Obama's Grandmother Dies  —  CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A tragic turn of events for Sen. Barack Obama: his ailing grandmother died today.  —  Here's a statement from Obama and his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng:  —  “It is with great sadness that we announce that our grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died peacefully after a battle with cancer.

New Troopergate report clears Palin  —  A new report just released — hours before the polls open on Election Day — exonerates Gov. Sarah Palin in the Troopergate controversy.  —  The state Personnel Board-sanctioned investigation is the second into whether Palin violated state ethics law …

Rove's Final Map: Obama 338, McCain 200  —  Karl Rove's final Electoral College map...

RNC Hits Obama For Visit To Sick Grandmother  —  Leaving no potential avenue of attack unexplored, the Republican National Committee has decided to bash Barack Obama over his October visit to see his ailing grandmother in Hawaii.  —  Of course the visit itself is not being criticized …

McCain draws small Florida crowd on race's final day  —  TAMPA, Florida (CNN) - Barack Obama may lead John McCain by just 2 points in the latest CNN Florida poll of polls, but the enthusiasm gap appears a bit wider.  —  John McCain's first rally of the day, in Tampa outside Raymond James Stadium, only drew about 1,100 people.

THE NEW POLL TAX.  —  This is why Rachel Maddow matters:  —  The poll tax was a sly system of disenfranchisement used in the Jim Crow era to disenfranchise Southern blacks.  Aware that the Constitution now assured everyone the “right” to vote, Southern states imposed a voting fee heavy enough …

McCAIN CAMPAIGN MEMO: READING THE EXIT POLLS  —  As we have seen in previous election cycles, the exit poll results do leak early and that ends up influencing the coverage of the race before even the first state polls close at 6:00 PM Eastern.  —  However, we want to remind the campaign …

Obama's Attack Ad On Himself  —  I should have gotten this out earlier, but just didn't get all the video clips together quick enough.  In putting this together, it's been surprising, even to someone who's followed the entire presidential race in great detail, the extent to which Obama has gotten away …

McCain Rally: Salter Is Smiling  —  Elizabeth Holmes reports from Blountville, Tenn., on the presidential race.  —  You know it's a big day on the McCain campaign when Mark Salter is smiling.  —  The senior aide to John McCain, known for his gruff demeanor, was practically giddy this morning on the campaign plane.

The Republicans' appalling attack on Rashid Khalidi.  —  On the clouded synapses of Sen. John McCain, it became clear as his campaign limped and lurched to its close, the termites had been dining long and dining well.  However much one might have admired the low comedy of his closing routine …

Romney Can't Bring Himself To Say That McCain Has Conducted A ‘Dignified And Honest’ Campaign  —  This morning on NBC's Today Show, host Meredith Vieira asked McCain campaign surrogate Mitt Romney about a new University of Wisconsin analysis, which found that more of McCain's ads have been negative than Obama's in the past week.

Bush Praised By Both Parties for Transition Planning  —  Nov. 3 (Bloomberg) — President George W. Bush is leaving office with some of the lowest job-approval ratings in history.  He's being assailed by both of his would-be successors, one of whom will inherit two wars and the most severe financial crisis since the Great Depression.

Fox News' Major Garrett Defends Obama Against “Fox & Friends” In Leaked E-Mail  —  Fox News correspondent Major Garrett shot back in defense of Barack Obama against the network's morning show's effort to suggest that he has ignored Fox News throughout the campaign.

Aunt Zeituni's Protectors  —  ALL IN THE FAMILY  —  Senior aides to Sen. Barack Obama and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick were aware that Obama's aunt, Zeituni Onyango, was living in the United States illegally and in a South Boston public-housing project, and were monitoring her at the request …

Palin campaign stonewalls on medical records  —  LAKEWOOD, Ohio (CNN) - With less than 24 hours to go before the presidential election, Sarah Palin still has not released her medical records and there is no indication the campaign is planning to do so.  —  Two weeks ago, Palin's campaign …

Palin On Democrats: “Do They Think The Terrorists ... Are The Good Guys?”  —  In a speech just now in Missouri, Sarah Palin unleashed some of the most ostentatious POW-POW-POWing of the campaign, and strongly implied that Dems think the “terrorists” are the “good guys.”

All Barack Obama Statements Come With an Expiration Date.  All Of Them.  —  By popular demand, the list of expired Obama statements...  Consumers should be aware that promises, pledged, and soul-healing rhetoric are only effective for a limited time; upon expiration they become “just words.”

The Cell-Phone-Only Difference: A Final Look  —  A little over a week ago, I posted two different national trend estimates: one for pollsters who were reaching cell-phone-only (CPO) respondents by calling cell phones in addition to landlines and one for those who were only calling landlines.

Biden Offers His Take on Girls  —  In what has become noted and typical fashion, the Delaware senator isn't shy to express his view of the origin of women's strength.  —  FOXNews.com  —  LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. — “Hey folks, 37 more hours!”  —  Joe Biden greeted a crowd primed for the home stretch …

PALIN'S RISING STAR?  —  I know there's a lot of talk in Republican circles that Sarah Palin is going to be the star, the new face of the GOP in the post-Bush, post-McCain era.  And this speculation has been goosed by Palin's own hints that it's full speed ahead with Palinism on the national stage …