Palin and Couric  —  Full transcript after the jump.  This is a rough bit:

Bailout Could Deepen Crisis, CBO Chief Says  —  Asset Sales May Lead to Write-Downs, Insolvencies, Orszag Tells Congress  —  The director of the Congressional Budget Office said yesterday that the proposed Wall Street bailout could actually worsen the current financial crisis.

EXCLUSIVE: LETTERMAN MOCKS MCCAIN CANCELLATION  —  David Letterman tells audience that McCain called him today to tell him he had to rush back to DC to deal with the economy.  —  Then in the middle of the taping Dave got word that McCain was, in fact just down the street being interviewed by Katie Couric.

Let's Keep People In Their Homes  —  There is a broad consensus that Congress must act to stave off deeper turmoil on Wall Street.  Irrespective of the final agreement yet to be reached, there are several principles that must be part of a broader reform effort that begins this week and continues in the coming months.

A Bailout We Don't Need  —  Now that all five big investment banks — Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley — have disappeared or morphed into regular banks, a question arises.  —  Is this bailout still necessary?  —  The point of the bailout …

Full Text Of John McCain's Address To The Clinton Global Initiative  —  Full Text Of John McCain's Address To The Clinton Global Initiative»  —  Here is the full text of Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) speech being offered this morning at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, NY.

Bill Clinton: Don't ‘Overly Parse’ McCain Request to Delay Debate  —  ABC News' Nitya Venkataraman Reports: Former President Bill Clinton defended Sen. John McCain's request to delay the first presidential debate, saying McCain did it in “good faith” and pushed organizers to reserve …

Selfless or Reckless?  McCain Gambles On Voters' Verdict  —  John McCain is a gambler by nature, and the bet he placed Wednesday may be among the biggest of his political life.  —  The Republican presidential nominee is hoping that his abrupt decision to suspend campaigning …

Palin once blessed to be free from ‘witchcraft’  —  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A grainy YouTube video surfaced Wednesday showing Sarah Palin being blessed in her hometown church three years ago by a Kenyan pastor who prayed for her protection from “witchcraft” as she prepared to seek higher office.

Times puzzle is clueless about McCain  —  On Jan. 8, 2005, I purposefully and unapologetically became the first person to ever construct a crossword puzzle for The New York Times that featured this five-letter answer:  —  OBAMA.  —  Earlier this week, Steve Schmidt, John McCain's senior campaign adviser …

Poll: Obama Leads McCain In Wisconsin 49 To 43 Percent  —  WISC-TV Poll Conducted Over 2 Days  —  MADISON, Wis. — A poll of likely voters in Wisconsin conducted by WISC-TV over the last two days shows a shift in other poll figures from last week.  —  VIDEO: Watch The Report

Unsevered Ties?  —  Regulatory filings indicate that McCain campaign chief Rick Davis remains an officer with his lobbying firm.  —  Rick Davis, John McCain's campaign manager, has remained the treasurer and a corporate director of his lobbying firm this year, despite repeated statements …

Pakistan's president tells Palin she is ‘gorgeous’  —  NEW YORK (CNN) - Sarah Palin and the foreign leaders she has met with in New York have said very little to reporters over the last two days, but the press happened to be in the room on Wednesday for one eyebrow-raising exchange …

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert: Mock the Vote  —  With just five weeks left until election day, our favorite pundits discuss the power of Sarah Palin, why TV news is about as credible as Muzak, and whether Barack Obama is going to be “sworn in on a gay baby”

Just a barking dog in the night  —  Christopher Beam has it wrong in Slate when he suggests that I and others are mistaken in thinking Biden's gaffes-a-minute are beginning finally to matter, raising questions to the Obama team whether their VP is up to the job—and blunting its criticism of Palin's experience and seriousness.

Now She Tells Us  —  I've been listening to Doris Kearns Goodwin drone on and on for the past year about how the country desperately needs bipartisanship and flogging her book “Team of Rivals” as a blueprint for proper governance.  (Obama mentioned he read the thing and everyone assumed …