The Morning Meeting

It’s been a while since anything other than politics and the financial crisis got much attention in our morning conversation here. And while there are still plenty of stories under those headings (Obama to see McCain; the "vetting" of Bill Clinton; a colossal layoff number — 53,000 — at Citigroup), other issues intrude this morning: the destruction of 800 homes and 35,000 acres in Southern California; a landmark security agreement in Iraq; and the debate over a bailout for the Big Three automakers. We’re covering all these stories and more tonight. And we’ll start a series of reports under the heading, "Spirit of America" — success stories of a kind. Tonight — the 45,000 men known as "Watchdog Dads". Stay tuned…