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.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Chuck Todd, Charlie Cook, Kelly O'Donnell  —  MR. TOM BROKAW: Our issues this Sunday: With just nine days to go, polls show Obama widening his lead over McCain while the Republican vice presidential nominee comes under increased criticism.  What will be McCain's final message to undecided voters?

McCain guarantees victory  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Sunday on NBC's “Meet the Press” that he can “guarantee” a win on Nov. 4 in a squeaker victory that won't be clear until late that night.  —  McCain spoke amid signs of a tightening race, and reports of renewed determination among his staff …

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 …

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.

Kyl, in interview, voices doubt about McCain's chances  —  Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl expressed some doubt in a recent interview that his seatmate, John McCain, will be elected president next month.  —  During a visit to the Arizona Daily Star last week for an editorial board meeting …

Jesse Jackson Jr. hopes to replace Obama in Senate  —  Illinois political insiders say Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who defended Barack Obama after his father famously threatened to castrate him, is the favorite to replace the Democratic nominee in the Senate.  —  Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) …

Michael O'Hanlon  —  Michael O'Hanlon is a senior fellow in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution, where he specializes in U.S. defense strategy, the use of military force, homeland security and American foreign policy.  He is also the director of the Brookings-ABC Opportunity 08 project.

The Next New Deal  —  The huge opportunities—and huge risks—of a possible Obama administration.  —  On a bright, brisk, fat-pumpkin morning in mid-October—the kind of morning you would call glorious were the economy not cratering, the financial system not imploding …

The Precriminations  —  Like a lot of progressives, I've been enjoying the recent leaks out of conservoworld with different factions pointing fingers and accusing each other.  These are some decent precriminations, and if things go the way the polls indicate, they'll lead to some fantastic recriminations in November and December.

The High Rise of the First Metropolitan Candidate  —  Republicans, looking to frame Sen. Barack Obama as a candidate outside the mainstream, recently settled on a new tack: deriding him as an out of touch and corrupt urbanite.  —  At the GOP convention last month, Rudy Giuliani …

Syria: 8 dead in U.S. helicopter border strike from Iraq  —  Syrian state-run TV and witnesses said Sunday that American helicopters attacked an area close to the Iraqi border zone, killing at least nine people.  —  Local residents in a Syrian border town said that American forces killed seven men …

Sarah Palin, Going Rogue  —  Palin's Tampa rally this afternoon kicked off with an extended, sarcastic, eye-rolling diss at the $150,000 wardrobe supposedly foisted on her by others, particularly — and this is important — the evil RNC.  “I grabbed a jacket this morning — my own jacket,” she told the whooping crowd.

U.S. considers sending special ops to Afghanistan  —  Despite recent setbacks, a large-scale influx of conventional forces is unlikely because of troop commitments in Iraq.  But special operations forces could narrowly target the most violent insurgent ba  —  Reporting from Washington …