hate to say this, but looking at the plan as leaked, I have to say no deal.  Not unless Treasury explains, very clearly, why this is supposed to work, other than through having taxpayers pay premium prices for lousy assets.  —  As I posted earlier today, it seems all too likely that a …

Scaring Seniors  —  An Obama-Biden ad says McCain supports “cutting benefits in half” for Social Security recipients.  False!  —  A new Obama ad characterizes the “Bush-McCain privatization plan” as “cutting Social Security Benefits in half.”  This is a falsehood sure to frighten seniors who rely on their Social Security checks.

Poll: Racial misgivings of whites an Obama issue  —  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 — many calling them …

Debate Pact Lets McCain and Obama Spar  —  The Obama and McCain campaigns have agreed to an unusual, free-flowing format for the three televised presidential debates, which begin on Friday, but the McCain camp fought for and won a much more structured approach for the questioning …

Gallup Daily: Obama 50%, McCain 44%  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Wednesday through Friday finds Barack Obama maintaining his lead over John McCain among registered voters, by a 50% to 44% margin.  —  Obama has held at least a small margin over McCain in each …

At Least 40 Are Killed in Blast at Pakistan Hotel  —  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A huge truck bomb exploded at the entrance to the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on Saturday evening, just a few hundred yards from the prime minister's house, where all the leaders of government were dining after the president's address to Parliament.

Uneasy feelings  —  Details are scarce on the big buyout; but as a few dribble out, I'm getting uneasy.  —  Here's the source of my uneasiness: the underlying premise behind the buyout seems, still, to be that this is mainly a liquidity problem.  So if the government stands ready to buy securities at “fair value”, all will be well.

Does John McCain understand the Army?  —  Hat Tip to E&P for catching this one and alerting folks to it: … To some, confusing the Army National Guard and the Army would seem a small thing, but to someone with John McCain's family history, this is a pretty big slip up.

Transgendered Woman Wins Sex Discrimination Case  —  In Potentially Groundbreaking Case, Court Finds Sex Discrimination Law Applies to Transgendered Woman  —  A transgendered woman, who lost a job offer because of her sexual status, has won a potentially groundbreaking federal sex discrimination lawsuit.

Oh Sarah!  The Week That The Music Stopped  —  I'm not buying into rumors that Sarah Palin is on the way out.  —  If John McCain can't admit that he misheard an interviewer regarding Spain and its premier there is no way in Hell that he's going to acknowledge that picking …

Obama has slight edge on McCain in Mich.  —  Poll: Democrat leads 43% to 42%; veep choices have had little impact.  —  Democrat Barack Obama has the smallest possible lead — one point — over Republican John McCain in battleground Michigan, according to a new poll, setting up a six-week sprint …

Cavuto says McCain-Palin sound just like Obama-Biden  —  I was watching the FOX News Business network Friday night — so you don't have to — and Cavuto was in full on depression mode.  McCain is into populism now, ‘he sounds like Obama,’ said Cavuto.  That's what's happened to conservatism.