Top Items:
Nitya / Political Radar:
Bill Clinton: Don't ‘Overly Parse’ McCain Request to Delay Debate — ABC News' Nitya Venkataraman Reports: Former President Bill Clinton defended Sen. John McCain's request to delay the first presidential debate, saying McCain did it in “good faith” and pushed organizers to reserve …
Discussion:
The Corner, Ben Smith's Blogs, The New Republic, Hot Air, Jules Crittenden and Don Surber
RELATED:
Mark Finkelstein / NewsBusters.org:
Schieffer: Paulson Pleaded for McCain to Save Bailout — So much for a “stunt.” — John McCain got involved in the bailout negotiations after Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told Sen. Lindsey Graham yesterday that the bailout plan would fail unless McCain came in and brought balky Republicans aboard.
Frank Ahrens / Washington Post:
Bailout Could Deepen Crisis, CBO Chief Says — Asset Sales May Lead to Write-Downs, Insolvencies, Orszag Tells Congress — The director of the Congressional Budget Office said yesterday that the proposed Wall Street bailout could actually worsen the current financial crisis.
The Moderate Voice:
The Staggering Cynicism Of John McCain — The familiar frat boy smirk was absent when George Bush went before the nation last night to cry wolf. — The man speaking from the White House had recently managed the feat of polling disapproval ratings lower than Richard Nixon during the week …
J. Taylor Rushing / The Hill:
Paulson, Senate Dems reach tentative bailout deal
Paulson, Senate Dems reach tentative bailout deal
Discussion:
Commentary, Reuters, FP Passport, Political Punch, Betsy's Page, Buck Naked Politics, Hullabaloo, Firedoglake, Open Left and Gateway Pundit
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Palin and Couric — Full transcript after the jump. This is a rough bit:
RELATED:
CNN:
McCain camp to propose postponing VP debate — (CNN) — McCain supporter Sen. Lindsey Graham tells CNN the McCain campaign is proposing to the Presidential Debate Commission and the Obama camp that if there's no bailout deal by Friday, the first presidential debate should take the place of the VP debate …
A.L. / The Anonymous Liberal:
Was McCain's Stunt an Attempt at Palin Damage Control? — I'm serious. The more I look at what happened today, the more I think it was all an elaborate attempt to stem the fallout from the truly disastrous interview Sarah Palin taped this morning with Katie Couric.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Washington Monthly, The Mahablog, The RBC, Associated Press and State of the Day
Jonathan Martin / Jonathan Martin's Blogs:
It's a good thing McCain's move is dominating the news
It's a good thing McCain's move is dominating the news
Discussion:
CBS News, The Reaction, Buck Naked Politics, Newshoggers.com, Hullabaloo, The Moderate Voice, Marc Ambinder, Riehl World View and The Swamp
The Huffington Post:
John McCain Cancels Letterman Appearance, Keith Olbermann To Fill In … The comments will air Wednesday evening. Watch a preview below — the best material starts at about 5:00: — Original Post: John McCain canceled a scheduled appearance on CBS's “Late Show with David Letterman” …
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Jane Hamsher / Campaign Silo:
LEAKED VIDEO: McCain Blows Off Letterman For Katie Couric
LEAKED VIDEO: McCain Blows Off Letterman For Katie Couric
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, The Moderate Voice, Comments from Left Field, Lance Mannion, I Am TRex, MyDD and Think Progress
Hillary Rodham Clinton / Wall Street Journal:
Let's Keep People In Their Homes — There is a broad consensus that Congress must act to stave off deeper turmoil on Wall Street. Irrespective of the final agreement yet to be reached, there are several principles that must be part of a broader reform effort that begins this week and continues in the coming months.
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James K. Galbraith / Washington Post:
A Bailout We Don't Need — Now that all five big investment banks — Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley — have disappeared or morphed into regular banks, a question arises. — Is this bailout still necessary? — The point of the bailout …
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Dan Balz / Washington Post:
Selfless or Reckless? McCain Gambles On Voters' Verdict — John McCain is a gambler by nature, and the bet he placed Wednesday may be among the biggest of his political life. — The Republican presidential nominee is hoping that his abrupt decision to suspend campaigning …
Brad / Wonk Room:
Full Text Of John McCain's Address To The Clinton Global Initiative — Full Text Of John McCain's Address To The Clinton Global Initiative» — Here is the full text of Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) speech being offered this morning at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, NY.
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Jonathan Martin / Jonathan Martin's Blogs:
McCain opens CGI remarks by discussing financial crisis
McCain opens CGI remarks by discussing financial crisis
Discussion:
The Swamp
Michael Isikoff / Newsweek:
Unsevered Ties? — Regulatory filings indicate that McCain campaign chief Rick Davis remains an officer with his lobbying firm. — Rick Davis, John McCain's campaign manager, has remained the treasurer and a corporate director of his lobbying firm this year, despite repeated statements …
David Levinson Wilk / The Politico:
Times puzzle is clueless about McCain — On Jan. 8, 2005, I purposefully and unapologetically became the first person to ever construct a crossword puzzle for The New York Times that featured this five-letter answer: — OBAMA. — Earlier this week, Steve Schmidt, John McCain's senior campaign adviser …
WISC-TV:
Poll: Obama Leads McCain In Wisconsin 49 To 43 Percent — WISC-TV Poll Conducted Over 2 Days — MADISON, Wis. — A poll of likely voters in Wisconsin conducted by WISC-TV over the last two days shows a shift in other poll figures from last week. — VIDEO: Watch The Report
Discussion:
TPM Election Central
RELATED:
CNN:
Pakistan's president tells Palin she is ‘gorgeous’ — NEW YORK (CNN) - Sarah Palin and the foreign leaders she has met with in New York have said very little to reporters over the last two days, but the press happened to be in the room on Wednesday for one eyebrow-raising exchange …
Josh Wolk / EW.com:
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert: Mock the Vote — With just five weeks left until election day, our favorite pundits discuss the power of Sarah Palin, why TV news is about as credible as Muzak, and whether Barack Obama is going to be “sworn in on a gay baby”
Discussion:
TIME.com
John Dickerson / Slate:
JOHN MCCAIN'S LATEST CRAZY, BRILLIANT, DESPERATE CAMPAIGN TACTIC. — John McCain has launched his second Hail Mary pass in a month. On Wednesday he called for a suspension of the presidential campaign—no events, no ads, and no debate Friday—so that he and Barack Obama can head to Washington to forge a bipartisan solution.
Victor Davis Hanson / The Corner:
Just a barking dog in the night — Christopher Beam has it wrong in Slate when he suggests that I and others are mistaken in thinking Biden's gaffes-a-minute are beginning finally to matter, raising questions to the Obama team whether their VP is up to the job—and blunting its criticism of Palin's experience and seriousness.
Garance Burke / Associated Press:
Palin once blessed to be free from ‘witchcraft’ — ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A grainy YouTube video surfaced Wednesday showing Sarah Palin being blessed in her hometown church three years ago by a Kenyan pastor who prayed for her protection from “witchcraft” as she prepared to seek higher office.
Paul Krugman:
A sneaking suspicion — So now the whole rationale for the plan is “price discovery”: we're going to throw lots of taxpayer funds into the pot because that will let us find the true values of troubled assets, which are higher than the fire sale prices out there, and so balance sheet will improve, confidence will return, etc, etc..
SurveyUSA:
America's First Reaction: Friday's McCain-Obama Debate Should Still Be Held On Friday, But Perhaps With New Focus — Immediately after John McCain's announcement 3 pm ET today, Wednesday 09/24/08, that he was suspending his campaign and seeking to postpone Friday's schedule presidential debate …