Exclusive: Obama to hit McCain on Keating Five  —  Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Monday will launch a multimedia campaign to draw attention to the involvement of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the “Keating Five” savings-and-loan scandal of 1989-91, which blemished McCain's public image and set him on his course as a self-styled reformer.

It's Over: Why Bill Ayers Won't Save John McCain  —  Perpetually fretting Democrats will not want to accept it.  The campaigns themselves can't afford to believe it.  Many journalists know it but can't say it.  And there will certainly be some twists and turns along the way.

In slip up, Palin calls Afghanistan “our neighboring country”  —  SAN FRANCISCO - Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin called Afghanistan “our neighboring country” on Sunday in a speech that could revive questions over her tendency to stumble into linguistic knots.

Sarah Palin in Burlingame, Calif.  —  I am freshly returned from a Sarah Palin fundraiser in Burlingame, California.  Thank-you to the readers who donated in my name, both the nameless first (who, the campaign insists, is called Joann, and is my wife) and the second.

We can't defeat Taleban, says Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith  —  The departing commander of British forces in Afghanistan says he believes the Taleban will never be defeated.  —  Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith, the commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, whose troops have suffered severe casualties …

Voter registration trends appear to favor Democrats  —  Today is the deadline for new voters to get on the rolls in several key states.  Some elections offices are overwhelmed.  —  WASHINGTON — For months, Barack Obama's presidential campaign said it would capture traditionally Republican states …

Mishaps mark John McCain's record as naval aviator  —  Three crashes early in his career led Navy officials to question or fault his judgment.  —  John McCain was training in his AD-6 Skyraider on an overcast Texas morning in 1960 when he slammed into Corpus Christi Bay and sheared the skin off his plane's wings.

Candidates Prepare for Tuesday's Town Hall Debate  —  In one of the most beautiful spots on the globe, Sen. John McCain spent much of Saturday holed up in a dark hotel conference room, engaged in intense debate preparation.  At the end of it, the GOP nominee told his aides that was crazy …

Now Wall Street may shun $700bn bail-out  —  Fears are mounting that many Wall Street banks and financial firms will refuse to participate in the US government's $700bn bail-out package, leaving global markets and world economies in a perilous state for months to come.

Supreme Court's Direction Hinges on Who Wins '08 Race  —  There were not many conspicuous tributes to the legacy of President Bush at last month's Republican National Convention, but there was at least one.  —  It was a campaign button with the words “Thanks, W” across the top and photos …

Seven state employees to honor Troopergate subpoenas  —  Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg announced today that seven state employees will now honor subpoenas to testify in the legislative investigation of the Troopergate affair.  —  Colberg said the decision comes in light of a judge's ruling …