The Making Of Romney's Storm Relief Event  —  A scramble to depoliticize a political campaign, and $5,000 in supplies from Wal-Mart.  “Just grab something.”  —  Image by Brian Snyder / Reuters  —  DAYTON, Ohio — The last-minute decision by Romney high command Monday to suspend politics …

Roanoke College Poll:Late deciders push Romney to narrow lead over Obama in Va.; Allen overtakes Kaine in Va. Senate race  —  Governor Mitt Romney has overtaken President Barack Obama by a very narrow margin in Virginia (49% - 44%), according to a Roanoke College Poll conducted after the Presidential debates.

Lingering questions about Benghazi  —  The attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi has become a political football in the presidential campaign, with all the grandstanding and misinformation that entails.  But Fox News has raised some questions about the attack that deserve a clearer answer from the Obama administration.

Big Storm Opportunism  —  Did you know Hurricane Sandy favors higher marginal tax rates?  —  Our former editor Robert Bartley once quipped (fondly) about the writer Jude Wanniski that he thought a capital-gains tax cut could intercept a Soviet SS-20 missile in mid-flight.

Here comes the landslide  —  Voters have figured out that President Obama has no message, no agenda and not even much of an explanation for what he has done over the past four years.  His campaign is based entirely on persuading people that Mitt Romney is a uniquely bad man …

The ‘I’ of the Storm  —  The dramatic homestretch ad for President Obama, running on every network and in all media markets, is a home run, devastating for Mitt Romney.  —  And, best of all, the president didn't have to pay for it, or even say, “I approve this message.”

Poll: Romney closes gap on Obama in Michigan  —  Mitt Romney is within striking distance of Barack Obama in Michigan in the final days before the election, buoyed by more who are convinced the Republican is a viable alternative to the president, with the ability to turn around the economy.

1 week, 2 versions of reality  —  As if Hurricane Sandy weren't doing enough to muddle the presidential race a week before the election, the two campaigns now seem to be embracing two sharply different versions of political reality.  —  The Mitt Romney narrative: The electoral map is expanding and we are on the march.

Anti-Obama texts traced to conservative activist  —  The spate of unsolicited anti-Obama text messages that have hit hundreds of cellphones in recent days appears to be the work of conservative activist Jason Flanary and his Virginia-based communications firm, ccAdvertising.

U.S. Voter Turnout Will Likely Fall Short of 2004, 2008  —  Fewer voters this year say they are thinking about election, will definitely vote  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Key Gallup indicators of voter turnout, collected prior to superstorm Sandy, suggest voter turnout will fall short of what it was in 2004 and 2008.

Axelrod wagers to shave mustache  —  David Axelrod, a senior adviser to Barack Obama's presidential campaign, said Wednesday he will shave off his mustache “of 40 years” on national television if Obama loses Minnesota, Michigan or Pennsylvania on Election Day.

What's Behind the State-National Poll Divergence?  —  The Hurricane Sandy-related lull in tracking polls gives us a good opportunity to look at one of the more interesting aspects of polling to develop this month: the divergence between national and state polls.

Labor Dept: October jobs report ready Friday despite hurricane  —  The final employment report before the election will not be delayed by Hurricane Sandy.  —  The Labor Department announced Wednesday that Friday's report will be released at 8:30 a.m., as scheduled, after concerns earlier …

Possible Bubbles of Spacetime Curvature in the South Pacific  —  In 1928, the late Francis Wayland Thurston published a scandalous manuscript in purport of warning the world of a global conspiracy of occultists.  Among the documents he gathered to support his thesis was the personal account …

Messina: Obama has ‘dominant’ position in race  —  President Obama has a “dominant position” in the 2012 race, according to a new campaign video.  —  In the nearly five-minute video, campaign manager Jim Messina boasts that the campaign has registered millions of voters and opened …

FACEBOOK CENSORS NAVY SEALS TO PROTECT OBAMA ON BENGHAZI-GATE  —  Over the weekend, Facebook took down a message by the Special Operations Speaks PAC (SOS) which highlighted the fact that Obama denied backup to the forces being overrun in Benghazi.  —  The message was contained in a meme …

Councilman Pushes For Charges Against Twitter User Who Spread Falsehoods  —  “I hope the fact that I'm asking for criminal charges to be seriously considered will make him much less comfortable and much less smug,” says Vallone  —  New York City Councilman Peter Vallone told BuzzFeed Tuesday …

Wasserman Schultz Involved in Police Altercation Outside Voting Precinct  —  A group of sign-waving campaign ralliers comprised of both Democrat and Republican supporters outside an Aventura, Florida polling location witnessed Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz get involved in a heated altercation …

Does the international affairs community need some Razzies?  —  Your humble blogger was innocently surfing the web yesterday when someone linked to Niall Ferguson's latest Newsweek column.  Now even though I've warned everyone — repeatedly — not to go to there, I made the mistake of clicking.