Why can't Klein get a seat?  UPDATE  —  Time columnist Joe Klein, who's been a forceful critic of the McCain campaign (and already said he's unwilling to accept a post-election apology), has found himself without a seat on the McCain or Palin the past four months.

Kristol: What Biden Implied  —  John McCain took note Monday of Joe Biden's remarks the day before at a Seattle fundraiser (where Biden apparently didn't realize at first there were media present).  But there's more McCain could say.  —  Here's McCain, in Belton, Missouri:

The comprehensive argument against Barack Obama  —  CLOSING THE DEAL  —  A Roadmap for Campaign 2008's Homestretch  —  By Guy Benson (www.guybensonshow.com) and Mary Katharine Ham (www.weeklystandard.com)  —  Editor and Contributor, Ed Morrissey  —  WHO ARE WE?

Palin Claims The Vice President Is ‘In Charge Of The U.S. Senate’  —  Yesterday, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) sat for an interview with KUSA, an NBC affiliate in Colorado.  In response to a question sent to the network by a third grader at a local elementary school about what the Vice President does …

Those Undisclosed Obama Donors  —  In an attempt at political jujitsu (soon to enter the Hall of Verboten Clichés — but not yet), the McCain campaign and the RNC have been attempting to put Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., on the defensive about his record-shattering fundraising …

Fresh Face on Cable, Sharp Rise in Ratings  —  Rachel Maddow, a woman who does not own a television set, has done something that is virtually unheard of: she has doubled the audience for a cable news channel's 9 p.m. hour in a matter of days.  —  More important for her bosses at MSNBC is that …

RNC raises specter of 9/11 attacks  —  The jumbo jet bearing down on the travellers in the airport concourse is on the front.  —  The Obama hit comes after you flip it open.  —  McCain has dropped the “Who is Barack Obama?” line from his speech, but the party is picking it back up here in a piece that …

Spotted: Mark Foley  —  There have been so many scandals since October, 2006, the month that I launched this blog, that I just about forgot who Mark Foley was.  —  I got an excited phone call yesterday from two friends, TV producer Richard Ayoub and talent manager Dolores Cantu, who were having lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

OPRAH OFFERS PRODUCTION HELP WITH OBAMA'S NETWORK SPECIAL  —  Oprah Winfrey is offering to “produce” the half-hour Barack Obama advertisement set to air on Oct. 29, a top source tells the DRUDGE REPORT.  The Daytime TV dynamo has even offered up her studio space in Chicago.

Obama Talks Nonsense on Tax Cuts  —  Revenues will inevitably be diverted from Social Security.  —  Now we know: 95% of Americans will get a “tax cut” under Barack Obama after all.  Those on the receiving end of a check will include the estimated 44% of Americans who will owe no federal income taxes under his plan.

Poll Suggests U.S. Troops Support McCain 3-1  —  A Military Times poll indicates landslide support for John McCain, who captures 68 percent of the military vote to Barack Obama's 23 percent.  —  FOXNews.com  —  A poll by the Military Times newspaper group suggests that there is overwhelming support …

Barack Obama: Why I believe he should be the next President  —  There are all sorts of reasons for hoping that Barack Hussein Obama will be the next president of the United States.  He seems highly intelligent.  He has an air of courtesy and sincerity.  Unlike the current occupant of the White House …

OBAMA SCARES SENIORS  —  ANTI-MCCAIN MEDICARE AD. … BARACK OBAMA HAS BEEN TELLING SENIORS THAT THEIR HARD-WON MEDICARE BENEFITS ARE AT RISK IF HIS RIVAL WINS THE ELECTION.  THE MESSAGE HAS BEEN HAMMERED HOME IN A SERIES OF SPEECHES AND TELEVISION ADS, INCLUDING THE ONE SHOWN ABOVE …

Are We a Conservative Country?  —  Not for the first time—and, I'm sure, not for the last—Paul Krugman wrote what I was thinking this morning: … To be fair, I would concede that America's strong individulaistic streak makes the country inhospitable to government activism, at least relative to Western Europe.

U.S. Drops Charges Against 5 Detainees  —  The Pentagon official in charge of prosecutions at Guantanamo on Tuesday dismissed war-charges against five detainees, the latest setback to the government's military commission system.  —  The official, Susan J. Crawford, has broad power …

Gallup Daily: Obama Holds Lead in Various Scenarios  —  Lead between seven and 10 points among likely voters  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama maintains a lead over John McCain in the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update from Saturday through Monday; the size of the lead varies between seven …

Tracking Poll Primer  —  Now that there are fully eight distinct national tracking polls, I thought I'd take the time to give you my Cliff's Notes assessment of each one.  The polls are arranged in the order in which they typically appear throughout the day — as you may have discovered …

White supremacists target middle America  —  The white-power movement is changing its marketing strategy to broaden its appeal.  —  The USA's largest neo-Nazi group is ditching its trademark brown Nazi uniform with swastika armband for a more muted look in black fatigues.

Sarah Palin's college years left no lasting impression  —  In the five years of her collegiate career, spanning four universities in three states, Palin left behind few traces.  Not many professors or students even remember her.  —  Reported from Moscow, Idaho — What can we learn …

FIRST THOUGHTS: OFF THE TRAIL  —  From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann  —  *** Obama off the trail: NBC/NJ's Athena Jones reported last night that Obama was canceling his scheduled trips to Iowa and Wisconsin on Thursday and Friday, so he could travel to Hawaii …

Dems sweating over street $ from Obama  —  When the Philadelphia Democratic Party's faithful gathered for their pre-election fundraiser last night, conversation among many anxious ward leaders kept coming back to the same question: Would Barack Obama come up with street money?

NARAL hits McCain in mail  —  That cover should draw some, ahem, attention.  —  The piece is hitting voters ID'd as pro-abortion rights in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.  —  (Digression: Where do they find male models …

When did McCain become a Neocon?  Shiite MPs demand SOFA Renegotiation  —  When did McCain become a Neocon?  —  Shiite MPs demand SOFA Renegotiation  —  Jonathan Landay carefully traces John McCain's transformation from pragmatist to Neoconservative warmonger, which took place while Bush was still just a Texas politician.

Palin Rally Breaks Record  —  With just 15 days to go until Election Day, there was a record breaking crowd at Suplizio.  According to Mesa County Republicans the rally drew 22,000 people making it the biggest in Grand Junction's history.  The speech was only about 15 minutes …

Palin dubs Obama: ‘Barack the Wealth Spender’  —  GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado (CNN) — Taking “Joe the plumber” wordplay to an unprecedented new level, Sarah Palin on Monday dubbed Barack Obama “Barack the Wealth Spender” for his plan to offer tax credits to lower and middle-income wage earners.

Cindy McCain lashes out at media ‘viciousness’  —  (CNN) — Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, decried the “viciousness of the media” Monday, days after the New York Times ran a front page story detailing her troubled history with prescription drugs and difficulty fitting into Washington social circles.