PITTSBURGH... Ashley Todd, 20, of College Station, Texas, was using an ATM at Liberty Avenue and Pearl Street in Bloomfield just before 9 p.m. Wednesday when a man approached her, put a knife to her throat and demanded $60, police said.

Todd handed the man $60 she had in her pocket and stepped away from him, investigators said. The man then noticed the bumper sticker on the woman's car, which was parked in front of the ATM. The man became very angry, made comments to Todd about John McCain and punched her in the back of the head, knocking her to the ground, police said.

"He continued to kick and punch her repeatedly and said he would teach her a lesson for supporting John McCain," said police Chief Nate Harper.

The man then carved the "B" into Todd's right cheek.

Confirming the obvious:
Study says media portrays McCain in 'substantially negative" light compared to Obama

The Project for Excellence in Journalism looks at the coverage of the two presidential candidates since the conventions and concludes "The media coverage of the race for president has not so much cast Barack Obama in a favorable light as it has portrayed John McCain in a substantially negative one...coverage of McCain has been heavily unfavorable—and has become more so over time."...

McCain, Obama continue to spar over comment
"spread the wealth around"

When asked whether his comments provided Republicans with an opening for attack, Obama said he had not.

“They have been trying to throw whatever they can up against the wall to see what sticks,” he said, “and this is their latest version.”

... But in a series of three events on Wednesday, McCain and his running-mate, Sarah Palin, continued to argue that their opponent is hiding his real agenda.

As evidence of the Democratic nominee’s plans, McCain cited a section of Obama’s second book, “The Audacity of Hope,” at a morning event in Goffstown, N.H.

“He writes of, quote, the need for ‘labor laws and tax laws that restore some balance to the distribution of the nation’s wealth.’ He’s talked elsewhere about how, in our day, ‘the distribution of wealth is even more skewed, and levels of inequity are now higher,’” he told the crowd of roughly 2,000.

“Whatever the right word is for that way of thinking,” McCain said. A voice from the crowd shouted an answer: “Socialism!”
 

Obama: "Righteous wind at our backs"

AP poll:
McCain, Obama even

IDB/TIPP polls:
Obama lead drops 3 points

Zogby:
Obama 51.6%, McCain 42.0%

Global survey: world citizens prefer Obama
to McCain by 4-to-1 margin