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.

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.

Crist extends voting hours  —  This is a very big deal: Florida Governor Charlie Crist, to the shock and dismay of Florida Republicans, just moved to extend early voting hours, a move likely to widen the Democrats' lead under a program on which the Obama campaign has intensely focused.

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.

News Orgs Investigate Possibly Fatal McCain '64 Car Crash  —  For the past two months, a major American magazine and an allied news service have been engaged in a legal battle with the United States Navy over records that they believe show that John McCain once was involved in an automobile accident …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

What About Bobby?  —  To follow up on Suzy's item, I wanted to note that, while there are plenty of 2012 GOP presidential aspirants who have reason to be unhappy with the McCain campaign's decisions over the last couple months (and, in particular, the Palin choice), a case …

Obama leads McCain in Florida and Ohio, poll says  —  Voters see the economy as the chief issue and Obama as the best man to handle it, according to a Times/Bloomberg poll.  In Ohio, Obama leads 49% to 40%; in Florida, 50% to 43%.  —  Reporting from Washington — Barack …

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 …

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 …

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 …

VW shares surge as funds buy in panic  —  Volkswagen briefly became the world's largest company by market capitalisation on Tuesday after an extraordinary surge in its share price driven by a near-panic by hedge funds and other traders to stem losses on positions betting on a fall in the stock.

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 …

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 …

McCain's June map  —  In this June video for donors, Rick Davis laid out an electoral strategy that, at the time, seemed ambitious, and now seems almost delusional.  —  Of course, someone has to lose, and it's always easy to snipe in hindsight.  But the details of Davis' map …

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.

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 …

A wave for GOP staffers?  —  A glance at the Republican job bank page on Texas Rep. John R. Carter's website paints the whole, bleak picture with what it doesn't show: real jobs.  —  So far, the only postings this month for paid employment have been for a staff assistant job in the office of Rep. Paul Ryan …