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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:
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.
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Kathryn Jean Lopez / National Review:
Free Sarah Palin! — I absolutely refuse to watch another Sarah Palin interview. — It's not because I don't like the lady and don't want to hear what she has to say. In fact, it's exactly the opposite. It's because I want to hear what she's about and what she believes in and that's why I won't listen anymore.
Natalie Gewargis / Political Punch:
The Role of John McCain in the Bailout Bill — Sen. John McCain's role in the current dealings on Capitol Hill should not be overstated positively or negatively, Capitol Hill sources from both parties say. — Democrats are blaming McCain, R-Ariz., for the disastrous meeting yesterday.
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Weekly Standard
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The Politico:
McCain will go to debate
McCain will go to debate
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New York Times, Riehl World View, The Caucus, Salon, New York Times, Washington Post, Washington Monthly, Hot Air, The Swamp, Associated Press, Gawker, The Raw Story, The Moderate Voice, Marc Ambinder, Real Clear Politics, Political Radar, unbossed.com, Comments from Left Field, Reason, Gateway Pundit and Jonathan Martin's Blogs
John Aravosis / AMERICAblog News:
House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO): McCain “stopped a deal” …
House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO): McCain “stopped a deal” …
Discussion:
Think Progress, Minnesota Independent, The New Republic, The Reaction, BAGnewsNotes and USA Today
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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Think Progress:
Presidential Debate Live-Blogging — 11:47: CNN's Roland Martin's reaction to the debate: “John McCain, how dare you come and give a debate and you don't even say the word ‘middle class.’” — 11:35: Fox pollster Frank Luntz's focus group showed that a majority was “moved” by Obama's performance.
Michelle Malkin:
A historic night: The first presidential debate of 2008 — Scroll down for updates and liveblogging...Obama hammers Bush-McCain theme, McCain emphasizes — sigh — fighting against “climate change...with Sen. Clinton”... What a week, huh? The high-stakes presidential debate at Ole Miss starts at 9pm Eastern.
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Washington Wire:
Ku Klux Klan Members Plan to Appear at Presidential Debate Site — Corey Dade reports from Oxford, Miss., on the presidential race. — When the University of Mississippi hosts the first presidential debate tonight, the two sides of its troubled racial history could converge.
Discussion:
Think Progress
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Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard:
TWS Exclusive: Kissinger Unhappy About Obama — Henry Kissinger believes Barack Obama misstated his views on diplomacy with US adversaries and is not happy about being mischaracterized. He says: “Senator McCain is right. I would not recommend the next President of the United States engage …
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.
Reuters:
Sen. Kennedy released from hospital — BOSTON (Reuters) - Ailing Sen. Edward Kennedy, a liberal giant and patriarch of America's most storied political family, was examined and released from a Massachusetts hospital on Friday after suffering a mild seizure, officials said.
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No More Mister Nice Blog
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Megan McArdle:
Morally bankrupt — I cannot address all the patently untrue things that McCain and Obama are saying, but I must protest when Barack Obama claims that people are going bankrupt because of health expenses. There is no evidence to suggest that this is a widespread phenomenon.
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. …
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Scared Monkeys
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
‘McCain is right’ — The McCain campaign is up with a very fast YouTube on Obama's repeated assents to things McCain said.
Discussion:
Real Clear Politics
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.
CNN:
Obama: We must re-evaluate relations with Moscow — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sen. John McCain said Friday that another attack on the scale of the September 11 hijackings is “much less likely” now than it was the day after the terrorist attacks. — “America is safer now than it was on 9/11,” …
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
LIVE FIRST PREZ DEBATE BLOGGING — 9:06 PM ... Wait, didn't McCain just say that he got the House Republicans to take part in the negotiations when he seemed to lead them out of the negotiations? — 9:11 PM ... Interesting the degree to which, so far, neither Obama or McCain want to engage each other.
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Matthew Yglesias
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.
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Barnett: ‘Unprecedented,’ ‘free-form’ debate format — Bob Barnett, the D.C. lawyer who helped negotiate out the debate agreement for Obama's side, said this evening that the debate would take an “unprecedented” format with the potential for some “free-form discussion” debate.
Stephen Labaton / New York Times:
S.E.C. Concedes Oversight Flaws Fueled Collapse — WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, a longtime proponent of deregulation, acknowledged on Friday that failures in a voluntary supervision program for Wall Street's largest investment banks had contributed …
Discussion:
Conglomerate
Marc Ambinder:
CBS News / Knowledge Network Undecideds Give Debate To Obama — According to CBS News / Knowledge Networks' poll of undecided voters:
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.