Obama: ‘Lipstick on a pig’  —  Amie Parnes reports from Lebanon, VA: … The crowd apparently took the “lipstick” line as a reference to Palin, who described the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull in a single word: “lipstick.”  —  UPDATE: The McCain campaign is now saying Obama called Palin a pig, which he didn't.

Palin bounce has Democrats off balance  —  Some fear Obama's more aggressive tone could enhance her appeal among white, blue-collar voters.  —  The emergence of Sarah Palin as a political force in the presidential race has left many top Democrats fretting that, just two weeks …

As Campaign Heats Up, Untruths Can Become Facts Before They're Undone  —  From the moment Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin declared that she had opposed the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere,” critics, the news media and nonpartisan fact checkers have called it a fabrication or, at best, a half-truth.

Warned by the Court  —  A judge repeatedly told Palin and family not to badmouth her sister's ex  —  An Anchorage judge three years ago warned Sarah Palin and members of her family to stop “disparaging” the reputation of Alaska State Trooper Michael Wooten, who at the time was undergoing …

DC Handwringing  —  If I had my way I would be in Utica, New York right now.  —  When we first discussed where to put the Clinton campaign's headquarters I half-seriously argued for Utica, on the theory that the further away from Washington, D.C. we were, the better off we would be.

Fresh blood for the vampire  —  A beady-eyed McCain gets a boost from the charismatic Sarah Palin, a powerful new feminist — yes, feminist! — force.  Plus: Obama must embrace his dull side.  —  Rip tide!  Is the Obama campaign shooting out to sea like a paper boat?

From the Gut  —  If John McCain can win this election race with a 50-pound ball called “George W. Bush” wrapped around one ankle and a 50-pound ball called “The U.S. Economy” wrapped around the other, then he deserves to represent America in the next Olympics in any race he wants — swimming …

Yes, Palin Did Stop That Bridge  —  “But, you know, when you've been taking all these earmarks when it's convenient, and then suddenly you're the champion anti-earmark person, that's not change.  Come on!  I mean, words mean something, you can't just make stuff up.”  — Barack Obama, Sept. 6, 2008

Obama Broke Money Record  —  Sen. Barack Obama broke his monthly fundraising record of $55 million in August, sources said today, but the campaign remains tight lipped about its total haul.  —  The numbers aren't scheduled to be made public until Sept. 20, when the campaign files …

Budget Deficit Likely Doubled for Fiscal '08  —  WASHINGTON — The Congressional Budget Office said the U.S. budget deficit for fiscal 2008 — $407 billion — will be more than double the deficit for 2007, hit by the wars and a weak economy, and predicted it is likely to rise further in fiscal 2009.

Lehman Sees $3.9 Billion Loss and Plans to Shed Assets  —  The investment bank Lehman Brothers, in an all-out fight for its survival, said Wednesday morning that it expected a loss of $3.9 billion, or $5.92 a share, in the third quarter after $5.6 billion in write-downs.

P.S. on “One Thumb Down(ish)”  —  Sarah Palin is a trillion things.  She is not a victim.  She is basically the most unvictim person out there.  And we should be careful about implying otherwise.  You know what I mean?  It's hard to say in a sentence or two; there are subtleties.

Palin Aides Defend Billing State for Time at Home  —  Responding to criticism from Democrats, campaign aides to Gov. Sarah Palin on Tuesday defended her practice of billing Alaska taxpayers for more than 300 nights she spent at home in her first year-and-a-half in office.