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.

Daily Kos/SEIU State of the Nation poll: Romney's best numbers of the week  —  Public Policy Polling for Daily Kos & SEIU.  10/12-14.  Likely voters.  MoE ±2.5% (10/4-7 results) … Obama 46 (47)  —  Romney 50 (49)  —  At a time when other polls are moving back in the president's direction …

Bill & Hillary Forever  —  But after Obama sealed the nomination, his attitude toward the Clintons shifted to a sharp differentiation.  His rancor toward Hillary evaporated: Obama needed her support, wanted her on his side, and was willing to work for it.  But Obama saw no benefit in kissing 42's ring, let alone his ass.

Electric Car Battery Maker A123 Systems Files Bankruptcy  —  A123 Systems Inc. (AONE), a maker of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for electric cars, filed for bankruptcy after failing to make a debt payment that was due yesterday.  —  The company listed assets of $459.8 million and debt …

Romney Holds Advantage Tonight, Regardless of Format  —  The first thing to know about a “town-hall-style” presidential debate is that it bears as much resemblance to an actual campaign town-hall event as a marble statue does to its animated subject.  —  Real town halls are usually unscripted …

Romney's Tax Plan and Economic Growth  —  Bruce Bartlett held senior policy roles in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and served on the staffs of Representatives Jack Kemp and Ron Paul.  He is the author of “The Benefit and the Burden: Tax Reform - Why We Need It and What It Will Take.”

State Department official: Negotiations to extend U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan starting soon  —  Despite statements by Vice President Joe Biden, the State Department is about to begin formal negotiations over the extension of U.S. troops past 2014, a top State Department official said Tuesday.

High court allows early voting in Ohio  —  (CNN) - The United States Supreme Court has given the green light to early voting in Ohio in the three days prior to November's election.  —  The brief, one sentence order from the court Tuesday is a setback for Republican leaders in the state …

Mitt Romney's ‘new math’ for jobs plan doesn't add up  —  “Let me tell you how I will create 12 million jobs when President Obama couldn't.  First, my energy independence policy means more than 3 million new jobs, many of them in manufacturing.  My tax reform plan to lower rates …

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.

Sorry, U.S. Recoveries Really Aren't Different  —  Five years after the onset of the 2007 subprime financial crisis, U.S. gross domestic product per capita remains below its initial level.  Unemployment, though down from its peak, is still about 8 percent.  Rather than the V- shaped recovery …

Fake Celebrity Account Fools Drudge, Crashes Twitter With Endorsement  —  If you were on Twitter last night, you might have noticed that the notorious “fail whale” made its unwelcome appearance for a while: Twitter was over capacity, and now we know why:  —  Drudge Report posted a headline …

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.

Democrats Aren't Real Catholics, Says Kansas Senate Candidate  —  A candidate for State Senate in Kansas believes that Catholics, and Christians more broadly, who support Democrats cannot be true believers in Christ.  Republican Steve Fitzgerald, challenging incumbent Catholic Democrat Kelly Kultala …

King's crisis  —  About 2,000 people gathered on Sept. 28 at First Baptist North in Spartanburg, S.C., to hear high-profile Christians speak on defending the faith and applying a Christian worldview to their lives.  Among the speakers: Eric Metaxas, Josh McDowell, and—keynote speaker for the evening …

French president pushing homework ban as part of ed reforms  —  How do you think this would go over in the United States?  French President François Hollande has said he will end homework as part of a series of reforms to overhaul the country's education system.  —  And the reason he wants to ban homework?

Oct. 15: Distracted by Polling Noise  —  Monday was an orderly day in the polls.  —  National polls showed a modestly favorable trend for President Obama, allowing him to gain slightly in our forecast.  (Mr. Obama's chances of winning the Electoral College are now 66.0 percent …