The Wright Stuff  —  I spoke on the phone Sunday with Sarah Palin, who was in Long Beach, Calif., preparing to take off on her next campaign trip.  It was the first time I'd talked with her since I met her in far more relaxed circumstances in Alaska over a year ago.

McCain Plans Federal Health Cuts  —  Medicare, Medicaid Spending Would Be Reduced to Offset Proposed Tax Credit  —  John McCain would pay for his health plan with major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid, a top aide said, in a move that independent analysts estimate could result in cuts …

Engaging on Keating  —  I'd always thought McCain's great strength in defending the Keating affair was that he'd acknolwedged making a huge mistake, and spent his career repenting by recasting himself as a reformer.  —  So when his campaign puts his lawyer on the line with reporters to contest …

Meanwhile, across the pond . . .  Europe's ongoing disaster is starting to match ours.  This not only seriously challenge the idea that the main problem is American bank regulation—everyone is having the same problem, despite different regulatory regimes—but also puts us in much deeper jeopardy.

Lieberman: Palin Will Win “With God's Help”  —  Via CNN streaming video, I watched Sarah Palin's event in Clearwater, Florida, this morning.  She was heartily introduced there by John McCain's pal Joe Lieberman.  The former Democrat is a very strange figure these days, far from his moorings in the Democratic Party.

Gallup Daily: Obama Leads 50% to 42%  —  Obama remains statistically ahead for tenth straight day  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama leads John McCain among registered voters across the country by a 50% to 42% margin in Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Oct. 3-5, the tenth straight day in which Obama …

Not Everyone Should Own a Home  —  Even without Fan and Fred, American mortgage rules are unusually lax.  —  Maybe only a friendly foreigner could say this.  But America needs to realize that not everyone can own a home.  The American Dream of home ownership for all is a fraud.

This Week is the Last Week  —  At this point, the campaign for the Presidency is Barack Obama's to lose.  If the election were held today, he would win.  Not only would he win, but Republican loses in Congress would be massive.  —  From here until the election on November 4th …

Embarracuda  —  I'm of two minds about how to deal with the McCain campaign's further descent into ugliness.  Their strategy is simple: you throw crap against a wall and then giggle as the media try to analyze the putresence in a way that conveys a sense of balance: “Well, it is bull-pucky …

Biden's Fantasy World  —  Sarah Palin may not know as much about the world, but at least most of what she knows is true.  —  In the popular media wisdom, Sarah Palin is the neophyte who knows nothing about foreign policy while Joe Biden is the savvy diplomatic pro.

CNN RELIABLE SOURCES  —  Examining the Media and Coverage of Recent Stories  —  THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.  THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.  —  HOWARD KURTZ, HOST (voice-over): Palin and the pundits.  The media verdict: Sarah Palin did far better against Joe Biden than with Katie Couric.