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.

JOE D'OH PUTS O IN ‘CRISIS’ MODE  —  SAYS WORLD WOULD TEST YOUNG PREZ  —  By CARL CAMPANILE in Belton, Mo., and GEOFF EARLE in Orlando, Fla.  —  Joe Biden warned that America's enemies would test Barack Obama with an international crisis within six months if he's elected president …

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 …

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?

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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?

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 …

McCain's American Idol Make-Up Artist Makes Big Bucks  —  American Idol make-up artist Tifanie White has found some high profile work while the show is on break.  (Altaffer/AP)  —  Remember last month when Republican presidential nominee John McCain got made up by the American Idol make-up artist?

After endorsing Obama's Pakistan policy, Palin now attacks it.»  —  In September, appearing to endorse Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) position on the matter, Gov. Sarah Palin said that the U.S. should “absolutely” launch cross-border attacks into Pakistan if it is necessary to “stop the terrorists from coming any further in.”

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 …

Those who want Joe Lieberman to remain a Democrat  —  Salon's Mike Madden today explores the reluctance of Harry Reid and the Democratic leadership to expel Joe Lieberman from their caucus and deny him ongoing Chairmanships “even if things break their way and the party winds up in control of more than 60 seats.”

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 …

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.