Woman Attacked At ATM, Assailant Carves Letter Into Her Face  —  Woman Robbed, Attacked With Knife At Bloomfield ATM  —  PITTSBURGH — A 20-year-old woman who was robbed at an ATM in Bloomfield was also maimed by her attacker, police said.  —  Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Diane Richard …

Palin In 2012: The Argument  —  There's a suspicion in some McCain loyalist precincts that Gov. Sarah Palin is beginning to play the Republican base against John McCain — McCain won't let her campaign in Michigan...McCain won't let her bring up Jeremiah Wright... McCain doesn't like her terrorist pal talks....

MEDIA REFUSING TO REPORT, INSISTS CONTRIBUTIONS ARE REAL— DESPITE OCT. 9 NYT REPORT NOTING FICTITIOUS CONTRIBUTORS  —  Bumped; Sticky.  Will remain top story for an hour.  Updates linked at post's end.  Fresh posts follow this one.  —  Mark Steyn cautions, though: Stop donating just to test it out.

EXCLUSIVE: McCain lambastes Bush years  —  ‘We just let things get completely out of hand’  —  NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW:  —  ABOARD THE STRAIGHT TALK AIR — Sen. John McCain on Wednesday blasted President Bush for building a mountain of debt for future generations, failing to pay for expanding Medicare …

Greenspan Concedes to ‘Flaw’ in His Market Ideology  —  Oct. 23 (Bloomberg) — Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said a “once-in-a-century credit tsunami” has engulfed financial markets and conceded that his free-market ideology shunning regulation was flawed.

Poll: Obama edges ahead of McCain in Montana  —  Eds: APNewsNow.  Will be led.  —  By MATT GOURAS Asscoiated Press Writer HELENA, Mont. (AP) A new poll shows that Democrat Barack Obama could be edging ahead of Republican John McCain in Montana.  —  Obama is at 44 percent and John …

The Full Obama Interview  —  Q] I want to ask you some questions about the way you make decisions and then some questions about issues.  To me the signal decision of this election was the way you chose your vice-president and the way he chose his.  You are known for deliberation and being a rational decision-maker.

Wardrobe Mysteries Linger  —  About that wardrobe ...  There are still aspects of the Republican National Committee's shopping sprees on behalf of Gov. Sarah Palin and her family that are murky.  —  Some of the fashion experts consulted Wednesday, for instance, about the $150,000 in purchases …

Council Votes, 29 to 22, to Extend Term Limits  —  (Photos: James Estrin/The New York Times)  —  After a spirited, emotional and at times raucous debate, the New York City Council voted, 29 to 22, on Thursday afternoon to extend term limits, allowing Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg …

Far-right Austrian leader sacked for revealing gay affair with Jörg Haider  —  The successor of the Austrian far-right leader Jörg Haider was dismissed yesterday after he revealed a “special” relationship “far beyond” friendship with his former mentor.

Gallup Daily: Obama Has Modest Lead Among Likely Voters  —  Size of margin four or six points depending on turnout assumptions  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup Poll Daily tracking shows Barack Obama running ahead of John McCain among likely voters — 50% to 46% using the “traditional” …

DEFINING ‘ELITE’.... It's a little jarring to hear John McCain and Sarah Palin complain about “elites.”  We are, after all, talking about two wealthy and powerful Republican politicians.  And yet, complain they do.  —  In the second part of his interview with the members of the Republican ticket …

NYT'S UNFORGETTABLE HIRE: BONO  —  Like Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter before him, New York Times editorial page editor Andrew Rosenthal sees something special in a certain teensy Gaelic man who refuses to remove his sunglasses.  That's right, the Timesman announced last night …

Breaking: New poll shows Russell over Murtha, 48-35  —  A Pennsylvania source has just leaked me brand spanking new poll data showing GOP upstart Bill Russell leading John Murtha among over 800 probable voters by 48-35.  —  This comes on top of the Susquehanna poll showing Murtha ahead …

Times poll: Obama 49, McCain 42  —  Independent Florida voters are on the verge of killing John McCain's hopes for the presidency.  —  A new St. Petersburg Times/Bay News 9/Miami Herald poll shows Barack Obama leading McCain 49 percent to 42 percent in this state McCain cannot afford to lose.

Someone Put On His Thinking Cap  —  From a reader: … Update: Hey, enraged lefty blog minions emailing me with all this name-calling b.s.: A) Calm down, I was being sarcastic, not serious.  B) What are you people so furious about?  That your candidate will continue to get more fraudulent donations?

McCain Shifting His Ad Spending From Kerry States To Bush States, A New Analysis Finds  —  In another sign that John McCain is on the defensive as time runs out, the McCain campaign is shifting its ad money out of blue tossup states and into red tossups and even traditionally red states, according to ad maven Evan Tracey.

Money & Business  —  Home > Money & Business > Capital Commerce > Would Obama, Dems Kill 401(k) Plans?  —  Would Obama, Dems Kill 401(k) Plans?  —  I hate to use the “S” word, but the American government would never do something as, well, socialist as seize private pension funds, right?

Too lib to fail?  —  In her report on Moody's possible downgrading of The New York Times to junk status, Michelle Malkin concludes with a throwaway line:  —  Anyone smelling a bailout plea coming on?  —  I hadn't thought about it like that but now you mention it, it sounds all too plausible.

Quiet in the peanut gallery  —  Matt Taibbi shreds Byron York into little tiny pieces … I love Matt Taibbi's work.  I just wish that when he has no idea what he is talking about, he would shut the hell up, rather than making an awkward public.  Of course, in this exchange he looks …

Prop 8 a Toss-Up  —  A ‘yes’ vote on California Proposition 8 would amend the state's constitution to prohibit gay marriage.  A ‘no’ vote would maintain the constitution, which the California Supreme Court ruled in May provides equal protection for gay marriage.

Turning the Page from Campaign Finance Fraud . . .  What is the deal with Obama's birth certificate and citizenship status?  —  Pamela Gellers at Atlas Shrugs raises some apparent shenanigans with the birth certificate the Obama campaign previously produced.

Sarah Palin: My Wedding Hope for Bristol  —  Now that Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter has celebrated her 18th birthday, the GOP vice-presidential candidate says she's hoping Bristol and fiancé Levi Johnston - who are expecting a baby in December - will tie the knot well before the date next summer the young couple had been eyeing.