McCain on financial bailout: 'Just like Iraq, I'm not afraid to go it alone.'  —  Today, the Washington Post reveals more details about what happened during the White House meeting on Thursday between President Bush and top lawmakers.  Despite indicating that his presence was pivotal …

Gallup Daily: Obama Holds 5-Point Lead  —  Momentum in his favor going into debate  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama leads John McCain, 49% to 44%, when registered voters are asked who they would vote for if the election were held today, according to the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update.

What Sayeth the Undecideds?  —  From TIME's Amy Sullivan:  —  Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg ran a dial-group with 45 undecided voters in St. Louis during the debate, polling them before and after to judge how the event changed their reactions to Obama and McCain.

Palin grabs a seat at the bar  —  Perhaps it was coincidence that the song “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” was playing as Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin worked the crowd at the Irish Pub last night.  —  But her amorous fans were definitely ready to let the moose-hunting Alaska governor rule.

Bill Press: The Grouch and the Gentleman  —  Two candidates walked on stage Saturday night.  One of them walked off looking like the next President of the United States.  And it wasn't John McCain.  —  American voters could not have been given a clearer choice.

A Genuine and Immediate Crisis  —  What Congress has to do now.  —  I've received phone calls in the last hour from two economists I respect, one of them Larry Lindsey, the other in a position where he'd prefer not to be named.  Both have government experience, neither is alarmist by nature, and they say this:

Paul Newman, a Magnetic Titan of Hollywood, Is Dead at 83  —  Paul Newman, one of the last of the great 20th-century movie stars, died Friday at his home in Westport, Conn. He was 83.  —  The cause was cancer, said Jeff Sanderson of Chasen & Company, Mr. Newman's publicist.

Palin's Words Raise Red Flags  —  The country is understandably focused on the financial crisis.  But there is another serious issue in front of us that is not getting nearly enough attention, and that's whether Sarah Palin is qualified to be vice president — or, if the situation were to arise, president of the United States.

Our position on California's No on 8 campaign  —  As an Internet company, Google is an active participant in policy debates surrounding information access, technology and energy.  Because our company has a great diversity of people and opinions — Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and liberals …

Gov. Blunt Statement on Obama Campaign's Abusive Use of Missouri Law Enforcement  —  JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Matt Blunt today issued the following statement on news reports that have exposed plans by U.S. Senator Barack Obama to use Missouri law enforcement to threaten and intimidate his critics.

McCain and Team Have Many Ties to Gambling Industry  —  Senator John McCain was on a roll.  In a room reserved for high-stakes gamblers at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, he tossed $100 chips around a hot craps table.  When the marathon session ended around 2:30 a.m. …

McCain on Veterans—Fact Check  —  In addition to foreign policy, last night's debate focused on the very recent and very real economic crisis in our country.  Several TMV contributors have already done an excellent job of analyzing how the two presidential candidates fared on those issues.

On strategy and tactics  —  The least self-aware moment for John McCain in last night's debate came at the half-way point, when he said, “I'm afraid Senator Obama doesn't understand the difference between a tactic and a strategy.”  —  In a sense McCain was sticking to his battle plan in saying this …

“Horses**t”: Correction  —  I've removed the original post of a little time ago because after listening to the clip about two dozen times, what sounded like McCain saying “horses**t” actually comes through as having a hard “c” at the front of it.  My husband insists that McCain said “Course not.”

McCain Stays Off Campaign Trail To Work On Bailout  —  From CBS News' John Bentley:  —  (WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Even though his campaign is no longer suspended, John McCain is staying in Washington this weekend to keep working on the bailout legislation.  He will not be visiting Capitol Hill …

The Next Day, a New Debate on Who Won  —  OXFORD, Miss. — The presidential campaigns roared out of here Saturday morning facing a task arguably as difficult, and as important, as the debate between Senators Barack Obama and John McCain itself: influencing the public perception of who won …