George Will: Colin Powell Endorsed Obama Because He's Black  —  This morning on “This Week” George Will was asked what he thought about Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama.  —  His response?  —  Black, black, blackety-black black black blackety-black. … Huh?

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.

‘Socialist,’ ‘Muslim’ — Ugly reception for Obama  —  Barack Obama's stop at Cape Fear BBQ and Chicken in Fayetteville, N.C., this afternoon underscored the continued resistance of some voters to his candidacy — and his identity.  The trip, according to a pool report, offered “some powerful and at times ugly interaction.”

Democrats Favor Spreading Wealth Around, GOP Disagrees  —  John McCain now says it's socialism, but Barack Obama insists, “When you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody.”  —  Forty-four percent (44%) of voters agree with Obama's statement while 42% disagree in a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

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.

Limbaugh Wallops Powell  —  The talk radio titan blisters Gen. Powell's Obama endorsement, suggesting to Politico that race was a factor:  —  “I am now researching his past endorsements to see if I can find all the inexperienced, very liberal, white candidates he has endorsed.

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.