Swing States poll: Women push Romney into lead  —  IN THE SWING STATES, THE POWER OF WOMEN  —  A new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of the Swing States shows Mitt Romney with a lead among likely voters as he strengthens his standing with women in the nation's top battlegrounds.

Charity president unhappy about Paul Ryan soup kitchen ‘photo op’  —  Paul Ryan and his wife Janna wash pots at St. Vincent De Paul dining hall.  (Associated Press)  —  The head of a northeast Ohio charity says that the Romney campaign last week “ramrodded their way” into the group's Youngstown soup kitchen …

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.

Clinton: ‘I take responsibility’ for security ahead of Benghazi attack  —  Lima, Peru (CNN) — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the buck stops with her when it comes to who is to blame for security ahead of a deadly assault on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.

Romney Is Attacked by His Father's Longtime Aide  —  A longtime aide to George W. Romney issued a harshly worded critique of Mitt Romney, accusing him of shifting political positions in “erratic and startling ways” and failing to live up to the distinguished record of his father, the former governor of Michigan.

Michelle Obama: ‘We Are in the Midst of a Huge Recovery’  —  (CNSNews.com) - First Lady Michelle Obama said in a radio interview on Friday that the United States is in the “midst of a huge recovery” because of what “this president has done.”  —  Pablo Sato, co-host of Pablo & Free on WPGC 95.5 …

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 …

Our Awful Economy, In One Chart  —  Michelle Obama says we are “in the midst of a huge recovery.”  That claim is laughable to anyone who has lived through the last four years; this simple chart from the Senate Budget Committee highlights one of the central failings of Obamanomics …

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 …

Mitt Romney: The Great Deformer  —  Is Romney really a job creator?  Ronald Reagan's budget director, David Stockman, takes a scalpel to the claims.  —  Bain Capital is a product of the Great Deformation.  It has garnered fabulous winnings through leveraged speculation in financial markets …

“Would You Consider Voting for President Obama?”  —  A man rang my doorbell Saturday afternoon to ask me that question.  I was busy working on a few projects at the time, so his question caught me off guard.  The first thing that came out of my mouth was a very loud, “Absolutely not!

Romney not taking in ‘The View’  —  (CNN) - After criticizing chat program “The View” on a secretly recorded video, and subsequently agreeing to come on the show, Mitt Romney has cancelled his upcoming appearance citing scheduling conflicts.  —  Barbara Walters, the show's creator and co-host, announced the news Monday.

Why the early vote looks good for Democrats  —  It's still very early in the early voting process, but at least for now, Democrats can be optimistic that they are building a lead in the 2012 presidential race.  —  Absentee and early voting data from nine states that are generally viewed …

November 7th  —  Though their agendas are hidden, both Romney and Obama have plans to dramatically remake the size and character of American government.  Very, very quickly.  —  If you ask Barack Obama or Mitt Romney, or merely wander in front of a television when they are speaking …

Bush in the Wilderness  —  And should that happen, the answer in be 2016 may be a GOP nominee with the courage of his more centrist positions.  In other words: Jeb.  Even his own son, George P., acknowledges that his father's declaration that 2012 was “probably my time” contains a significant caveat.

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 …

Tommy Thompson's Son Apologizes For Birther Joke  —  Jason Thompson, son of former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, publicly apologized for a remark he made at an event Sunday while speaking on behalf of his father's Senate campaign — in which he made a joke alluding to the conspiracy theories about President Obama's place of birth.

2 Motorcyclists Involved In Michelle Obama's Motorcade Escort Injured In Crash Along U.S. 36  —  Two law enforcement officials were injured in a crash while part of a motorcade escort for First Lady Michelle Obama on Monday.  —  According to the Delaware County Sheriff's Office …

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.

Disappearing story lines: An extra boost for Obama  —  Around the time of the Republican National Convention, the single word on the lips of most of the press corps was “likability.”  Mitt Romney did not have it.  We have never elected someone with such a negative image.  He was a stiff.