McCain Support Continues Downward Spiral  —  Obama Leads by 19 Among Those Who Have Already Voted  —  Barack Obama leads John McCain by a 52% to 36% margin in Pew's latest nationwide survey of 1,325 registered voters.  This is the fourth consecutive survey that has found support for the Republican candidate edging down.

Why McCain is getting hosed in the press  —  Politico political editor Charles Mahtesian was e-mailing the other day with a Republican lobbyist who signed off with a plea that sounded more like a taunt: “Keep it balanced.”  —  A reader e-mailed us with the same sentiment in different language.

Election: Your health insurance at stake  —  McCain and Obama have vastly different views on the future of employer-sponsored health insurance.  Either one could bring big change.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Both presidential candidates want to turn employer-sponsored health insurance on its head.

Palin, Alone Aboard the Bus  —  Almost from the very beginning, the Palin pick created tension.  —  An armada of handlers descended on McCain's running mate like the flying monkeys in The Wizard Of Oz.  The day after the ticket made its debut, it was August 30 and the campaign staged …

Slate Votes  —  Obama wins this magazine in a rout.  —  We asked Slate's staff and contributors to tell us whom they're voting for on Election Day and why.  These are their responses.  Click here to read Editor David Plotz's explanation for why we share this information with you.

Gallup Daily: Presidential Race Narrows Slightly  —  Obama leads by two to seven points among likely voters  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The gap between Barack Obama and John McCain in Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Saturday through Monday has narrowed slightly, and Obama is now at 49% of the vote …

Sources: Sarkozy views Obama stance on Iran as ‘utterly immature’  —  French President Nicolas Sarkozy is very critical of U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama's positions on Iran, according to reports that have reached Israel's government.  —  Sarkozy has made his criticisms only in closed forums in France.

7 days — One week out — Republicans expect to be crushed in historic landslide: buy emergency time in Montana and West Virginia  —  GM seeks Treasury $$$ ... GOP blame game now reaches down to state parties - Al Hunt is in Obama's gym pool at this moment — Michelle Obama shops J. Crew online …

‘Joe the Plumber’ Backs Claim That Obama Would Bring ‘Death to Israel’  —  Joe Wurzelbacher, on his first campaign trail appearance for John McCain, says he agrees that a vote for Barack Obama would be “a vote for the death to Israel.”  —  FOXNews.com  —  Joe Wurzelbacher, a.k.a. …

Obama Affinity to Marxists Dates Back to College Days  —  Barack Obama shrugs off charges of socialism, but noted in his own memoir that he carefully chose Marxist professors as friends in college.  —  FOXNews.com  —  Barack Obama laughs off charges of socialism.  Joe Biden scoffs at references to Marxism.

Jindal, Obama and the GOP  —  I think Chris Orr is completely wrong about this: … I think this vastly, vastly overestimates the extent to which the attempt to “Otherize” Obama has been about race qua race (and racism qua racism), and vastly underestimates the extent to which it's …

Florida declares emergency, extends early voting hours  —  Gov. Charlie Crist on Tuesday extended early voting hours across Florida to 12 hours a day.  —  The executive order comes after record early voting turnout has contributed to long lines at polling sites.

Social conservatives fight for control of Republican Party  —  The right flank is positioning to change the GOP's leadership and direction — even if John McCain wins the presidency.  Some moderates fear such a shift would alienate more voters.  —  Reporting from Washington …

McCain camp demands L.A. Times release video  —  John McCain's campaign is demanding that the Los Angeles Times release a video of a party for a prominent Palestinian activist that Barack Obama attended in 2003.  —  The Times described the going-away party for former University of Chicago professor …

What's Missing from GOP.com?  —  Any mention of, information about, or support for John McCain, outside of a link to McCain's campaign store and an outdated opportunity to volunteer for McCain on “Super Saturday,” October 25th.  A Fred Thompson video, in which John McCain get four sentences …

McCain Adviser Dismisses Evidence Of Bush's Iraq Dishonesty As ‘Conspiracy Theories’  —  Robert Kagan, a leading member of John McCain's war cabinet, recently gave an interview to Der Spiegel in which he was asked about the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq: … This is ridiculous.

Both sides of aisle rip MSNBC  —  Keith Olbermann also criticized at media luncheon  —  In a room full of television industry executives, no one seemed inclined to defend MSNBC on Monday for what some were calling its lopsidedly liberal coverage of the presidential election.

Obama's ‘Redistribution’ Constitution  —  The courts are poised for a takeover by the judicial left.  —  One of the great unappreciated stories of the past eight years is how thoroughly Senate Democrats thwarted efforts by President Bush to appoint judges to the lower federal courts.

Sort of Soviet?  —  Et tu, MSNBC?  —  Willie Geist and Courtney Hazlett this morning discussed Obama's half hour of TV tomorrow night.

CNN ELECTION CENTER  —  McCain's Uphill Battle; Senator Ted Stevens Found Guilty of Corruption  —  THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.  THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.  —  CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everyone.  —  With just eight days to go until the election …

McCain's Panic in PA, More Than Just Ugly  —  The panic whipped up by the McCain campaign in PA sounds horrific because of the ugliness and hate that it pours into the election, but the real threat it poses to our ability to get things done.  If John McCain were to win the election by kicking …

My Choice: Obama  —  In one week, Americans will face a momentous choice.  We must decide which of two talented, patriotic individuals is better suited to set the course for the nation and steer it through a stormy sea.  —  I have known John McCain for many years, even before he was first elected …

The Palin-McCain Conflict  —  I think it's now fair to say it's a war.  My view is that after the McCain peeps had made that crazy decision and realized after the fact what they had on their hands, they put their best face on it.  They knew that the normal rules for a veep - a press conference …