Powell endorses Obama for president  —  Republican ex-secretary of state calls Democrat ‘transformational figure’  —  WASHINGTON - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for president on Sunday, criticizing his own Republican Party for what he called …

MCCAIN, OBAMA TIED IN OHIO  —  From NBC's Mark Murray  —  A new round of NBC/Mason-Dixon polls shows Obama leading in the battleground state of Wisconsin, McCain ahead in West Virginia, and the two candidates essentially tied in the swing state of Ohio.  —  In Wisconsin …

How John McCain came to pick Sarah Palin.  —  “Here's a little news flash,” Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska and the Republican candidate for Vice-President, announced in September, during her début at the Party's Convention, in St. Paul.  “I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment.

Powell Outside The Studio  —  In some ways, more devastating.  And a swipe at Bachmann's McCarthyism:

Gallup Daily: Obama Retains Significant Lead  —  Race remains tighter among likely voters than registered voters  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama's advantage over John McCain in the presidential race has again widened to 10 percentage points among registered voters, 52% to 42%, in Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Oct. 16-18.

RACE TO THE BOTTOM  —  If you're thinking to yourself that there's little more than two weeks before election day and Obama has a solid lead in the polls, don't be so sure.  —  Yes, it looks good for the Democrats.  But you need to play close attention to the McCain campaign's final weeks' strategy under and just above the radar.

McCain is the best choice for president  —  READ  —  The 2008 presidential contest is the most momentous election in a lifetime.  —  The United States faces unprecedented economic, security and political challenges.  The nation needs a leader with both the judgment and the experience to deal with these challenges.