Trying to get her out in more friendly venues, the McCain campaign had Sarah Palin do a short interview today with conservative national radio host -- and renowned Mitt Romney sycophant -- Hugh Hewitt. (Full transcript here.) In a typically hard-hitting question, Hewitt wondered whether Palin agreed with those who feel that Charles Gibson and Katie Couric asked her "sort of pop quizzes designed to embarass you as opposed to interviews."

When the Wall Street bailout bill failed to pass the US House of Representatives Monday, sending the stock market crashing, it briefly appeared that those who voted no had sent the world economy into an abyss. It still might be the case. But that does not seem to be worrying the three no voters who hail from the Bay State: Bill Delahunt of Quincy, Steve Lynch of Boston, and John Tierney of Salem.

Amazing new numbers from Quinnipiac today, showing Obama with substantial leads -- and at or above 50% -- in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida. If those numbers are accurate, the election is over.

But even if they overstate the situation, it's clear that those states are moving in Obama's direction. Meanwhile, a new Pew poll has nothing but good news for Obama, showing him up 7 points among registered and 6 points among likely voters.

Barney Frank was the public face of the bailout bill, but three of his own delegation voted against him today. Delahunt, Lynch, and Tierney from Massachusetts all voted no. Capuano, Frank, Markey, McGovern, Neal, Olver, and Tsongas voted yes.

Both of New Hampshire's freshmen Democrats in Congress -- Hodes and Shea-Porter, both facing re-election challenges -- voted against the bailout bill.

House Republican leaders gave a press conference this afternoon, in which they claimed that they had enough votes for passage -- but that 12 Republicans flipped after hearing Nancy Pelosi give a partisan speech during the House debate.

I had watched Pelosi's speech, and was a little surprised at how much she whipped on Bush and his administration -- clearly, it was her way of trying to frame the bailout in terms for the upcoming congressional elections.

After a series of often quite impassioned speeches on the House floor, the bailout bill just went to a vote, and has lost.

Leadership had hoped all week to get 100 yes votes from each side of the aisle. It looks like only 60+ Republicans will end up voting for; they are running 2-to-1 against. Democrats couldn't make up the whole difference.

Am I crazy, or did we just see a substantive discussion in which the two candidates laid out their differences on a number of serious policy and priority items? Haven't these two guys been paying any attention to what their campaigns are all about?

I thought that the debate mostly came across as two equals debating their different views, which is exactly the hurdle Obama needed to get over.

--Which is more to blame for the public's antipathy toward the bailout: President Bush's total lack of credibility, or the media's total failure to explain the fiscal crisis?

--Has anyone heard anything about those examples of McCain's business-regulation attempts, that Sarah Palin promised to get back to Katie Couric with the other day?

WaPo's Chris Cillizza has this screen shot from the Wall Street Journal web site this morning -- with an ad from the McCain campaign declaring victory in the debate that hasn't happened yet. That he wasn't planning to attend at the time. A time when, in fact, his campaign was suspended. Including not advertising.

Victory is contagious!

As you know, John McCain announced on Wednesday that he absolutely could not possibly attend tonight's debate -- or indeed participate in any campaign activity -- until a bill to rescue the economy got done.

It certainly hasn't looked good; last night -- 10 days into the negotiations -- House Republicans suddenly introduced a completely different scheme from the one everybody had been working on, and refused to discuss it.

As of this morning, the McCain campaign was adamantly denying that John McCain would necessarily vote for the Wall Street bailout bill that emerges from the current negotiations on the Hill.

Then his VP sat down to tape her third interview since being picked, and pretty much said that voting against a bailout would be disastrous.

Rasmussen today says McCain leads in NH, 49%-47%.

Marist today says no, Obama leads 51%-45%.

UNH yesterday said yeah, McCain leads, 47%-45%.

UNH recently said Shaheen has a slim lead, 48%-44%, over Sununu for US Senate.

ARG recently said no, Shaheen has a big lead, 52%-40% over Sununu for US Senate.

You people up in New Hampshire aren't just messing with these pollsters, are you?

Chris Faraone reports from a packed press conference in Grove Hall tonight that state senator Dianne Wilkerson will run as a write-in candidate in the general election, if Sonia Chang-Diaz remains the Democratic nominee following a recount.

Wilkerson has mobilized black ministers and community leaders to help her defend her seat through a sticker campaign, Faraone reports.