Obama and '60s Bomber: A Look Into Crossed Paths  —  CHICAGO — At a tumultuous meeting of anti-Vietnam War militants at the Chicago Coliseum in 1969, Bill Ayers helped found the radical Weathermen, launching a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and United States Capitol.

Historical Manglings  —  What Joe Biden and Sarah Palin don't understand about the office they're applying for.  —  Last night, Gwen Ifill asked Governor Sarah Palin and Senator Joe Biden what their understanding of the role of the vice presidency was.  The answers were not encouraging.

With One Month To Go: Why McCain Will Close and Win  —  Because the country cannot afford the greatest gamble in its modern history at this moment in time.  —  A confrontation with Iran looms and instability in Pakistan grows.  The Islamist threat has been beaten back in Iraq …

Gallup Daily: Obama Maintains Significant Margin  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Oct. 1-3 finds 50% of registered voters supporting Barack Obama, and 42% John McCain, for president.  —  Obama has now held a statistically significant lead over McCain for the last eight days …

Franken bypasses Coleman as voters react to attack ads  —  DFL U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken has moved into his first solid lead over incumbent Republican Norm Coleman, according to a new Star Tribune Minnesota Poll.  —  The survey, conducted Tuesday through Thursday …

GOP Strategists Whisper Fears Of Greater Losses in November  —  With the party already struggling to generate enthusiasm for its brand, Republican strategists fear that an outpouring of public anger generated by Congress's struggle to pass a rescue package for the financial industry may contribute …

What's The Matter With Harry?  —  One of the more curious — but not unprecedented — incidents in the last couple of weeks involved Harry Reid.  The Wall Street Journal explains: … But this wasn't the only such incident: … All of this raises the question: are they trying …

Lawmaker Accused of Fannie Mae Conflict of Interest  —  Unqualified home buyers were not the only ones who benefitted from Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank's efforts to deregulate Fannie Mae throughout the 1990s.  —  So did Frank's partner, a Fannie Mae executive at the forefront of the agency's push to relax lending restrictions.

Obama gaining crucial ground  —  Polling shifts in some key states  —  With 31 days until the election, Democrat Barack Obama's road to the White House is widening, and Republican John McCain's electoral path is narrowing.  —  The McCain campaign's decision this week to abandon Democratic-leaning Michigan …

45% Say Biden Won Debate, 37% Say Palin  —  The Vice Presidential debate on Thursday night attracted a bigger television audience than the Presidential debate a week earlier, but is not likely to have much of an impact on the results of Election 2008.  —  Forty-five percent (45%) …

Catholic Church Is Riven by Internal Debate  —  As the Roman Catholic church observes its annual “respect life” Sunday in this heated presidential election season, the unusually pitched competition for the Catholic voters is setting off a new round of skirmishes over the application of the church's teachings.