Fate of Bailout Plan Remains Uncertain  —  WASHINGTON — The day began with an agreement that Washington hoped would end the financial crisis that has gripped the nation.  It dissolved into a verbal brawl in the Cabinet Room of the White House, urgent warnings from the president and pleas …

Government Seizes WaMu and Sells Some Assets  —  Washington Mutual, the giant lender that came to symbolize the excesses of the mortgage boom, was seized by federal regulators on Thursday night, in what is by far the largest bank failure in American history.

MORE THUGGISHNESS: Obama threatening the licenses of TV stations that run NRA ads.  —  Haven't we had about enough of this?  Related item here.  They told me that if George W. Bush were re-elected there would be brazen efforts to suppress free speech on political grounds — and they were right!

Thinking About McCain  —  I've been covering John McCain steadily for a decade.  A few years ago, I worked on a book, which I foolishly never completed, on the U.S. Senate with McCain as the central character.  So when I step back and think of McCain, even in the heat of this campaign …

Where Are the Grown-Ups?  —  Many people on both the right and the left are outraged at the idea of using taxpayer money to bail out America's financial system.  They're right to be outraged, but doing nothing isn't a serious option.  Right now, players throughout the system are refusing …

Why Obama will lose  —  EDMOND — When Benjamin Franklin was dispatched to France as ambassador of the United States in 1776, he won the hearts of the French through his authenticity.  Rather than take on an affected and phony continental style, Franklin eschewed the powdered wig …

Palin On Foreign Policy, Nation Building, And Why She Disagrees With Kissinger  —  Here's an interesting exchange.  Note that CBS verified Kissinger's position — that he favored diplomacy with Iran without preconditions, although not directly with Ahmadinejad.

Palin Accepted $25,000 in Gifts, Alaska Records Show  —  Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who has made a crackdown on gift-giving to state officials a centerpiece of her ethics reform agenda, has accepted gifts valued at $25,367 from industry executives, municipalities and a cultural center whose …

Poll: Obama Leads; Interest In Debate High  —  CBS/NYT Survey Finds Obama Leading McCain By 5 Points With Three In Ten Uncommitted; Majority “Very Likely” To Watch Debate  —  (CBS) With 40 days left until the election, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama leads GOP rival John …

The ‘lost’ Palin files  —  When federal judges in San Francisco ruled in 2002 that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools was unconstitutional because it included the phrase “under God,” Sarah Palin was not amused.  Palin, who at the time was Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska …