The world's biggest show is kicking off. Never before has a US presidential election been so closely followed from all corners of the world. Our Observers from Beijing to Baghdad tell us what they'll be doing when we find out who will lead the world's superpower. Read more...

By now, most people following the US election know that Democratic candidate Barack Obama purchased ads inside video games last month. But what if the election itself was taking place inside the world of gamers? See the election from inside the World of Warcraft...

So why do people vote? As one new tongue-in-cheek ad suggests, it could be for the glory of Satan. Or maybe to stop same-sex arrangements among hogs. See the Web's latest viral hit...

The final week of a presidential campaign is usually the roughest, and this election is no exception. Find out how someone is trying to supress the vote in one key state...

Higher taxes or more tax cuts and who should bear the burden of this necessary evil? Read our Observers' comments

Yesterday's debate between Obama and McCain saw the birth of a new American hero. Joe Wurzelbacher, a plumber from Toronto City, received praise from both candidates in the televised event. The local media spent the evening with "Joe the Plumber", who shared his views on what was said. Read more and watch the video... 

During their third and final debate, John McCain and Barack Obama tried to appeal to average Americans such as Joe Wurzelbacher, a plumber from Ohio, who McCain frequently referred to as “Joe the plumber.” But this final face-off wasn’t convincing enough to change our Observers’ opinions. Read more...

To be seen as implying that Sarah Palin was "a pig with lipstick on" certainly got Barack Obama a great deal of attention, but the standing ovation that he received at the time has now been replaced by a barrage of insults for being sexist. Read more and see the video...

UPDATE (11 September 2008 - 10am): McCain's campaign team responded to the speech by using footage of a CBS journalist complaining about sexism in the election. What they failed to mention was that anchor Katie Couric's remarks were not referencing Sarah Palin... but Hillary Clinton, back in early June. After complaints from CBS about the use of Couric's comment the clip was banned from YouTube on Wednesday. However, it's still available on McCain's website.

With Hurricane Gustav bearing down on Louisiana and other US Gulf of Mexico states, the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minneapolis, opened with a truncated schedule with an opening address by US President George Bush being blown off course by the storm. But despite media reports of a somber mood at the convention, our Observer Tim Demuth says the mood at the Xcel Center is anything but gloomy. Read more...

Image posted on Flickr by Kim Baker.

In an obvious attempt to fracture the Democrats during their Denver convention, McCain's latest campaign videos are pushing the boundaries of political correctness. Read more and see the videos...