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.

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 …

5 Things to Watch for in Presidential Debate  —  Five things to watch for when President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney meet in their second debate:  —  1. A REBOUND?  After taking a drubbing in the first debate, Obama's under big pressure to step up his game Tuesday night.

Release Detail  —  October 16, 2012 - Romney Closing In On Obama In Pennsylvania, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Casey-Smith Senate Race Too Close To Call  —  Watch Video: Assistant Director Tim Malloy discusses poll results  —  Clip Information and Download:  —  FLV File - For Website (1920x1080 / 50.8MB)

Paul Ryan Can't Lose  —  On a Monday night in late September, Paul Ryan sat on the edge of a couch in his suite at the Cincinnatian Hotel, his left fist clenched so tightly around the neck of his bottle of Miller Lite that I could see the veins bulging in his hands.

H. Ross Perot: We can't afford Obama  —  Our country faces a momentous choice.  The fact is the United States is on an unsustainable course.  At stake is nothing less than our position in the world, our standard of living at home and our constitutional freedoms.  —  That is why I am endorsing Mitt Romney for president.

Obama: ‘We Got Back Every Dime’ of Bailout; CBO: Bailout Will Lose $24 Billion  —  (CNSNews.com) - President Barack Obama said on Thursday that “we got back every dime we used to rescue the financial system.”  —  According to the Congressional Budget Office, however, the government will lose about $24 billion on the bailout.

Ex-Sen. George McGovern, who lost presidency to Nixon in historic landslide, in hospice care  —  PIERRE, S.D. — Longtime former U.S. Sen. George McGovern, the Democratic presidential candidate who lost to President Richard Nixon in a historic landslide, has moved into hospice care near his home in South Dakota, his family said Monday.

The Romney Scenario  —  Here's why some Democrats are worried tonight.  If Romney wins the three Southern battlegrounds (FL, NC, and VA) and OH, he is at 266 electoral votes.  Leaving the other five battlegrounds unallocated, that means Obama would be at 237 and Romney would only need to win …

Poll: Romney Near Landslide In Rural Swing Counties  —  As Mitt Romney and President Obama get ready for their second debate, a new bipartisan survey shows a surge for Romney in a key voter group following their first debate Oct. 3.  —  The random cell phone and landline poll …

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 …

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.

The 2012 Debates - Memorandum of Understanding Between the Obama and Romney Campaigns  —  (EARLIER: Moderator Role Under Scrutiny — Before the Debate)  —  I wrote Sunday about those provisions spelling out the campaigns' conception of the role of the moderator for Tuesday's town hall debate.