George Will: Colin Powell Endorsed Obama Because He's Black  —  This morning on “This Week” George Will was asked what he thought about Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama.  —  His response?  —  Black, black, blackety-black black black blackety-black. … Huh?

Today's Polls, 10/19  —  Well, scratch West Virginia from the swing state list for the time being.  Both Public Policy Polling and Mason-Dixon have new polling out in the state, and they give John McCain leads of 8 and 6 points respectively.  It's possible that this is one of those areas …

‘Socialist,’ ‘Muslim’ — Ugly reception for Obama  —  Barack Obama's stop at Cape Fear BBQ and Chicken in Fayetteville, N.C., this afternoon underscored the continued resistance of some voters to his candidacy — and his identity.  The trip, according to a pool report, offered “some powerful and at times ugly interaction.”

Here Comes the Onslaught  —  This Newsweek cover piece is the starting gun of the elite pushback against what could be a new progressive era.  Penned by one of the most reliable peddlers of Establishment talking points, Jon Meacham, it ignores a wealth of easy-to-find empirical public opinion data showing …

GOP voter registration fraud case leads to arrest  —  Mark Jacoby, who was arrested in Ontario and owns a firm hired by the California Republican Party, violated state registration laws, authorities say.  —  SACRAMENTO — The owner of a firm that the California Republican Party hired …

How John McCain came to pick Sarah Palin.  —  “Here's a little news flash,” Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska and the Republican candidate for Vice-President, announced in September, during her début at the Party's Convention, in St. Paul.  “I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment.

RACE TO THE BOTTOM  —  If you're thinking to yourself that there's little more than two weeks before election day and Obama has a solid lead in the polls, don't be so sure.  —  Yes, it looks good for the Democrats.  But you need to play close attention to the McCain campaign's final weeks' strategy under and just above the radar.

Democrats Favor Spreading Wealth Around, GOP Disagrees  —  John McCain now says it's socialism, but Barack Obama insists, “When you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody.”  —  Forty-four percent (44%) of voters agree with Obama's statement while 42% disagree in a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Healthcare shouldn't be linked to employment  —  THE CHOICE you'll have," said Barack Obama during last week's debate, as he told voters what to expect if John McCain's health-insurance proposal becomes law, “is having your employer no longer provide you healthcare.  —  “Don't take my word for it,” he added.