Moderator Role Under Scrutiny — Before the Debate  —  In a rare example of political unity, both the Romney and Obama campaigns have expressed concern to the Commission on Presidential Debates about how the moderator of the Tuesday town hall has publicly described her role, TIME has learned.

Presidential contest tight nationally ahead of second debate  —  On the eve of their second debate, President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney remain locked in a virtual dead heat nationally, with Republicans showing increased enthusiasm for their nominee after his big win in the first debate …

Wisconsin Senate Candidate's Son Says We “Have The Opportunity” To Send Obama Back To Kenya  —  Jason Thompson, the son of former Governor and Wisconson Senate candidate Tommy Thompson, speaking this morning at a brunch attended RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said that “we have the opportunity …

Oct. 14: Breaking the State-National Poll Stalemate  —  For the last week or so, we have been hoping to decode a confusing polling landscape.  President Obama still appeared to hold a narrow Electoral College lead on the basis of state-by-state surveys, while national polls were suggestive …

He's one of the least principled politicians I've met.  But I believe Mitt Romney might just save America  —  Scroll down for video  —  An extraordinary political earthquake struck America this week.  Mitt Romney, widely assumed to be the ‘best of a weak bunch’ of Republican candidates …

Top Romney Surrogate Says Romney ‘Should Be Exploiting’ Libya Incident For Political Gain  —  Top Mitt Romney surrogate Rudy Giuliani admitted that the GOP is accusing President Obama of covering up the violence that led to the death of an American ambassador in Libya for political gain.

Jihadists Receiving Most Arms Sent to Syrian Rebels  —  WASHINGTON — Most of the arms shipped at the behest of Saudi Arabia and Qatar to supply Syrian rebel groups fighting the government of Bashar al-Assad are going to hard-line Islamic jihadists, and not the more secular opposition groups …

No Shame  —  There are many unanswered questions about the vicious assault in Benghazi last month that killed four Americans, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.  And Congress has a responsibility to raise them.  But Republican lawmakers leading the charge on Capitol Hill seem …

Gary Johnson Libertarian Candidate Worries Republicans  —  When he was running for the Republican presidential nomination last year, Gary Johnson, the former two-term Republican governor of New Mexico, drew ridicule from mainstream party members as he advocated legalized marijuana and a 43 percent cut in military spending.

Axelrod bobs and weaves over Obama's level of engagement the day of the Benghazi attack  —  Today on Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace pressed David Axelrod on the question of how soon, and in what ways, President Obama tried to get to the bottom of the nature of the attack in Benghazi.

Jackson Is Subject of Criminal Probe  —  Federal prosecutors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are in the final stages of a criminal probe into allegations that Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. misused campaign money to decorate his house, according to people familiar with the matter.

The 3 states that may decide the election  —  With less than a month until Election Day, the primary battlefields for the presidential campaign can be found in just three states: Ohio, Florida and Virginia.  —  In these big three, home to a combined 60 electoral votes …

Death By Ideology  —  Mitt Romney doesn't see dead people.  But that's only because he doesn't want to see them; if he did, he'd have to acknowledge the ugly reality of what will happen if he and Paul Ryan get their way on health care.  —  Last week, speaking to The Columbus Dispatch …

JUMP FROM SPACE'S EDGE PROVIDES COLLECTIVE MOMENT … ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — Felix Baumgartner stood alone at the edge of space, poised in the open doorway of a capsule suspended above Earth and wondering if he would make it back alive.  Twenty four miles below him, millions of people were right …

Making Mitt: The Myth Of George Romney  —  The Republican nominee's father didn't walk out of the '64 convention.  And George Romney didn't teach Mitt that you lose by being honest — he taught him that you change your positions to win.  —  Everyone agrees: Mitt Romney is not like his father.

The Unraveling of Affirmative Action  —  Racial preferences spring from worthy intentions, but they have had unintended consequences—including an academic mismatch in many cases between minority students and the schools to which they are admitted.  There's a better way to help the disadvantaged.