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 …

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 …

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 …

Tommy Thompson's son calls for sending Obama back ‘to Kenya’  —  Jason Thompson, the son of former Gov. Tommy Thompson, was caught on video Sunday suggesting at a Republican event that voters this fall could send President Barack Obama back “to Kenya.”  —  “We have the opportunity …

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.

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.

Poll finds Akin with slight lead over McCaskill  —  Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) leads Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) in his bid for the Senate by a slim margin, according to a new poll.  —  Wenzel Strategies, a Republican leaning pollster, found Akin leading McCaskill 49 to 45 percent with 7 percent undecided.

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.

How Romney can win — and how Obama can avoid it  —  One thing Obama urgently needs to prevent during tomorrow's debate is this: He can't allow Mitt Romney to become the candidate of change in this race.  And that may be in the process of happening.  —  In an interview this morning …

The Tea Party Will Win in the End  —  This is a nation that loathes government and always has.  Liberals should not be deluded: The Goldwater revolution will ultimately triumph, regardless of what happens in November.  —  Were the 2012 campaign a Hitchcock movie, Mitt Romney would be the MacGuffin …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

Obama and Casey lead in Pennsylvania  —  PPP's newest Pennsylvania poll finds Barack Obama's lead in the state declining by 5 points over the last month, but he still has a 7 point advantage at 51-44.  He led 52-40 in mid-September.  —  Pennsylvania voters narrowly approve of the job Obama is doing …

The Radical Is Romney, Not Ryan  —  MITT ROMNEY, moderate.  That earnestly sought post-debate public image contrasts starkly with Mr. Romney's actual positions on many issues, especially the future trajectory of government spending.  —  Clinging tightly to a studied vagueness when pressed …