Top Items:
Washington Post:
McCain Camp Hits Obama On More Than One Front — Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign launched a broadside against Sen. Barack Obama yesterday, accusing him of a sexist smear, comparing his campaign to a pack of wolves on the prowl against the GOP vice presidential pick …
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Wall Street Journal:
Obama Readjusts to Defuse Palin Phenomenon — Campaign Aims To Shift the Debate From Personalities — Sen. Barack Obama, slipping in national polls, is showing signs of being distracted by the enthusiasm generated by the McCain-Palin ticket and is planning a sharper message focused on economic anxiety.
Washington Post:
What's the Pig Deal? — IT'S HARD to think of a presidential campaign with a wider chasm between the seriousness of the issues confronting the country and the triviality, so far anyway, of the political discourse. On a day when the Congressional Budget Office warned of looming deficits …
Natalie Gewargis / Political Punch:
Obama on Letterman: If That's What I'd Meant, Palin Would Be the …
Obama on Letterman: If That's What I'd Meant, Palin Would Be the …
Discussion:
Commentary
Ben Smith / The Politico:
Obama on Letterman: Palin is lipstick, McCain policies are pig
Obama on Letterman: Palin is lipstick, McCain policies are pig
Discussion:
The Swamp, Gateway Pundit, Liberal Values, Scared Monkeys, MyDD, Riehl World View, The Caucus and Ben Smith's Blogs
Daniel Finkelstein / Comment Central:
What Sarah Palin tells us about Obama — Here are a few thoughts of my own on the lipstick on a pig moment (see this earlier post for the views of others). — First, demonstrating that McCain had used the same phrase before doesn't cut it. — The reason the pig idea popped …
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Jay Cost / HorseRaceBlog:
Obama On His Heels — This campaign has taken a surprising turn since the Democratic convention. Everybody is still talking about the Republican vice-presidential nominee. — Who would have predicted this just two weeks ago? — When I say everybody is talking about Governor Palin, I mean everybody.
New York Times:
Squad of G.O.P. Aides Prepares Palin for Interviews — Two weeks ago, People magazine was granted an exclusive interview with Senator John McCain's new running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, who spoke about motherhood and career, life in Alaska and the historic nature of her candidacy.
David Paul Kuhn / Yahoo! News:
GOP foreign policy experts cool on Palin — In state after state, rally after rally, Sarah Palin is generating record levels of enthusiasm among the Republican base. Crowds chant her name, congressional candidates cite her in their ads and there are numerous reports of a surge in grass roots volunteers for the McCain campaign.
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Natalie Gewargis / Political Radar:
Biden: Hillary a Better Pick Than Me
Biden: Hillary a Better Pick Than Me
Discussion:
Stop The ACLU, Top of the Ticket, Liberal Values, Wake up America, Macsmind, Boston Globe and The Raw Story
Marisa Katz / Washington Post:
Why Do Lies Prevail? — John McCain was not offended when Barack Obama described McCain's policy agenda as putting “lipstick on a pig.” I can't prove that, but it seems so obvious to me that it's more like a fact than an opinion. Nor could McCain possibly have thought …
Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
Obama Can't Win Against Palin — Of all the advantages Gov. Sarah Palin has brought to the GOP ticket, the most important may be that she has gotten into Barack Obama's head. How else to explain Sen. Obama's decision to go one-on-one against “Sarah Barracuda,” captain of the Wasilla High state basketball champs?
Discussion:
Pew Research Center, FiveThirtyEight.com, MSNBC, Blue Crab Boulevard, TIME.com and Commentary
Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Canadian doctor warns Sarah Palin's decision to have Down baby could reduce abortions — Sarah and Todd Palin's decision to complete her recent pregnancy, despite advance notice that their baby Trig had Down syndrome, is hailed by many in the pro-life movement as walking the walk as well as talking the talk.
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New York Times:
Bush Said to Give Orders Allowing Raids in Pakistan — WASHINGTON — President Bush secretly approved orders in July that for the first time allow American Special Operations forces to carry out ground assaults inside Pakistan without the prior approval of the Pakistani government, according to senior American officials.
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Ann Scott Tyson / Washington Post:
Top Military Officer Urges Major Change in Afghanistan Strategy
Top Military Officer Urges Major Change in Afghanistan Strategy
Discussion:
Danger Room, Reuters, Los Angeles Times, SWJ Blog, Daimnation! and Michael Yon Online Magazine
Roger Ebert / Chicago Sun Times:
The American Idol candidate — I think I might be able to explain some of Sara Palin's appeal. She's the “American Idol” candidate. Consider. What defines an “American Idol” finalist? They're good-looking, work well on television, have a sunny personality, are fierce competitors …
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Dirty Harry / Dirty Harry's Place:
Palin Derangement Syndrome Hits Poor Roger Ebert
Palin Derangement Syndrome Hits Poor Roger Ebert
Discussion:
Gateway Pundit
Jim Carlton / Wall Street Journal:
Ethics Adviser Warned Palin About Trooper Issue — Letter Described Situation as ‘Grave,’ Called for Apology — ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An informal adviser who has counseled Gov. Sarah Palin on ethics issues urged her in July to apologize for her handling of the dismissal …
The Week Magazine:
DAVID FRUM: The Democrats' Credibility Gap — Bob Shrum tells us that John McCain and Sarah Palin are falling short in their populism. Nobody has deployed the rhetoric of populism more ferociously and more often than Bob Shrum, so his assessment carries weight.
Victor Davis Hanson / The Corner:
Joe Biden and the Incredible Lightness of Being — Watching Joe Biden is better than examining the polls or listening to talking heads, since he instantaneously reflects cockiness, aggression, bombast, depression, and loss of confidence, predicated on the emotional pulse of the campaign.
Satyam / Think Progress:
On 7th Anniversary Of Attacks, White House Claims Bin Laden Was Not The ‘Mastermind’ of Sept. 11 — Tomorrow marks the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. In a press conference today, a reporter asked White House Press Secretary Dana Perino about the administration's ongoing efforts …
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James Pethokoukis / US News:
Pop! Why the Obama Bubble Has Collapsed — The Obama campaign seems to have experienced a “Minsky Moment.” That, as any financial bubblologist worth his weight in tulips knows, is the particular point in time when no more “greater fools” can be found to support a bubble and a Great Deflation finally begins.
Discussion:
Power Line