Pat Buchanan says Colin Powell endorsed Obama because he's black  —  Liberals in general are no fans of Colin Powell, but watching the right wing ideologues slam Powell because of his endorsement of Obama, I can only assume that they fear this particular endorsement because it will have an impact on undecided and independent voters.

Ontario police arrest man in voter fraud case  —  Mark Jacoby, who owns a firm hired by the California Republican Party, violated state laws with his own registration, authorities say.  —  SACRAMENTO — The owner of a firm that the California Republican Party hired to register tens of thousands …

Jon Stewart to Sarah Palin: ‘[Expletive] You.’  —  Speaking to a college audience in Boston, Mass. Friday, “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart used his stand-up routine to respond to Sarah Palin's comments about “pro-America” parts of the country, shedding the profanity restrictions that govern his Comedy Central show.

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 …

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 …

‘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.”

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.

Many Holes in Disclosure of Nominees' Health  —  Fifteen days before the election, serious gaps remain in the public's knowledge about the health of the presidential and vice-presidential nominees.  The limited information provided by the candidates is a striking departure from recent campaigns …

THE INSIDERS  —  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.

A Popular Vote / Electoral College Split?  —  This column has been fantasizing about this scenario for months.  On Meet the Press, NBC News political director Chuck Todd said that it would be virtually impossible for John McCain to win the popular vote.  —  I agree.  The reasoning is simple:

Palin says voters ‘irritated’ by robocalls  —  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (CNN) - All of a sudden, Sarah Palin is eager to meet the press.  —  John McCain's running mate took questions from her press corps for the second time in three days late Sunday after flying into Colorado Springs.

Palin on the Angry Tone at Rallies  —  In a one-on-one interview with The Brody File, Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin says she has not personally heard vicious attacks directed at Barack Obama at her rallies.  If she ever were to hear any, she says she would put an end to it.

Sigmund Freud and the Global Financial Meltdown: Prensa Libre of Guatemala  —  Does the work of Sigmund Freud have anything to teach us about the global financial crisis and how to extricate ourselves from its clutches?  —  Margarita Carrera of Guatemala's Prensa Libre reminds her readers …

‘Joe the Plumber’ in media cross hairs  —  The eyes of Joe the Plumber stare sightlessly from the media pike that his head has been impaled upon.  A few crows fly over.  As crows are curious, they become interested in the offering below.  They lock their wings, caw and begin their swoop.