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 …

Schieffer: Paulson Pleaded for McCain to Save Bailout  —  So much for a “stunt.”  —  John McCain got involved in the bailout negotiations after Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told Sen. Lindsey Graham yesterday that the bailout plan would fail unless McCain came in and brought balky Republicans aboard.

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.

Lawmakers Seem Near Deal on Bailout  —  WASHINGTON — Lawmakers indicated Thursday that they were close to hashing out an agreement on a proposed $700 billion bailout of the financial system, hours before a meeting at the White House to complete the deal.  —  After Congressional staff members …

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.

Obama grant being probed  —  A $100,000 state grant for a botanic garden in Englewood that then-state Sen. Barack Obama awarded in 2001 to a group headed by a onetime campaign volunteer is now under investigation by the Illinois attorney general amid new questions, prompted by Chicago Sun-Times reports …

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 …

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 …

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”

Palin, Muthee And The “Israelites”  —  If you go to 1:20 into this Youtube, you will hear Muthee, who later anointed Palin, say the following words in Palin's presence: … Sure they vetted her.

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 …

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

Lobbyists in ‘feeding frenzy’  —  WASHINGTON — The financial services industry, which has spent billions on lobbying and campaign contributions over the last decade, is scrambling to make its case for a proposed $700 billion bailout plan amid deep public skepticism.

A sneaking suspicion  —  So now the whole rationale for the plan is “price discovery”: we're going to throw lots of taxpayer funds into the pot because that will let us find the true values of troubled assets, which are higher than the fire sale prices out there, and so balance sheet will improve, confidence will return, etc, etc..

The Examiner endorses McCain-Palin  —  The Examiner endorses John McCain for president and his running mate, Sarah Palin, for vice president.  America is at war overseas and in an economic crisis here at home.  Many of her citizens believe the country is on the wrong track.

Is There Risk in McCain's Suspension?  —  The consensus here seems to be that there is little risk in McCain's suspension of his campaign, and the promise of great reward.  But I wonder whether there isn't some serious risk.  This Politico story seems to suggest that Democrats are starting …

Jobless claims soar near 7-year high  —  First economic report since financial meltdown shows initial unemployment claims rose by 7%, boosted by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — In the first economic reading from the period since the Wall Street crisis erupted …

JOHN MCCAIN'S LATEST CRAZY, BRILLIANT, DESPERATE CAMPAIGN TACTIC.  —  John McCain has launched his second Hail Mary pass in a month.  On Wednesday he called for a suspension of the presidential campaign—no events, no ads, and no debate Friday—so that he and Barack Obama can head to Washington to forge a bipartisan solution.

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 …

McCain's Ploy  —  Slipping in the polls?  Concerned that Americans may be paying more attention to the declining economy — and even supporting economic regulation again — than to your own stellar leadership abilities?  —  What's a Republican presidential nominee to do?

Obama moving into electoral lead  —  State by state, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill). is showing signs of breaking open a presidential race that looked deadlocked through much of September.  —  A new wave of polls released Wednesday showed decisive leads for Obama in the critical states of Colorado, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

WATCH THE POLL RESULTS IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ON THE RIGHT  —  The poll was conducted by EPIC MRA between September 20 and September 22, and features a sample of 406 people.  It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9%.  —  The poll found that if the election were held today 48% of people in Michigan would vote for Barack Obama.