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 …

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.

Round 1 in debates goes to Obama, poll says  —  OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) — A national poll of people who watched the first presidential debate suggests that Barack Obama came out on top, but there was overwhelming agreement that both Obama and John McCain would be able to handle the job of president if elected.

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.

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.

SO ANGRY  —  McCain's unwillingness to make eye contact with Obama through the debate seems to be getting picked up by a lot of observers.  Here's an interesting exchange on the subject between Chris Matthews and the Post's Eugene Robinson ...  Here's one comment we got from TPM Reader EO ...

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:

Why Obama Won Big  —  Nate Silver is a must-read.  This is a fascinating nugget: … The more it sinks in, the more I think Obama actually knocked it out of the park last night.  He is, in some ways, the inverse McCain.  McCain is all drama and explosions but then ... the air smells like damp, finished fireworks smoke.

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.

McConnell, Lunsford race a dead heat  —  U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic challenger Bruce Lunsford are knotted in a statistical tie for McConnell's seat, according to the latest Courier-Journal Bluegrass Poll.  —  The poll found that each candidate would get the support …

“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.”

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.

Pelosi, Hoyer push recoupment  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Majority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) are both pushing a plan that would require Wall Street to repay the federal government if taxpayers lose money through the program.  —  Addressing reporters after a closed-door caucus meeting …

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 Barack Obama and John McCain itself: How to influence the public perception of who won …