Palin Unleashes New Attack Against Obama On Coal  —  From CBS News' Scott Conroy:  —  (MARIETTA, OHIO) - Seizing on a newly released audio tape picked up by the Drudge Report, Sarah Palin took the opportunity here in coal country to accuse Barack Obama of “talking about bankrupting the coal industry.”

Final USA TODAY/Gallup estimate: Obama, 53%; McCain, 42%  —  Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama leads Republican John McCain by 11 percentage points in the last USA TODAY/Gallup national poll of likely voters before Election Day.  —  With less than two days to go before polls open, the contenders' support is estimated to be:

JOE THE SKINHEAD  —  When he was just the topic du jour because of his question to Barack Obama back in the neighborhood in Ohio, that was one thing.  But “Joe the Plumber” is now actively campaigning with and for John McCain, appearing on stage with him at multiple events, etc.

Myths and Realities  —  Jay Nordlinger writes at The Corner: … That may what “the evidence of [Nordlinger's] lived experience” says, but it would be strongly at odds with the historical pattern.  Here's Andrew Gelman's map of voting patterns among the top third of the income distribution in 2004:

The Cellphone Effect, Continued  —  These are Barack Obama's leads in the likely voter models presently included in the Real Clear Politics average, plus the Research 2000 poll which they arbitrarily exclude.  —  The polls in the Cingular-y orange color include cellphones in their samples; the polls in gray do not.

ATLAS EXCLUSIVE: JERROLD NADLER “OBAMA DIDN'T HAVE THE POLITICAL COURAGE TO MAKE A STATEMENT AND WALK OUT [OF REVEREND WRIGHT'S RACIST CHURCH]” … One of my stops on THE GREAT SCHLEP.  —  I just came from an Jerrold Nadler event at the Boca Raton synagogue where he was lying through his teeth …

How soon will we know on election night?  —  Answer: Pretty soon, potentially.  Via CNN, a rundown of when the polls in various battleground states close (all times ET): … I didn't include Iowa because it's not a battleground anymore, assuming it ever was, but that's also a 10 p.m. close for what it's worth.

My wife made me canvas for Obama; here's what I learned  —  This election is not about major policies.  It's about hope. … There has been a lot of speculation that Barack Obama might win the election due to his better “ground game” and superior campaign organization.

Obama Leads McCain 52% to 46% in Campaign's Final Days  —  McCain Narrows Gap  —  Barack Obama holds a significant lead over John McCain in the final days of Campaign 2008.  The Pew Research Center's final pre-election poll of 2,587 likely voters, conducted Oct. 29-Nov. 1 …

Palin misstates anti-Obama data source  —  COLUMBUS, Ohio — At Gov. Sarah Palin's Sunday rallies, she's earned big responses by repeating the line that an independent organization has found that Sen. Barack Obama's proposed policies “would destroy 6 million jobs over the next decade.”

U.S. Rejects G.M.'s Call for Help in a Merger  —  DETROIT — The Treasury Department has turned down a request by General Motors for up to $10 billion to help finance the automaker's possible merger with Chrysler, according to people close to the discussions.

Obama's first fulltime employer, Business International, had substantial SDS ties in the 1960s.  —  After graduating from Columbia in 1983, Obama's first fulltime job was to work for an international business newsletter firm, Business International.  From all accounts (including Obama's) …

A Long Campaign, And a Changed Barack Obama  —  Left to Right: Barack Obama announces his run for the presidency in February of 2007 ; Barack Obama at a campaign rally this week..  —  Almost two years ago, in the first months of Barack Obama's campaign for the presidency …

The man for the moment: Hillary Clinton makes the case for Barack Obama  —  On Tuesday, New Yorkers and Americans have a big decision to make.  Do we continue to pursue the policies of the past eight years or do we chart a new course?  I believe we can and we must chart a new course led by President Barack Obama.

Morning Status Update for Sunday 11/02  —  The most important thing to keep in mind about pre-election polls is that they come with random variability built-in.  That mostly predictable variation — known to most of us as “the margin of error' — comes from interviewing what we hope amounts …

Obama's Redistribution for iTunes  —  A “Better Government” under Obama's plan means you can buy the latest tune from Bruce Springsteen once we “spread the wealth.”.  “A New Politics for a New Time” from an Obama speech minutes ago in Cleveland, Ohio tells us why redistribution is so important and what justifies his tax policy:

WaPo-ABC Tracking: Advantage Obama  —  Sen. Barack Obama holds a sizable advantage over John McCain just two days before the longest and most expensive presidential campaign in history comes to a close.  —  After nearly two years of ads, rallies, debates and barnstorming …