Obama Boosts Leadership Image and Regains Lead Over McCain  —  Growing Concerns About Palin's Qualifications  —  Barack Obama has achieved a significant lead over John McCain in the days following the first presidential debate.  Pew's new survey conducted Sept. 27-29 finds that Obama …

Poll: Obama Makes Gains with Women, Hits New High  —  Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is greeted by supporters at a rally at Mountain Range High School in Westminster, Colo., on Sept. 29  —  Propelled by concerns over the financial crisis and a return of support from female voters …

Gallup Daily: Obama 48%, McCain 44%  —  Slightly closer race now than two days ago  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update of registered voters finds Barack Obama at 48%, and John McCain at 44%, marking a slight narrowing of the race from the eight percentage point margin Obama held earlier this week.

VP Debate Moderator Pens Pro-Obama Book  —  WASHINGTON: Gwen Ifill, who is moderating Thursday's vice-presidential debate, is releasing a book on Barack Obama and other young black politicians who are “forging a bold new path to political power.”  —  FOXNews.com

oh - oh !!  —  I confirmed for us here on GretaWire: the McCain campaign did NOT know about Gwen Ifill's book (I think I told them when I made my efforts - emails about midnight - to find out!)  I am stunned....the campaign (actually both) should have been told before the campaign agreed to have her moderate.

The Ifill Attack  —  It's straight out of Rove.  Attack the debate moderator.  The best that can happen from the Rove-Schmidt point of view is that Ifill softens her questions to Palin out of fear of being smeared by the McCain camp, as they have tried to smear me and any other journalist doing their job.

McCain: I've turned to Palin for foreign policy advice many times in the past  —  On NPR this morning: … Yeah, right, Joe Biden doesn't hold a candle to the woman who's read most of the newspapers and magazines in the world.  And McCain has turned to her for sage foreign policy advice “many times in the past”?

Des Moines Register...  As a former general in the GOP, I get a lot of emails from various operative types around the country.  Many are old comrades from the forgotten wars of old Republican statewide campaigns.  Unlike the well meaning but under-experienced six month wonders who seem …