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.

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.

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.