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McCain camp criticism rife with errors — Sen. John McCain's top campaign aides convened a conference call today to complain of being called “liars.” They pressed the media to scrutinize specific elements of Sen. Barack Obama's record. — But the call was so rife with simple …
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Palin Claims “Obama-Biden Democrats” Are Regularly Attacking Her Family, But... The McCain camp has just blasted out to its list a fundraising email by Sarah Palin claiming that Obama-Biden Democrats are waging frequent attacks on her family. From the email:
Discussion:
The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Washington Monthly and Power Line

Sign Of The Times; McCain Camp Accuses Reporter Of Being In Obama “Tank” — A reporter asks the McCain campaign to back up some basic claims made by a senior strategist in a public conference call. — The campaign refuses, with a prominent spokesperson accusing the reporter, Ben Smith, of being “in the tank.”


McCain Campaign Slams New York Times: Not A Journalistic Organization …
Discussion:
New York Times, MoJoBlog, The Huffington Post, Marc Ambinder, The Corner, Think Progress, The Caucus, Stumper, Open Left, Talking Points Memo, The Reaction, D-Day, Swampland and Hot Air


CNN Poll: GOP takes brunt of blame for economy, Obama gains — WASHINGTON (CNN) - A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll suggests that by a 2-to-1 margin, Americans blame Republicans over Democrats for the financial crisis that has swept across the country the past few weeks …
Discussion:
Think Progress, Newshoggers.com, Daily Kos, MyDD, Democratic Strategist, Jules Crittenden and Kevin Drum

Dodd — Very preliminary, no details — but this sounds like a big step in the right direction. — One of the problems with this blog is that I ruffled a few feathers back when Bush had an 80 percent approval rating, and somehow I wasn't impressed. People remember, and as a result …
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Dodd bill more aggressive than Treasury plan
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JustOneMinute, The Swamp, Bloomberg, Marc Ambinder, MoJoBlog, Wall Street Journal, Paul Krugman, TPMMuckraker, The Politico, Associated Press, Balloon Juice, The Impolitic, Loan Modification …, Newshoggers.com, Calculated Risk, Top of the Ticket, American Power, Open Left, Prometheus 6, Crooks and Liars and D-Day

Ethan Winner Responds: Claims He Produced Video — Ethan Winner responds. Written like a VP in a public relations firm that specializes in crisis management and grassroots organization. I'll post the whole thing below. — He produced the video? He paid for the voice-over narration which he found through a talent agency?
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Axelrod Called Ethan Winner? — Updated with slightly longer video — In the interests of the kind of openess I know Ethan Winner would support, I'm posting this AV file of an alleged phone call from David Axelrod to Ethan Winner after Rusty's story broke.

Is the Obama Campaign Behind Anti-Palin Online Smears?
Discussion:
The Jawa Report

Hypocrisy Bombshell: Antigay John McCain has a Gay Chief of Staff — What does John McCain's loyal chief of staff - a man who apparently is in a long-term relationship with another man, and appears to be open about it to John McCain — think about the fact that Sarah Palin devoutly worships …
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John McCain's Chief of Staff outed, wins Roy Cohn Award — When the first source on today's Roy Cohn Award recipient came forward approximately six months ago, he and I decided to wait and see where the presidential election went and how this person's boss performed. Dismally.
Discussion:
Pam's House Blend

Limbaugh repeats baseless Obama smear: “He's Arab. ... [H]e's not African-American” — On the September 22 broadcast of his syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh baselessly claimed that Sen. Barack Obama is “not black,” and went on to ask: “Do you know he has not one shred of African-American blood?”


Palin's town charged women for rape exams — ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's hometown required women to pay for their own rape examinations while she was mayor, a practice her police chief fought to keep as late as 2000. — Former state Rep. Eric Croft, a Democrat …
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FOX News/Rasmussen Poll: Race in Swing States Mirrors 2004 Election — Results from four of the five battleground states in the FOX News/Rasmussen Reports polling are similar to the presidential election four years ago. Virginia, however, is more competitive than it was in 2004.
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Congress pushes back on bailout — Democrats want U.S. ownership stake in firms it helps. Industry wants plan to cover other kinds of debt. — NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The Bush administration's proposed $700 billion financial rescue took fuller shape on Monday as Senate Democrats circulated …
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Energy Alert — While all eyes are diverted to the mess on Wall Street, Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats are attempting to extend the ban on offshore drilling, which is set to expire October 1. This just in from Jeb Hensarling's office: … As recently as last week, leading Democrats …
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WHY IS OBAMA SO VAPID, HESITANT, AND GUTLESS? — Last week really ought to have been the end of the McCain campaign. With the whole country feeling (and its financial class acting) as if we lived in a sweltering, bankrupt banana republic, and with this misery added to the generally Belarusian atmosphere …


Spies Warn That Al Qaeda Aims for October Surprise — Intercepted Messages Asking Local Cells To Be Prepared for Imminent Instructions — WASHINGTON — In the aftermath of two major terrorist attacks on Western targets, America's counterterrorism community is warning that Al Qaeda may launch …

Bill Clinton: Hillary Never Wanted to be Obama's VP — ABC News' Russell Goldman Reports: Despite saying she would accept the offer to be vice president, Hillary Clinton never really wanted to be Barack Obama's running mate, her husband former President Bill Clinton told ABC's The View.


‘Palin Syrah’ Wine Drops in Sales After Sarah Palin Veep Pick — Editor's note: This dispatch comes to us from wine guru Amy Monroe. She works in the grape business in the Bay Area, and literally stumbled across the “Palin Syrah” this month at a San Francisco wine bar.
Discussion:
Wonkette


How the Democrats Created the Financial Crisis: Kevin Hassett — Sept. 22 (Bloomberg) — The financial crisis of the past year has provided a number of surprising twists and turns, and from Bear Stearns Cos. to American International Group Inc., ambiguity has been a big part of the story.

Fury at $2.5bn bonus for Lehman's New York staff — Up to 10,000 staff at the New York office of the bankrupt investment bank Lehman Brothers will share a bonus pool set aside for them that is worth $2.5bn (£1.4bn), Barclays Bank, which is buying the business, confirmed last night.
Discussion:
Brilliant at Breakfast, Hullabaloo, Balloon Juice, About.com US Politics, Eduwonk and The Huffington Post