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 …

Administration Is Seeking $700 Billion for Wall Street Bailout  —  WASHINGTON — The Bush administration on Saturday formally proposed to Congress what could become the largest financial bailout in United States history, requesting unfettered authority for the Treasury Department to buy up to $700 billion in mortgage-related assets.

Pact on Debates Will Let 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 …

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 …

Oh, That Joe!  (No. 14 in a Series) - Biden Says Obama Won't Take His Beretta  —  Sen. Barack Obama better not mess with his running mate Joe Biden's guns...or else.  —  In an out-of-nowhere attempt to re-assure a southwestern Virginia labor crowd about gun owners' rights, Biden …

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.

A Professor and a Banker Bury Old Dogma on Markets  —  WASHINGTON — For the last year, as the nation's economy lurched from crisis to crisis, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben S. Bernanke, had been warning Henry M. Paulson Jr., the Treasury secretary, that the worsening situation might ultimately force …

Cheney must preserve records, judge orders  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Vice President Dick Cheney must preserve a broad range of records from his time in office, a federal judge ordered Saturday, ruling in favor of a private watchdog group.  —  U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly found …

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 …

Same-Sex Marriage Ban Is Tied to Obama Factor  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Could Senator Barack Obama's popularity among black voters hurt gay couples in California who want to marry?  —  That is the concern of opponents of Proposition 8, a measure on the November ballot that would amend …

Rachel Maddow's ratings are incredible  —  If only MSNBC would have listened to us months ago, but at least she's there now.  Move over Larry King, there's a new girl in town....Her ratings even beat Countdown a few times.  —  It's nice to see and we hope you will continue to tune in.

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.

BEFORE WE JUMP IN  —  There are subjects I know a lot about and others I know very little about.  And the high-wire financial mess we're currently in falls clearly into the latter category.  But I know enough to be troubled that we appear ready to give upwards of a trillion dollars in unfettered …