On October surprises

With a little more than one day left in the month, it's getting pretty late for anyone to pull off an October surprise that could swing the election. What exactly is an October surprise? Slate's Andy Bowers explains all (the term has been around longer than you might think).

In another Slate piece, chief political correspondent William Saletan offers an interesting analysis on how Osama bin Laden's latest message -- while not exactly the October surprise that had long been rumored -- might well ensure President Bush's re-election: "Bin Laden would like to see Bush thrown out of office. ... More likely, by showing up four days before our election, he'll scare Americans into re-electing Bush."