6:15 p.m.  MSNBC's David Gregory has NY Republican Susan Molinari offering advice to McCain-Palin.  Molinari says that the Republican ticket should promise to take tough, unpopular positions and promise not to run for re-election if they win.  In the same breath, she tells Gregory that Republicans are still upbeat about their chances.  Practically no one else is.  The Robert Novak on-line report (”ENPR”) is predicting a “Republican disaster at hand.”  Poll-tested conventional wisdom seems to be that McCain should not try attacking Obama's character — it doesn't work.