Top Items:
Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
McCain Wins Debate — Although the fate of tonight's presidential debate in Mississippi remains very much up in the air, John McCain has apparently already won it — if you believe an Internet ad an astute reader spotted next to this piece in the online edition of the Wall Street Journal this morning.
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The Huffington Post:
Ex-Adviser: McCain “Blinked,” Campaign “Governed By Tactics, Not Ideology” — Scroll down to see McCain ad... After days of saying that John McCain would not attend Friday's presidential debate unless an agreement on a bailout package for the markets was “locked-down,” the McCain campaign has gone back on its word.
The Politico:
McCain will go to debate — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) ended three days of suspense on Friday morning and announced that he will leave bailout negotiations in Washington and fly to Oxford, Miss., for the opening presidential debate. — McCain had previously said that he would suspend …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Riehl World View, Hot Air, The Swamp, New York Times, Associated Press, Marc Ambinder, Political Radar, Washington Monthly, Washington Post, Real Clear Politics, The Raw Story, Gawker, unbossed.com, Comments from Left Field, Reason, Silent Running and Jonathan Martin's Blogs
Rich Lowry / The Corner:
A Hostile Audience — One side effect of McCain's debate gambit is, I'm told, that everyone at Ole Miss now hates him. It will make for a very hostile audience tonight among those students and faculty attending. He might have to apologize for creating the uncertainty or make some explanation up front, which is never ideal.
Discussion:
www.redstate.com
Mary Katharine Ham / Weekly Standard: All-In in Oxford — Well, I confess I didn't think John McCain would debate tonight.
Kathleen Parker / National Review:
Palin Problem — If at one time women were considered heretical for swimming upstream against feminist orthodoxy, they now face condemnation for swimming downstream — away from Sarah Palin. — To express reservations about her qualifications to be vice president — and possibly president — is to risk being labeled anti-woman.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, James Fallows, Confederate Yankee, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, The Raw Story, The Daily Dish, Colorado Independent, Left in the West, The World Newser, Right Wing Nut House, Gawker, The New Republic, Boston Globe, Buck Naked Politics, Comments from Left Field, The Moderate Voice, pandagon.net, Ace of Spades HQ, Washington Post and AMERICAblog News
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The Politico:
GOP concerned about Palin — A growing number of Republicans are expressing concern about Sarah Palin's uneven — and sometimes downright awkward — performances in her limited media appearances. — Conservative columnists Kathleen Parker, a former Palin supporter, says the vice presidential nominee should step aside.
Chris Orr / The New Republic:
Has the McCain Campaign Broken Sarah Palin?
Has the McCain Campaign Broken Sarah Palin?
Discussion:
Ross Douthat, Lawyers, Guns and Money, Alaska_Politics's blog, Reason and Christian Science Monitor
The Campaign Spot:
If You've Lost Kathleen Parker, Who's Left? Well, Lots of Folks, But...
If You've Lost Kathleen Parker, Who's Left? Well, Lots of Folks, But...
Discussion:
Crunchy Con
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
PUSHING FOR A GRACEFUL EXIT.... Kathleen Parker, a columnist syndicated …
PUSHING FOR A GRACEFUL EXIT.... Kathleen Parker, a columnist syndicated …
The Huffington Post:
Sarah Palin's Beauty Pageant Swimsuit Competition Footage (VIDEO) — Sarah Palin's 1984 beauty pageant swimsuit competition video has hit the web. An Alaskan has uploaded what he claims to be 100% real footage of Sarah Palin in a red tank suit in the 1984 Miss Alaska contest.
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Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Out Of Juneau — Yep: it's here. You have to endure this dude yammering on for a 50 seconds but after that, Sarah Heath, now known as Sarah Palin, takes the stage in the Miss Alaska Pageant:
Dr. Rusty Shackleford / The Jawa Report:
Video: Sarah Palin Swimsuit Competition
Video: Sarah Palin Swimsuit Competition
Discussion:
The Other McCain
Bob Cusack / The Hill:
Dem: House GOP not consulted enough on bailout — Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.) on Friday suggested Democratic leaders did not solicit enough input from House Republicans on the financial rescue package. — During an interview on CNBC, Kanjorski pointed out that House Republicans have balked at the new compromise on the bailout.
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Natalie Gewargis / Political Punch:
The Role of John McCain in the Bailout Bill
The Role of John McCain in the Bailout Bill
Discussion:
Weekly Standard
The New Republic:
Putting Country Last — I don't know John McCain as well as David Brooks does. In fact, I don't know him personally at all. But I covered his 2000 and 2008 primary campaigns, and I spent considerable time interviewing him, including several long interviews I did for a profile in 2006.
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Don Kaplan / New York Post:
MAD ABOUT LETTERMAN — MCCAIN VIDEO 'JACKED FROM KATIE — CBS News executives were red- faced yesterday trying to explain how David Letterman used unaired news footage of Sen. John McCain with Katie Couric to embarrass the Republican presidential candidate.
Jim DeMint:
What Caused The Economic Crisis? Watch This! — Senator DeMint wanted to share this video on the federal bailout with you. Thanks for your support.
Marc Ambinder:
Obama Memo: We're Really, Really Bad At Debates... And John McCain is really good. — If it's 2pm the day of the debate, it must be an expectations-lowering memo. — Read it all after the jump.
CNN:
Evangelist arrested in child porn case — (CNN) — Evangelist Tony Alamo was arrested Thursday in Flagstaff, Arizona, on charges related to a child porn investigation, an FBI spokesman said. — The 74-year-old founder and leader of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries was arrested without incident at 2:45 p.m. …
Gallup:
Gallup Daily: Obama 48%, McCain 45% — Obama's slight edge consistent with his positioning over the past week — PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama has regained the edge over John McCain in Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Sept. 23-25, 48% to 45%. — Today's three-day rolling average includes interviewing …
Jesse Walker / Reason:
Barack Obama vs. Free Speech — Here's an ad the National Rifle Association is running in Pennsylvania: — The Obama campaign disputes the accuracy of the advertisement, which is fine. It has also threatened regulatory retaliation against outlets that show it, which isn't fine.
Discussion:
The Opinionator
Slate:
SLATE PREDICTS MCCAIN'S NEXT 10 HAIL MARY STUNTS. — 1. Returns to Vietnam and jails himself. — 2. Offers the post of “vice vice president” to Warren Buffett. — 3. Challenges Obama to suspend campaign so they both can go and personally drill for oil offshore. — 4. Learns to use computer.
Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
MSNBC Refusing To Run Outside Group's Ad Questioning McCain's Health — MSNBC has notified an independent group running an ad questioning John McCain's health that it will no longer air the spot, only a half day after Fox's Bill O'Reilly attacked NBC's corporate bosses on the air over the ad, the group tells me.
Larry Kudlow / The Corner:
A Paulson-Cantor Plan Is a Win-Win for Taxpayers — The single-biggest mistake in the Paulson bank-rescue-plan marketing effort has been the failure to explain clearly how taxpayers are going to recoup $700 billion used to buy toxic assets at auction in order to unfreeze the banking system.
Judd Legum / The Huffington Post:
Ignore The Pundits: How To Figure Out Who Won The Debate — There were 23 debates during the Democratic primary and part of my job on the Hillary campaign was to monitor the post-debate reaction in the media. I watched hundreds of self-described political experts instantly declare who won and who lost.