House GOP leadership mocked by Rush  —  Rush Limbaugh opened his show today by piling on top of House Republican leadership for claiming that a crucial number of their members voted against the bailout package because of a partisan speech that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) gave before the roll call.

Palin's contrast  —  Katie Couric, in a segment to air tonight, asks Palin about her joke that she's been listening to Joe Biden's speeches since second grade, and whether that isn't an odd thing to say given her own running mate's age:

Unlike Clinton, Biden Gets Pass for Saying He Was ‘Shot At’ in Iraq  —  When Hillary Clinton told a tall tale about “landing under sniper fire” in Bosnia, she was accused of “inflating her war experience” by Barack Obama's campaign — but the campaign has been silent about Joe Biden telling …

Overnight-Lending Markets Still Flashing Red  —  Min Zeng and Mark Gongloff report:  —  If you only watch the stock market, where the Dow was recently up more than 250 points, you might get the mistaken impression all is well with the world on the Tuesday after the latest Black Monday.

Bloomberg Called Ready to Announce Third-Term Bid  —  After months of speculation about his political future, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg plans to announce on Thursday morning that he will seek a third term as mayor, according to three people who have been told of his plans.

A Major New Plan Coming from Donna Edwards, Peter DeFazio, Progressives  —  You guys are amazing. 43 donations in 12 hours is remarkable, not because of the number but because this site spends A LOT of time criticizing Democratic leaders, so turning around and investing your faith …

RNC ad, was cut, sent out before package failed  —  The Republican National Committee's new advertisement critical of the the Wall Street “bailout” was produced and sent to television stations in key states before the package failed, officials at two stations said.  —  “Wall Street Squanders our money.

FRONTIERSMAN EXCLUSIVE: Palin responds to questions  —  Gov. Sarah Palin, the GOP vice presidential nominee, agreed to a request by her hometown newspaper, the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, for an interview by providing written responses via e-mail to the following questions.

Gallup Daily: Obama Holds 6-Point Lead  —  Two weeks since McCain's had any advantage in voter preferences  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama continues to hold a significant lead over John McCain in Gallup Poll Daily tracking, 49% to 43%.  —  This is based on interviewing conducted Sept. 27-29 …

Obama aide takes age swipe at McCain  —  Obama communications guru Robert Gibbs this morning compared John McCain's response to the economic crisis to an unsteady driver, a not-so-subtle dig at the Republican's age.  —  “Look, if he's driving a car, get off the sidewalk,” …

Commentary: Bankruptcy, not bailout, is the right answer  —  Editor's note: Jeffrey A. Miron is senior lecturer in economics at Harvard University.  A Libertarian, he was one of 166 academic economists who signed a letter to congressional leaders last week opposing the government bailout plan.

Why more briefings won't help Sarah Palin  —  Adam Nagourney has a good story in the New York Times about growing Republican fears that Sarah Palin, the GOP's vice presidential nominee, is going to crash and burn in Thursday's debate with Democrat Joe Biden.

House limits constituent e-mails to prevent crash  —  The House is limiting e-mails from the public to prevent its websites from crashing due to the enormous amount of mail being submitted on the financial bailout bill.  —  As a result, some constituents may get a 'try back at a later …

Euro Falls Most Against Dollar Amid European Banking Failures  —  Sept. 30 (Bloomberg) — The euro fell the most against the dollar since the introduction of the shared currency in 1999 after France and Belgium led a state-backed rescue of Dexia SA, as the widening financial crisis forces governments …

Report: Gingrich Stabbed Boehner In Back, Whipped GOP Opposition To Bailout  —  Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was working aggressively behind the scenes to defeat the Wall Street rescue plan minutes before he himself released a public statement in support of the package, NBC's Andrea Mitchell reported on Tuesday.

Is Sarah Palin's Lipliner A Tattoo?  (SLIDESHOW, POLL)  —  On September 10th, Wonkette received a tip that Sarah Palin's lipliner is a tattoo. … So although the allegation comes in a strangely cryptic email and there is no actual proof that this procedure was performed …

Bailout marks Karl Marx's comeback  —  Marx's Proposal Number Five seems to be the leading motivation for those backing the Wall Street bailout  —  By Martin Masse  —  In his Communist Manifesto, published in 1848, Karl Marx proposed 10 measures to be implemented after the proletariat takes power …

IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED, SUSPEND AGAIN!  —  John McCain made the morning show rounds today.  On Fox they were virtually begging him to “suspend” his campaign again in the wake of the bailout failure yesterday on the Hill.  You know, since it worked out so well the first time.

Why McCain Lost (The Debate, That Is)  —  It feels somewhat irrelevant given how quickly economic events seem to be overtaking the campaign, but here's a quick final thought on last Friday's debate, and why the great and good American people (at least judging by the polls to date) …

Former Ambassador to Pakistan Milam: “I had a pretty good idea of what failed states look like, and it was not one.”  —  During Friday's presidential debate, John McCain tried repeatedly to portray Barack Obama as an inexperienced empty suit who didn't “understand” major issues.