memeorandum: McCain Spokesman Told Off On All Networks (Ryan Tate/Gawker)

2:50 PM ET, September 16, 2008

Top Items:

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:

Holtz-Eakin: McCain helped create BlackBerry — Asked what work John McCain did as Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee that helped him understand the financial markets, the candidate's top economic adviser wielded visual evidence: his BlackBerry. — “He did this,” Douglas Holtz-Eakin …

Associated Press:

Adviser says McCain helped create the BlackBerry — MIAMI (AP) — Move over, Al Gore. You may lay claim to the Internet, but John McCain helped create the BlackBerry. — At least that's the contention of a top McCain policy adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin.

Discussion: MoJoBlog, The RBC and Change of Subject

Amanda / Think Progress:
McCain Adviser: McCain ‘Helped Create’ The Blackberry

Discussion: MoJoBlog, Washington Wire and Pam's House Blend

The Huffington Post:

Fiorina: Palin Doesn't Have Experience To Run A Major Company — Carly Fiorina, a key surrogate for John McCain on economic issues, said on Tuesday that Sarah Palin does not have the experience needed to run a major company like the one that Fiorina formerly headed.

Discussion: Marc Ambinder, Washington Monthly, Newshoggers.com, Hot Air, Hotline On Call, Campaign Silo, TPM Election Central and TPMCafe

Andy Barr / The Hill's Blog Briefing Room:
Fiorina: Palin Doesn't Have Experience to Run Major Company

Discussion: TIME.com, Taegan Goddard's … and Slog

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias: Fiorina: Palin Doesn't Have the Experience to Run a Company

Ali / Think Progress: Fiorina: Palin is not qualified to run a major business.

Wall Street Journal:

Why Obama's Health Plan Is Better — The big threat to growth in the next decade is not oil or food prices, but the rising cost of health care. The doubling of health insurance premiums since 2000 makes employers choose between cutting benefits and hiring fewer workers.

Discussion: Grasping Reality …, D-Day and Buck Naked Politics

content.healthaffairs.org:

Cost And Coverage Implications Of The McCain Plan To Restructure Health Insurance — Achieving John McCain's vision would radically transform the — U.S. health insurance landscape, with negligible gains in — ABSTRACT: — Senator John McCain's (R-AZ) health plan would eliminate …

Discussion: Wonk Room

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
The Difference on Health Care

Discussion: Outside The Beltway

Jonathan Cohn / The New Republic:
The Essence of McCain's Health Plan: Don't Get Sick

Discussion: Washington Wire

Ezra Klein / American Prospect: MCCAIN'S HEALTH CARE PLAN: HEALTH INSURANCE YOU CAN'T BELIEVE IN, OR RELY ON.

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Obama's character assassins target another National Review journalist — David Freddoso attempted to appear on Milt Rosenberg's WGN radio show last night, and just as when Stanley Kurtz tried to talk on the same show, the Barack Obama campaign organized a disruption of the show.

Discussion: Mother, May I Sleep …, Cold Fury and Balloon Juice

Ramesh Ponnuru / The Corner:

The Case Against David Freddoso — Via our Media Blog, I checked out the Obama campaign's alleged factsheet on Freddoso. Its accusations against him are almost all either false or trivial. — The first three accusations are all false. — Claim 1 concerns Obama's friendship with unrepentant terrorists: DF is right.

Discussion: Media Blog and Michelle Malkin

John McCormick / The Swamp:
WGN-AM again target of Obama campaign

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, Power Line and The Campaign Spot

Bradley Burston / Haaretz:

What is truly frightening about Sarah Palin — TEL AVIV - It was in the taxicab this morning that it finally struck me about Sarah Palin. — I get it. I get that millions of Americans have a crying need for someone to stand up and say the things that Sarah Palin has been telling them.

