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:
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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.
Paul Volpe / Washington Post:
McCain Blinks — The news that John McCain will debate Barack Obama tonight in Mississippi is a concession by the Arizona senator that his attempt to score a quick political victory on legislation to bail out the financial sector did not pan out as he had hoped.
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:
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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, Alaska_Politics's blog, Christian Science Monitor, Reason and Los Angeles Times
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 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
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:
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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.
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.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Balkinization, Swampland, DownWithTyranny!, The Corner and Washington Monthly
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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.
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.
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 …
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.
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.
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.
John Aravosis / AMERICAblog News:
House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO): McCain “stopped a deal” yesterday at the White House — House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) was just interviewed by Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC, and he told Mitchell that McCain killed the deal yesterday at the White House:
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. …
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Mike Pence — There are very few members of congress with whom I've ever had the opportunity to discuss a substantive matter of public policy. But as it happens, one of them — the one with whom I've had the second-longest exchange — is Mike Pence (R-IN) who I've seen …
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
National Review asks: Did WaMu fail because it employed minorities? — (updated below - Update II) — National Review's Mark Krikorian notes that (1) Washington Mutual became the largest bank to fail in American history yesterday and (2) its last press release touted the fact that it was named …
Discussion:
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DealBook:
Wachovia Begins Early Deal Talks with Citi — Updated: Wachovia has begun preliminary talks with Citigroup about a potential merger, people briefed on the matter said Friday afternoon. — Feelers have also been extended between Wachovia and Wells Fargo and Spain's Banco Santander, these people said.
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
RNC going up in Indiana — Two sources familiar with the media-buying plans say the Republican National Committee is set to spend six figures shoring up John McCain in the traditionally Republican state of Indiana. — The RNC's independent expenditure arm — which is outside the direct control …
Discussion:
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