Powell endorses Obama for president  —  Republican ex-secretary of state calls Democrat ‘transformational figure’  —  WASHINGTON - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for president on Sunday, criticizing his own Republican Party for what he called …

MCCAIN, OBAMA TIED IN OHIO  —  From NBC's Mark Murray  —  A new round of NBC/Mason-Dixon polls shows Obama leading in the battleground state of Wisconsin, McCain ahead in West Virginia, and the two candidates essentially tied in the swing state of Ohio.  —  In Wisconsin …

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.

Obama Raises More Than $150 Million in September  —  Senator Barack Obama's campaign announced on Sunday that it had raised more than $150 million in September, a record-shattering amount underscoring again the unprecedented amounts of money he has attracted.

Limbaugh Wallops Powell  —  The talk radio titan blisters Gen. Powell's Obama endorsement, suggesting to Politico that race was a factor:  —  “I am now researching his past endorsements to see if I can find all the inexperienced, very liberal, white candidates he has endorsed.

Powell Outside The Studio  —  In some ways, more devastating.  And a swipe at Bachmann's McCarthyism:

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.

Gallup Daily: Obama Retains Significant Lead  —  Race remains tighter among likely voters than registered voters  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama's advantage over John McCain in the presidential race has again widened to 10 percentage points among registered voters, 52% to 42%, in Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Oct. 16-18.

U.S. Pact Hits Snag as Iraq Shiites Seek Changes  —  The Iraqi parliament's biggest political bloc is calling for all American troops to leave this country by the end of 2011 as a condition for approving a new agreement extending the U.S. military presence in Iraq, a senior official said Sunday.