Tribune endorsement: Barack Obama for president  —  Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama campaigns in Roanoke, Va. today.  (Getty photo by Joe Raedle / October 17, 2008)  —  However this election turns out, it will dramatically advance America's slow progress toward equality and inclusion.

Palin Explains What Parts Of Country Not “Pro-America”  —  The McCain campaign is seeking to clarify a remark reported from a Sarah Palin fundraiser in North Carolina yesterday in which the Alaska Governor declared that she loved to visit the “pro-America” areas of the country — implying …

Obama Lawyer Asks for Probe of Republican Voter-Fraud Claims  —  Oct. 17 (Bloomberg) — Barack Obama's campaign attorney today asked Attorney General Michael Mukasey to add a probe into allegedly false Republican claims of voter fraud to the investigation into the firings of U.S. attorneys.

Republicans file new lawsuit against Brunner  —  Rebuffed at U.S. Supreme Court, they turn to Ohio's top court  —  Having lost before the U.S. Supreme Court in a lawsuit involving the verification of new voter registrations, Republicans now are turning to the Ohio Supreme Court.

Death threat, vandalism hit ACORN after McCain comments  —  WASHINGTON — An ACORN community organizer received a death threat and the liberal activist group's Boston and Seattle offices were vandalized Thursday, reflecting mounting tensions over its role in registering 1.3 million mostly poor and minority Americans to vote next month.

“I Am Joe The Plumber?”  Well, Not Exactly  —  The Republican National Committee is sending around this Associated Press photo of overall-clad McCain supporters standing outside an Obama rally, clutching plungers and a sign proclaiming “I Am Joe The Plumber”:  —  The only problem?

For Immediate Release  —  ARLINGTON, VA - Today, Cindy McCain made available the summary pages of her most recently filed federal income tax return (2007).  This information is available on the McCain campaign's website at http://www.johnmccain.com/mccainfinanci al/.

Palin plays the “socialist” card at Ohio rally  —  WEST CHESTER, Ohio (CNN) — It's not uncommon to hear Democrats accused of socialism at Republican campaign events.  It's less common to hear it directly from a Republican candidate — let alone the party's vice presidential nominee.

Nation could face short Election Night  —  Network news executives said they are preparing for an unusual Election Night challenge: How to be honest with the audience, and still keep them tuned in, if the race between John McCain and Barack Obama is effectively decided before most Americans have finished dinner.

Bad Spin Watch: Drudge Touts Weeks-Old, Web-Based Poll  —  For his latest trick, Matt Drudge is touting the results of an AP-Yahoo poll that shows a two-point race between Obama and McCain.  —  You may never have heard of the AP-Yahoo poll before.  This is for good reason …

Barack Obama vows to ‘change the world’  —  Barack Obama has vowed that he will “change the world” even as he urged his supporters to guard against complacency.  —  The supremely confident demeanour and exalted rhetoric of the Democratic nominee at a New Hampshire event betrayed that he is a man convinced he is poised to make history.

Deep Breaths, Everyone!  —  Peggy Noonan and Kathleen Parker take up the Christopher Buckley business today.  In her Palin-centered column, Peggy says those “whose thoughts lead them to criticism in this area are to be shunned, and accused of the lowest motives,” and then cites Christopher's resignation …

Colin Powell might endorse Obama  —  Retired Gen. Colin Powell, once considered a potential running mate for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), now may endorse his opponent, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), according to Republican sources.  But an air of mystery surrounds Powell's planned live appearance Sunday on NBC's …

OBAMA'S FANCY SNACK  —  THOUGH he's battling GOP accusations that he's an Ivy League elitist, Barack Obama has a lifestyle of the rich and famous, like TV show host Robin Leach, who always signed off, “Champagne wishes and caviar dreams!”  While he was at a meeting at the Waldorf-Astoria at 4 p.m. Wednesday …

Michelle Malkin Bids for Self-Parody Award  —  I try really hard not to dignify Michelle Malkin by responding to her rants.  But I can't let this one pass.  —  It seems that Malkin is angry over the recent treatment of Joe Wurzelbacher—a.k.a., “Joe the Plumber.”

OK, They're Officially Insane  —  I'm listening to Fox, on which an Obama spokeshole is claiming that the McCain campaign “didn't vet Joe the Plumber.”  —  They must be terrified.  —  [Late morning update]  —  Jeff Medcalf visualizes the vetting process in comments:

MCCAIN, OBAMA ASKED ABOUT INFIDELITY.... CBS News' Katie Couric continues to air a pretty interesting series in which she asks the exact same question to both John McCain and Barack Obama.  Last night, viewers saw Couric ask both candidate why they think so many prominent political figures risk so much by committing adultery.

Obama Supporter Assaults Female McCain Volunteer in New York  —  As the media fumes over nonexistent hate at Palin speeches, it ignores leftists who go berserk on city streets.  —  While the Democrat-leaning media continues to scare undecided voters with bedtime stories about some mythical angry …

McCain Using Same Robocall Firm That Helped Smear Him In 2000  —  In his efforts to attack Barack Obama, John McCain appears to have turned to the same political consulting firm that was responsible for spreading vicious smears about the Senator during the 2000 South Carolina GOP primary.

How We Lost the War We Won  —  A Journey Into Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan  —  The highway that leads south out of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, passes through a craggy range of arid, sand-colored mountains with sharp, stony peaks.  Poplar trees and green fields line the road.