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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

Democrats threaten to kneecap Jewish nonprofits  —  Why is it, exactly, that so many Jews are Democrats?  That's right.  Because Democrats are the champions of liberal, social causes.  They're against tyranny and all for liberty, freedom, and especially, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

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?

Meanwhile, the Other No. 2 Keeps On Punching  —  FLAT ROCK, Mich. — As the economy reels, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. — the Other Running Mate — has been absolutely butchering Senator John McCain across the Rust Belt this week.  It is not clear who has noticed.

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 …

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.

The State of the Race  —  There's been a lot of talk about this dynamic race - “game changers” and “moments” and things of that nature.  Regular readers of mine know that I don't subscribe to the view of politics inherent to that kind of analysis.  —  As an alternative to discussing Fannie …

Charges Dropped Against Democracy Now Journalists  —  All charges against the Democracy Now!  Journalists arrested at the Republican convention have been dropped: … An investigation is indeed necessary, but I am already pretty sure about what happened:  — In August, protesters …