Joe in the Spotlight  —  One week ago, Joe Wurzelbacher was just another working man living in a modest ranch house in Toledo, Ohio, thinking about how to expand his plumbing business.  But when he stopped Senator Barack Obama during a visit to his block this weekend to ask about his taxes …

Inland GOP mailing depicts Obama's face on food stamp  —  Download story podcast  —  The Press-Enterprise  —  The latest newsletter by an Inland Republican women's group depicts Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama surrounded by a watermelon, ribs and a bucket of fried chicken, prompting outrage in political circles.

Confirmed: McCain To Appear With Virginia GOP Chairman Who Compared Obama To Osama Bin Laden  —  Earlier this week, Time magazine's Karen Tumulty reported on how Jeffrey Frederick, the chairman of the Virginia Republican party, gave GOP volunteers talking points on “the connection between Barack Obama and Osama bin Laden.”

Ayers Is No Education ‘Reformer’  —  The new media spin is worse than Obama's original evasion.  —  One of the most misleading statements during the presidential debates was when Barack Obama claimed that William Ayers was just “a guy in the neighborhood.”

The Left's Big Blunder  —  The disastrously counter-productive strategy of Obama's supporters  —  Two campaigns are being waged right now for the presidency of the United States.  No, I'm not talking about the Obama campaign and the McCain campaign.  I'm talking about the real-world campaign and the meta-campaign.

McCain helicopters to Letterman in N.Y.  —  With Newark Airport delaying Sen. John McCain's airplane from landing for two hours this afternoon, McCain knew he might be late - or gasp! - miss the taping of David Letterman's show.  —  After having stiffed the late night comedian once before …

RETURNING TO THE SCENE OF THE CRIME  —  So now we hear leaked word that the FBI is beginning an investigation into whether ACORN “helped foster voter registration fraud around the nation before the presidential election” and where there is “any evidence of a coordinated national scam.”

Lobbyist Speaks: Rumor Of McCain Affair False, Damaging  —  VICKI ISEMAN TALKS FOR THE FIRST TIME ABOUT THE GOP NOMINEE, THE NEW YORK TIMES, AND THE STORY THAT CHANGED HER LIFE.  —  In one of the most sensational stories of the presidential campaign, The New York Times published a 3,000-word …

Gallup Daily: Obama 49%, McCain 43%  —  Obama maintains lead, but falls under 50%  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking report from Monday through Wednesday shows Barack Obama with a 49%to 43% lead over John McCain among registered voters.

Americans Flunk Simple 3-Question Political Survey  —  Some news audiences are more politically savvy than others, according to a new poll, with readers of The New Yorker and similar high-brow magazines being the most knowledgeable.  —  The survey, conducted between April 30 and June 1 …

Not Out of the Woods Yet?  —  Share This: Digg!  —  Booman Tribune has this video of a Sarah Palin rally that will make you want to throw up.  —  ?  —  Does it mean Obama isn't out of the woods yet?  I don't think so.  There are more of us than them.

Harsh GOP robo-call hits Ayers  —  A harsh new robocall (above) — at least the third in a series — attacks Obama for having “worked closely with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers” whose group “killed Americans.”  —  Robocalls are a relatively inexpensive way to deliver a negative message …

Palin Rips Obama Over ACORN in Maine  —  BANGOR, Me.  — Speaking before a crowd of a few thousand supporters in an airport hangar, GOP vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin continued to question Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's patriotism and commitment to fair elections.

BLAMING KRISTOL FOR PALIN.... There's been quite a bit of animosity of late between the McCain campaign and Bill Kristol.  This wasn't at all expected, given that Kristol has been a McCain cheerleader for years.  —  But the two aren't getting along well this week at all.

Fact-checking: Does anyone care?  —  The debate had barely concluded when ABC News' George Stephanopoulos threw it over to reporter John Berman at the network's “fact check desk” in Washington.  —  “One of the more telling things in this debate was Joe the Plumber,” Berman chimed in, “but as you noted, his name was Joe Wurzelbacher.

Undecideds Laughing At, Not With, McCain  —  From TIME's Amy Sullivan:  —  In politics it is generally not considered a good sign when voters are laughing at you, not with you.  And by the end of the third and last presidential debate, the undecided voters who had gathered in Denver …