Polls aside, Pa. remains a battleground  —  PHILADELPHIA - Pennsylvania hasn't voted Republican for president since 1988.  Democrats have increased their registration numbers here by more than a half-million over the past year and Barack Obama has a double-digit lead in the polls.

McCain tussles with Palin over whipping up a mob mentality  —  Video: the second presidential debate in 10 easy minutes  —  With his electoral prospects fading by the day, Senator John McCain has fallen out with his vice-presidential running mate about the direction of his White House campaign.

23 days out — McCain to make a Letterman appearance  —  Good morning — the Sunday speed read:  — BREAKING — Dave and Mac make up: CBS announces that Senator McCain will appear on Letterman on Thursday, a makeup from his cancellation of Sept. 24 when he claimed to be suspending his campaign.

Boys' night out: “The Politico guys,” Rove's top disciple and how our press corps works  —  (updated below)  —  Tim Griffin has long been one of Karl Rove's closest “protégés” and has been at the epicenter of many of the most significant episodes of Republican sleaze over the last decade …

McCain backers raise divided government  —  Implying that the GOP won't win back either the House or Senate, two McCain backers this morning sounded out a new talking point by raising the specter of Democrats in control of both the Congress and White House.  —  Rick Davis, McCain's campaign manager, posed it as a question.

Issue of Race Creeps Into Campaign  —  In the first presidential campaign involving an African American nominee of a major party, both candidates have agreed on this much: They would rather not dwell on the subject of race.  —  But their allies have other ideas.

7-YR.-OLD GETS AN ACORN VOTE  —  CONN. JOB TO BOOST OBAMA  —  By GINGER ADAMS OTIS and SUSAN EDELMAN in New York and MELISSA KLEIN in Bridgeport, Conn.  —  O'jahnae Smith is ready and registered to vote this November.  —  There's only one problem: She's 7 years old.

Forward with Obama  —  AS THE nation wavers precariously at the precipice of economic ruin, American voters must decide who has the knowledge, steadiness, judgment, and inspirational qualities to lead us effectively out of that morass, for the next four years and beyond.

Crush the Obamedia narrative: Look who's “gripped by insane rage”  —  The Obamedia is attempting to set yet another false narrative: The narrative of the McCain “mob.”  McCain-Palin rallies are out of control, they wheedle.  Conservatives are mad!  They're yelling mean things about Obama and calling him names!

The Rise of the Machines  —  “BEWARE of geeks bearing formulas.”  So saith Warren Buffett, the Wizard of Omaha.  Words to bear in mind as we bail out banks and buy up mortgages and tweak interest rates and nothing, nothing seems to make any difference on Wall Street or Main Street.

Daley reins in radicals — the Chicago Way  —  Turn on the TV news when John McCain is picking up undecided voters by invoking Barack Obama's relationship with unrepentant American terrorist William Ayers and, invariably, some liberal talking head will sniff in disgust and say Ayers is no big deal where Obama comes from.

THE AMERICAN PRESS CORPS IS WROSE THAN HILTER!!!  11!!  —  Not really.  But the media death spiral watch continues, led by the Politico.  —  You remember Paul Krugman's joke—that if Bush said the world was flat, reporters would write “opinions on shape of earth differ”?

Are We Rome?  Tu Betchus!  —  With modernity crumbling, our thoughts turn to antiquity.  —  The decline and fall of the American Empire echoes the experience of the Romans, who also tumbled into the trap of becoming overleveraged empire hussies.  —  As our sand-castle economy washes away under …

Palin Met With Boos at Flyers' Opener  —  When Sarah Palin dropped the ceremonial first puck at the Flyers' opener on Saturday night at the Wachovia Center, she was greeted by resounding (almost deafening) boos.  Ed Snider, owner of the Flyers, had her introduced to the crowd more as a hockey mom …