President Bush asked Congress today for $46 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan...

... and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid responded that the president should not expect Congress to "rubber-stamp" the request.

Hero: Bush also presented the first Medal of Honor for the Afghanistan war to the parents of slain Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy.

So both the Des Moines Register's David Yepsen and the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza say John McCain did the best at last night's debate. Will that translate into better polls?

John Edwards and Chris Dodd are running the strongest in Daily Kos' October straw poll. Unfortunately for both candidates, they still lag terribly in the RCP Average.

Gallup, meanwhile, puts Hillary Clinton's lead in historical perspective.

"I'm going to do it the way I want to do it." Ain't nobody going to tell Fred Thompson how to run his campaign.

Reid Wilson sees some good news for the NRCC in New Mexico's First District.

Rudy Giuliani picked up the endorsement of Missouri Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, which, as NBC's First Read notes, "gives him a good congressional endorsement in another Feb. 5 state with more than 50 delegates at stake."

"I salute you for your position on this." Al Shapton likes Barack Obama's call for an administration official's ouster.

Marc Ambinder's wondering: "What's the Huckabee problem?"

After years of resistance, Microsoft agreed today to comply with EU demands that it make parts of its Windows operation system available to competitors.

OK, Red Sox Nation, you can't complain any more. Ever.