Police: Campaign Worker Admits Making Up Story  —  A Pittsburgh police commander told KDKA Investigator Marty Griffin that Ashley Todd confessed to making up the story & is facing charges  —  PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Police sources tell KDKA that a campaign worker has now confessed to making …

Palin's Makeup Stylist Fetches Highest Salary in 2-Week Period  —  (Photo: Michael Appleton for The New York Times)  —  Updated |  12:20 p.m. Who was the highest paid individual in Senator John McCain's presidential campaign during the first half of October as it headed down the homestretch?

Exclusive: Obama Explains Why His Campaign Will Wait for ‘Toot’  —  Obama Tells 'GMA's' Robin Roberts Why He's Halting His Campaign Swing to Visit Grandmother  —  Barack Obama is home today in Hawaii with his ailing grandmother rather than on the campaign trail because he fears she won't make it to Election Day.

Sarah Palin Refuses To Answer Whether Or Not Abortion Clinic Bombers Are Terrorists  —  I just watched some highlights of Brian William's interview with Sarah Palin and John McCain.  —  This exchange was shocking: (I transcribed this section myself — sorry about any errors.)

Former Mass. Gov. William Weld to endorse Obama  —  SALEM, N.H.—Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, a Republican, is endorsing Democrat Barack Obama for president, citing the senator's steady leadership, good judgment and ability to unify Democrats, Republicans and independents.

United Panic  —  I'll be blogging through much of today, as the world fears the worst.  The first posts will be at the bottom.  —  Slipping Back: European markets closed well above their lows, but now the American market is slipping back, with both the Dow and the S.&P, down 4 percent for the day.

Reagan Appointee and (Recent) McCain Adviser Charles Fried Supports Obama  —  Charles Fried, a professor at Harvard Law School, has long been one of the most important conservative thinkers in the United States.  Under President Reagan, he served, with great distinction, as Solicitor General of the United States.

Race would be different if Ridge were VP pick, ex-gov says  —  HARRISBURG — Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge said today that John McCain can't become president without carrying Pennsylvania and that the race would be different if McCain had chosen him as his running mate.

Something About Sarah  —  My husband called it first.  Then, a brilliant 75-year-old scholar and raconteur confessed to me over wine: “I'm sexually attracted to her.  I don't care that she knows nothing.”  —  Finally, writer Robert Draper closed the file on the Sarah Palin mystery …

Palin appointed friends and donors to key posts in Alaska, records show  —  100-plus jobs went to campaign donors or their relatives, sometimes without apparent regard to qualifications.  Several donors got state-subsidized loans for business ventures of dubious public value.

1&1 Internet Has Allowed My Domain to Be Hijacked  —  The company “1&1″ has allowed my domain, patterico.com, to be hijacked.  —  Look up at the address bar.  This is still the Patterico site — but I no longer have the patterico.com domain — even though I renewed it before the expiration date.

NPR's Final Survey: Obama moves into commanding lead in battleground states and on all key elements of campaign  —  Greenberg Quinlan Rosner National Public Radio  —  US Politics … Executive Summary  —  With just over a week left before the election, Barack Obama's strategy of campaigning …

11 Days Out, And The Whispering Begins  —  Call it a circular firing squad, or internal dissension, or simply the natural evolution of a campaign that is disappointed with how the endgame is playing out.  —  There's a faction within the McCain campaign has begun to whisper about Gov. Sarah Palin to reporters.

Obama Ad Units Outpace McCain By 150% In Swing States  —  In the home stretch leading up to the presidential election, Sen. Barack Obama is easily out-advertising his presidential opponent, Sen. John McCain.  —  In seven key swing states — Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Ohio …

New Allegations in Mahoney Sex Scandal  —  Current and former members of the staff of Congressman Tim Mahoney (D-Fla) say he has yet to come completely clean about his multiple affairs, abusive behavior and alleged ethical lapses.  —  Last week, following a series of reports on The Blotter …

McCain for President  —  WASHINGTON — Contrarian that I am, I'm voting for John McCain.  I'm not talking about bucking the polls or the media consensus that it's over before it's over.  I'm talking about bucking the rush of wet-fingered conservatives leaping to Barack Obama before they're left …

McCain's Private Visit With Chilean Dictator Pinochet Revealed For First Time  —  John McCain, who has harshly criticized the idea of sitting down with dictators without pre-conditions, appears to have done just that.  In 1985, McCain traveled to Chile for a friendly meeting with Chile's military ruler …

Obama Wants Social Security to Be a Welfare Plan  —  His tax credit amounts to a radical change in the system.  —  Imagine this: Barack Obama proposes a Social Security payroll tax cut for low earners.  Workers earning up to $8,000 per year would receive back the full 6.2% employee share …

Early Voting, Now at 11%, Could Reach 30%  —  Obama and McCain supporters voting early at about the same rate  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup Poll Daily tracking data indicate that about 11% of registered voters who plan to vote have already voted as of Wednesday night, with another 19% saying they plan to vote before Election Day.

GOP congressman says McCain campaign is struggling  —  MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A prominent Wisconsin congressman supporting Sen. John McCain expressed displeasure with the campaign's operation on Friday.  —  “I would have done things differently the last few weeks,” Rep. Paul Ryan, a Janesville Republican, said during an interview.

‘Joe the Plumber’ Mulling Run for Congress  —  Joe Wurzelbacher, a.k.a. “Joe the Plumber,” said Friday he may consider running for Congress in 2010, challenging longtime Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D) in the Toledo-area district.  —  “I'll tell you what, we'd definitely be in one heck of a fight,” …

Friday House Line: The Second 25!  —  Last week as we were putting together the Line of the 25 House districts most likely to switch parties on Nov. 4, we had a revelation: there were WAY more seats in play than we were writing about.  —  With neutral political handicappers now predicting Democrats …

Michele Bachmann: “Not All Cultures Are Equal” (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO)  —  Rep. Michele Bachmann caught the national spotlight recently when she told MSNBC's Chris Mathews that Barack Obama “may have anti-American views.”  —  While Bachmann's statement may have come as a surprise to people outside …