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:

House GOP leadership, conservative media, The Crypt 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.

SEC Clarification May Help Markets  —  Some economists are attributing much of the current financial crisis to something as mundane-seeming as accounting.  —  The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Accounting Standards Board have just made an announcement that, dry as it sounds …

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 …

Voters Fear Failure of Bailout Bill Could Deepen Crisis, Poll Finds  —  Concerns About Economic Prospects Continue to Lift Obama's Campaign  —  Voters are deeply divided over the terms of the government's $700 billion economic rescue package, but overwhelmingly fear the House's rejection …

Sarah Palin On Today's Show  —  I will air an interview with the governor at the top of the first hour and repeat it in the third hour.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

Fact Sheet: Streamlined Process Announced for Otherwise Eligible HIV-Positive Individuals to Enter the United States  —  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Waiver Final Rule, a regulation that will streamline the issuance …

Sarah Palin gets painted in full, and nothing's conservative about it  —  North Side tavern hangs nude portrait  —  Bruce Elliott, whose wife owns the Old Town Ale House, painted this nude portrait of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.  He said his daughter …

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 …

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 …

The House of Death  —  An interview with DEA whistleblower Sandy Gonzalez  —  Sandalio “Sandy” Gonzalez recently retired after a 32-year career in law enforcement, 27 as an agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), eventually ascending to his highest-ranking position as head of operations in South America.

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.

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.

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.

NBC's Zucker didn't produce Obama video  —  Drudge helped push a video of a group of children in Venice, CA singing the praises of Barack Obama today with the headline, “VIDEO: Obama Kids Sing for Dear Leader.”  —  So of course, it made the rounds all day online, followed 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 …

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.