Battleground Tracking Poll: Mitt Romney takes lead  —  DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Mitt Romney has taken a narrow national lead, tightened the gender gap and expanded his edge over President Barack Obama on who would best grow the economy.  —  A new POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground Tracking Poll …

Spelling is hard: Obama supporters wear ‘Foward’ T-shirts at Biden rally, tweet #Foward; Update: #Foward hashtag hilarity … Oh, dear!  Seriously, our aching sides can't take much more.  But, wait, there's more!  It wasn't just one woman who was wearing a T-shirt reading “foward”; it was two!

WISCONSIN SENATOR'S SON BEATEN TO PULP BY ANTI-ROMNEY THUGS  —  Early Friday morning, thugs presumably supporting President Obama beat up the son of Wisconsin State Senator Neal Kedzie outside of his apartment in Whitewater.  Kedzie caught the two men removing a Romney sign outside of his apartment around two o'clock in the morning.

Akin Adviser: If A Dog, McCaskill Would Be A ‘Bullshitsu’  —  Rick Tyler, an adviser to Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin in Missouri, tweeted Monday that if Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill were a dog, she would be a “Bullshitsu.” … The comment comes after Akin drew fire …

Clark Kent makes a major life change in new ‘Superman’  —  Mild-mannered reporter leaves The Daily Planet  —  2:22PM EDT October 22.  2012 - The Daily Planet has a new job opening.  —  In Superman issue 13, the Man of Steel's alter ego, mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent …

Oct. 21: Uncertainty Clouds Polling, but Obama Remains Electoral College Favorite  —  The bad news for President Obama: it's been almost a week since the second presidential debate, in Hempstead, N.Y., one that instant-reaction polls said was a narrow victory for him.

Russell Means, Who Revived Warrior Image of American Indian, Dies at 72  —  Russell C. Means, the charismatic Oglala Sioux who helped revive the warrior image of the American Indian in the 1970s with guerrilla-tactic protests that called attention to the nation's history of injustices …

Biden blasts Romney, Ryan in Ohio  —  CANTON, Ohio - As President Obama headed to Boca Raton, Florida, for the final debate on Monday, Vice President Joe Biden kicked off a three-day tour of crucial battleground state Ohio.  —  At his first event at a community center here in Canton …

Donald Trump claims Barack Obama bombshell  —  Donald Trump said Monday that he will reveal “very big” news about President Barack Obama by Wednesday but declined to give any hints about his plan, he said on “Fox & Friends.”  —  “Something very, very big concerning the president of the United States,” he said.

Intelligence Stressed Libya Protest Scenario  —  In Reports to Obama, CIA Didn't Alter Assessment of Trigger for Violence for 10 Days, Even as Witness Accounts Disputed It  —  WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama was told in his daily intelligence briefing for more than a week after the consulate siege …

Blimp-Like Aircraft With Mitt Romney Ad Crash Lands in Davie  —  Aircraft carrying GOP presidential hopeful's message goes down in South Florida  —  A blimp-like aircraft bearing a message from Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney crash-landed in Davie Sunday night, officials said.

Post-ABC tracking poll: Obama 49 percent, Romney 48 percent  —  President Obama and Mitt Romney head into the final debate still deadlocked among likely voters nationally: 49 percent side with the Democratic president, 48 percent with the Republican challenger, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

We shouldn't have a ‘foreign policy’ debate  —  The first presidential debate focused on “domestic policy.”  Tonight's presidential debate will focus on “foreign policy.”  I'm going to focus on the fact that this distinction is ridiculous.  —  A volunteer prepares labels for seats …

Romney Campaign Flops Twice On Marriage Amendment And Same-Sex ‘Benefits’  —  Mitt Romney's campaign seemed to flip-flop last week on whether he supports an amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning same-sex marriage, but the convoluted clarification demonstrated that his positions on the issue …

Wow, CNN ...  Check out the front page feature story on CNN right now.  A eye-popper even in the long sad tale of CNN's decline.  Screen cap after the jump ...  CNN front page, 9:14 AM, October 22nd, 2012.  —  I'll note that the piece itself is not nearly as bad as the headline.

Pennsylvania: Last-Minute Game-Changer?  —  The State Hasn't Backed a GOP Presidential Candidate Since '88, but as Obama's Lead Narrows, Romney's Camp Eyes It  —  GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan arriving in Moon Township, Pa., Saturday.  Vice President Joe Biden in St. Augustine, Fla., the same day

The Cuban Missile Crisis @50: A Reconsideration  —  Today is the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's nationally televised address informing the nation of the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba, and his intention to make sure they were removed.  The Kennedy glorification industry …

Todd Akin Arrested on May 9, 1987 with Radical Anti-Abortion Group  —  In late September we broke the news that Todd Akin was arrested for blocking access to a women's health clinic.  We posted a video of Akin speaking in O'Fallon, MO in March 2011.  Akin, apparently not aware that he was being recorded …

Romney Wouldn't Meet Defense Spending Pledge for Years  —  Mitt Romney's pledge to spend at least 4 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product on the military isn't an immediate goal or even one he is sure to meet in a first term as president, according to a defense adviser.

The bias of Bob Schieffer: Top 7 moments  —  In August, I blasted the Commission on Presidential Debate's choices of three Beltway lib journo-tools — CNN's Candy Crowley, PBS's Jim Lehrer and CBS's Bob Schieffer.  So far, they've acted just as expected and predicted.  As I noted: