McCain's gambit  —  McCain suspends his campaign, and asks to postpone Friday's debate, to address the financial crisis.  —  Both candidates have been marginal players; McCain, though, seems to have the potential to make himself a major one, and his move is a mark, most of all, that he doesn't like the way this campaign is going.

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

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.

McCain camp to propose postponing VP debate  —  (CNN) — McCain supporter Sen. Lindsey Graham tells CNN the McCain campaign is proposing to the Presidential Debate Commission and the Obama camp that if there's no bailout deal by Friday, the first presidential debate should take the place of the VP debate …

Bad News For The Bailout  —  Lawmakers on Capitol Hill seem determined to work together to pass a bill that will get the credit markets churning again.  But will they do it this week, as some had hoped just a few days ago?  Don't count on it.  —  “Do I expect to pass something this week?”

SARAH PALIN LOVER REVEALED!  —  In a world exclusive The NATIONAL ENQUIRER names GOP VP Candidate Sarah Palin's secret lover!  —  No less than three members of the man's family including one by sworn affidavit have claimed that Sarah Palin engaged in an extramarital affair with hus­band Todd's former business partner, Brad Hanson.

Paulson, Senate Dems reach tentative bailout deal  —  Senate Democrats emerged from a meeting Wednesday with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to report a general, conceptual — but fragile — agreement on a $700 billion plan to rescue the U.S. financial markets.

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 …

Johnson to lead Obama briefing  —  Former Fannie Mae chairman Jim Johnson was dumped from Obama's vice presidential search team, but he's still playing a behind-the-scenes role on the campaign.  —  Former Senator Tom Daschle, a top Obama backer, emailed a select list this afternoon …

A non-emergency meeting  —  The McCain campaign's new urgency about the financial crisis didn't entirely clear his schedule this morning.  —  My colleague Amie Parnes reports that he made it to his scheduled morning meeting with Lady Lynn de Rothschild, a Clinton backer who recently came out in support of him.

I ghost-wrote letters to the editor for the McCain campaign  —  I spent a morning in John McCain's Virginia campaign headquarters ghost-writing letters to the editor for McCain supporters to sign.  I even pretended to have a son in Iraq. … By Margriet Oostveen

Florida congressman points to Palin to rally Jews to Obama  —  (CNN) - Rep. Alcee Hastings told an audience of Jewish Democrats Wednesday that they should be wary of Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin because “anybody toting guns and stripping moose don't care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks.”

Palin gets question, looks to McCain, demurs  —  This is what happens when campaigns let reporters into photo ops.  They get all uppity and ask questions.  —  From the pool report account of what happened after McCain and Palin's meeting with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvilli and Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko:

Bush Does a 9/11 Replay in Asking for Unprecedented Powers and Unprecedented Budget  —  Just after the September 11th terrorist attacks occurred, George W. Bush went before the nation and made the case that he needed unprecedented authority — budgetary and military — to take on the threats poised …