Discussion: Jeffrey Goldberg, Eunomia and MoJoBlog

IBDeditorials.com:

The Real Culprits In This Meltdown — Big Government: Barack Obama and Democrats blame the historic financial turmoil on the market. But if it's dysfunctional, Democrats during the Clinton years are a prime reason for it. — Read More: Business & Regulation

Discussion: Hot Air, The Right Coast, PrestoPundit and Cold Fury

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
Obama Keeps Hitting McCain On The Economy

Discussion: Think Progress, The Field on the Narcosphere, Buck Naked Politics, TalkLeft, Washington Monthly, Associated Press, The Politico and Hullabaloo

ABCNEWS:
McCain Calls for ‘9/11 Commission’ for Economic Crisis

Discussion: Firedoglake, McClatchy Washington Bureau, New York Times, Political Punch, New York Times, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Yahoo! News, Political Radar, The Mahablog, The World Newser and FOX Embeds

Gallup:

Gallup Daily: Presidential Contest Remains a Dead Heat — PRINCETON, NJ — The Sept. 13-15 Gallup Poll Daily tracking update shows John McCain (47%) and Barack Obama (46%) locked in a close contest when registered voters are asked for whom they would vote if the election were held today.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Marc Ambinder and TalkLeft

David Brooks / New York Times:

Why Experience Matters — Philosophical debates arise at the oddest times, and in the heat of this election season, one is now rising in Republican ranks. The narrow question is this: Is Sarah Palin qualified to be vice president? Most conservatives say yes, on the grounds that something …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, pw, Weekly Standard, Townhall.com, Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Corner, Shakesville, MSNBC, The New Republic, BrothersJudd Blog and Macsmind

Agence France Presse:

Obama camp hits back at Iraq double-talk claim — PUEBLO, Colorado (AFP) — Barack Obama's White House campaign angrily denied Monday a report that he had secretly urged the Iraqis to postpone a deal to withdraw US troops until after November's election. — In the New York Post …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Hot Air, www.redstate.com, Pajamas Media, Stop The ACLU, Sweetness & Light, NewsBusters.org, Wizbang, Sister Toldjah and Copious Dissent

American Thinker:

Obama's Foul Weather Friends — The lack of media interest in the role of former domestic terrorists Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn in Democratic nominee Barack Obama's political ascent in Chicago is one of the most remarkable aspects of the 2008 presidential campaign.

Discussion: protein wisdom, The Jawa Report, Wizbang and Gateway Pundit

Big Tent Democrat / TalkLeft:

Why The Lack Of Respect For The Netroots? — Matt Stoller and Chris Bowers discuss the Netroots and its actions. Bowers uses the provocative title “Why Should Anyone Respect The Netroots?” It is a good question. I know I personally lost a lot of respect for the Netroots in the past 2 years.

Discussion: JustOneMinute

Chris Bowers / Open Left: Why Should Anyone Respect The Netroots?

Ryan Tate / Gawker:

McCain Spokesman Told Off On All Networks — Congratulations to the John McCain campaign, which has now officially been told off on all three big cable news networks! Attached is a video of MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell taking some hard swings at McCain's sacrificial spokesman, Tucker Bounds, about campaign lying Monday.

Reuters:

Five former U.S. state secretaries urge Iran talks — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Five former U.S. secretaries of state said on Monday the next American administration should talk to Iran, a foe President George W. Bush has generally shunned as part of an “axis of evil.”

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Outside The Beltway, Think Progress and Matthew Yglesias

Adam Serwer / American Prospect:

IF OBAMA LOSES. — In this weekend's Washington Post, Randall Kennedy considers the effect of an Obama loss on the black community: … There's been a some racist fearmongering from the usual suspects about riots about the aftermath of an Obama loss (something that is extremely unlikely).

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, The Huffington Post and TBogg

Washington Wire:

Palin to Meet Foreign Leaders at U.N. — Monica Langley reports on the presidential race. — Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin will meet with foreign leaders next week at the United Nations, a move to boost her foreign-policy credentials, a Republican strategist said.

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and Wonkette