The Obama Temptation  —  I've been thinking this for a while so I might as well air it here.  I honestly never thought we'd see such a thing in our country - not yet anyway - but I sense what's occurring in this election is a recklessness and abandonment of rationality that has preceded …

Obama for president  —  Palin's rise captivates us but nation needs a steady hand  —  Alaska enters its 50th-anniversary year in the glow of an improbable and highly memorable event: the nomination of Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate.

Ceding the Center  —  There are two major political parties in America, but there are at least three major political tendencies.  The first is orthodox liberalism, a belief in using government to maximize equality.  The second is free-market conservatism, the belief in limiting government to maximize freedom.

Inside McCain Camp, a Mood of Gritty Determination  —  Only a few hundred people were on hand at the New Mexico state fairgrounds Saturday morning to hear Sen. John McCain's acknowledgment that “we're a few points down” in the polls and to cheer loudly when he bellowed, “We've got them right where we want them!”

WFTV's Barbara West on her interview with Joe Biden: “I don't think I was rude or inconsiderate to him”  —  The Barack Obama campaign called Barbara West's interview with Sen. Joe Biden unprofessional and combative.  —  The veteran WFTV-Channel 9 anchor-reporter says she asked pointed questions …

Republican fears of historic Obama landslide unleash civil war for the future of the party  —  Senior Republicans believe that John McCain is doomed to a landslide defeat which will hand Barack Obama more political power than any president in a generation.  —  Aides to George W.Bush …

Could McCain lose his home state?  —  Democrats are circulating a poll showing Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) losing ground in his own state, an ominous sign for his beleaguered campaign as state after state turns blues.  —  Project New West, which aims to build the Democratic Party in the Intermountain West …

FELDMAN SPEAKS — BUT NOT ABOUT HOAX  —  Bear with me.  The intricacies of GOP dirty tricks in Pennsylvania take some unraveling.  But this is too rich, and the best part comes at the end.  —  On Thursday the Pennsylvania GOP sent out an email to 75,000 Jewish voters in the state warning …

LIEBERMAN HASN'T BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO HIMSELF.... Joe Lieberman adopted the role of Republican attack dog early on, but as the election draws near, he's hoping the political world has a very short memory. … My hunch is, Lieberman sees the direction of the political winds …

For Obama, a new cause for confidence - and for caution  —  CONCORD, N.H. - Barack Obama has vaulted to a 15-point lead over John McCain in New Hampshire, according to a new Boston Globe poll, a significant gap in a state that McCain considers his second political home and has long been a swing state in the race for the White House.

Campaign Finance Gets New Scrutiny  —  Obama's Take Raises Questions About Web  —  Sen. Barack Obama's record-breaking $150 million fundraising performance in September has for the first time prompted questions about whether presidential candidates should be permitted to collect huge sums …

PIT BULL TURNS ON MCMAVERICK  —  NOW PALIN'S BUCKING HER OWN TICKET  —  By CARL CAMPANILE in Mesilla, NM, and GINGER ADAMS OTIS in NY  —  Sarah Palin is the rogue elephant in the GOP war room.  —  The maverick mom is distancing herself from John McCain and blowing off the advice …

Desperately Seeking Seriousness  —  Maybe the polls and the conventional wisdom are all wrong, and John McCain will pull off a stunning upset.  But right now the election looks like a blue sweep: a solid victory, maybe even a landslide, for Barack Obama; large Democratic gains in the Senate …

Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby Poll: Obama 49.4%, McCain 44.1%  —  McCain gains as race continues to tighten  —  UTICA, New York - Republican John McCain continues to gain on Democrat Barack Obama, reducing Obama's lead to 5.3 points with just over a week to go before Election Day …