Inside the campaign: How Mitt Romney stumbled  —  Stuart Stevens, Mitt Romney's top strategist, knew his candidate's convention speech needed a memorable mix of loft and grace if he was going to bound out of Tampa with an authentic chance to win the presidency.

WEIGHING OFFER, CHICAGO TEACHERS REMAIN ON STRIKE … CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago teachers uncomfortable with a tentative contract offer decided Sunday to remain on strike, insisting they need more time before deciding whether to end an acrimonious standoff with Mayor Rahm Emanuel …

BREAKING: VIDEO PURPORTS TO SHOW US AMBASSADOR DRAGGED FROM BENGHAZI CONSULATE  —  YouTube user “Abdalgadar Fadi” has uploaded a video on the arabic language version of the video sharing site purporting to show US Ambassador Christopher Stevens dragged from the consulate in Benghazi.

Maureen Dowd meets anti-Semitism charge  —  New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd set the Jewish political community on fire today with a column about the Republican ticket's foreign policy proposals that, according to her critics, peddled anti-Semitic imagery.

Benjamin Netanyahu To NBC: Those Who Believe Iran Should Have Nukes ‘Set A New Standard For Human Stupidity’  —  During his tour of several Sunday morning American talk shows, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told NBC's Meet the Press that Iran is guided by fanaticism with no rationality …

Obama up 5 in Virginia  —  PPP's newest Virginia poll finds Barack Obama leading by 5 points, 51-46.  Obama's lead is unchanged from a month ago when we found him leading 50-45 in the state.  He may not be seeing a bump from the convention in the state at this point, but he was in a pretty good position to begin with.

Obama crams for debates, works on being concise  —  (Reuters) - On long flights to swing states in the West and late nights at the White House after his children have gone to bed, President Barack Obama is cramming like a student for a test that could determine his political future.  —  The subject?

Poll: Warren opens up 6-point lead over Brown in Mass. Senate race  —  Elizabeth Warren has opened up a 6-point lead against Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) in their hotly contested senatorial race, according to a new poll.  —  The poll, from the Western New England University Polling Institute …

Ultimatum to US: ‘Criminalise blasphemy or lose consulate’  —  LAHORE:  —  Several Muslim parties and a Christian group held rallies on Sunday to protest against a movie released in America.  —  Around 10,000 people participated in the main rally organised on The Mall by the Tehreek Hurmat-i-Rasool (THR).

Obama can be sued over insulting film: Iran official  —  A senior Iranian official says US President Barack Obama could face legal action in connection with the production of an anti-Islam movie by an American Jew.  —  “A complaint could be filed with US courts against Obama for his violation …

E.J. Dionne Jr.  —  The American election's global reach  —  The Obama-Clinton alliance, formalized with Bill Clinton's blockbuster speech at the Democratic National Convention, confirms what has often been played down: President Obama has chosen to build on Clinton's legacy rather than abandon it.

Citizens United Obama film to air on TV  —  Citizens United has struck a deal with a dozen television stations to run its hour-long film featuring voters disaffected with President Barack Obama, sending the Republican critique of the incumbent into tens of millions of homes in the lead-up to Election Day …

Libya's Mohamed Yousef el-Magariaf: Attack On U.S. Embassy Was ‘Planned — Definitely, It Was Planned by Foreigners...’  —  Listen to Libyan President Mohamed Yousef el-Magaria.  —  This has to be the most devastating interview I've heard all week, at CBS, “'Face the Nation' transcripts, September 16, 2012: Libyan Pres. Magariaf, Amb.