McCain Campaign Is at Odds Over Negative Attacks' Scope  —  Senator Says Faith Issue Puts Obama's Former Pastor off Limits  —  Top McCain campaign officials are grappling with how far to go with negative attacks on Sen. Barack Obama in the final weeks of what is turning into a come-from-behind effort.

Voter registration forms faked, officials say  —  CNN Special Investigations Unit  —  CROWN POINT, Indiana (CNN) — More than 2,000 voter registration forms filed in northern Indiana's Lake County by a liberal activist group this week have turned out to be bogus, election officials said Thursday.

In Dozens of Calls, Palins and Aides Pressed for Trooper's Removal  —  ANCHORAGE — The 2007 state fair was days away when Alaska's public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, took another call about one of his troopers, Michael Wooten.  This time, the director of Gov. Sarah Palin's Anchorage office was on the line.

Obama tried to sway Iraqis on Bush deal  —  In private conversations on troop presence, candidate pitched delay  —  At the same time the Bush administration was negotiating a still elusive agreement to keep the U.S. military in Iraq, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama tried …

We Have the Tools to Manage the Crisis  —  Now we need the leadership to use them.  —  Today, the financial crisis has reached a critical point.  The sharp decline in the stock market and its volatility dramatically make the point.  More important if less visible, the flow of credit through …

Former governor Milliken backs away from McCain  —  GRAND RAPIDS — He endorsed John McCain in the presidential primary, but now former Republican Gov. William Milliken is expressing doubts about his party's nominee.  —  “He is not the McCain I endorsed,” said Milliken, reached at his Traverse City home Thursday.

The End Of American Capitalism?  —  The worst financial crisis since the Great Depression is claiming another casualty: American-style capitalism.  —  Since the 1930s, U.S. banks were the flagships of American economic might, and emulation by other nations of the fiercely free-market financial system …

Fictitious Donors Found in Obama Finance Records  —  Last December, someone using the name “Test Person,” from “Some Place, UT,” made a series of contributions, the largest being $764, to Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign totaling $2,410.07.  —  Someone identifying himself as …

Pollster: Don't believe the Dem hype  —  The presidential race is still too close to call and could come down to the very last weekend before voters decide if they like or distrust Barack Obama, a national pollster predicts.  —  “I don't think Obama has closed the deal yet,” pollster John Zogby told the Herald yesterday.

Prosecuting Weathermen  —  To the Editor:  —  Re “Politics of Attack” (editorial, Oct. 8) and “Obama and '60s Bomber: A Look Into Crossed Paths” (front page, Oct. 4):  —  As the lead federal prosecutor of the Weathermen in the 1970s (I was then chief of the criminal division in the Eastern District …

The Class War Before Palin  —  Modern conservatism began as a movement of dissident intellectuals.  Richard Weaver wrote a book called, “Ideas Have Consequences.”  Russell Kirk placed Edmund Burke in an American context.  William F. Buckley famously said he'd rather be governed …

Dodd and Countrywide  —  The Senator should take the witness stand.  —  Former Lehman Brothers CEO Dick Fuld was under oath Monday when he was grilled on Capitol Hill about his role in the current financial meltdown.  But if Members really want to understand the credit mania, they should also call Chris Dodd.

Obama's Staff Slips Up With Muslim Outreach  —  The Obama campaign said it was a mistake for an outreach coordinator to join a meeting last month attended by leaders of two controversial Muslim groups as it seeks votes from large Muslim populations in swing states.

Adelson Loses $4 Billion, Buffett Moves Up in Forbes Ranking  —  Oct. 9 (Bloomberg) — Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chief Executive Officer Sheldon Adelson's net worth declined by $4 billion between Aug. 29 and Oct. 1, the steepest drop among Americans who lost $1 billion or more during the credit crisis, according to Forbes magazine.

Obama's Magic  —  And now, America, we introduce the Great Obama!  The world's most gifted political magician!  A thing of wonder.  A thing of awe.  Just watch him defy politics, economics, even gravity!  (And hold your applause until the end, please.)  To kick off our show tonight …