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.
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, WJHL-TV, The Field on the Narcosphere, Spin Cycle, Slog, Daily Kos and Salon
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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:
Washington Monthly, Salon, Associated Press, Marc Ambinder, New York Times, unbossed.com, Comments from Left Field, Riehl World View, The Curious Capitalist, Real Clear Politics, Washington Post, Donklephant, The Raw Story, Gawker, You Decide 2008, Jonathan Martin's Blogs and Liberal Values
The Caucus:
Debate Is On — 11:52 a.m. | Updated: Senator John McCain's campaign said Friday morning that he will attend tonight's debate with Senator Barack Obama at the University of Mississippi, reversing his earlier call to postpone the debate so he could participate in the Congressional negotiations …
Discussion:
The Roanoke Times, The Swamp, Newshoggers.com, Fox News, The Moderate Voice, Portfolio, Hullabaloo, No More Mister Nice Blog and Kevin Drum
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.
Fox News:
Huckabee Calls McCain Debate Ploy a ‘Huge Mistake’ — MOBILE, Ala. — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said Thursday that Sen. John McCain made a “huge mistake” by even discussing canceling the presidential debate with Sen. Barack Obama. — McCain's campaign has said the Republican …
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.
Nedra Pickler / Associated Press:
The debate is on; McCain agrees to participate — WASHINGTON - Republican John McCain agreed to attend the first presidential debate Friday night even though Congress doesn't have a bailout deal, reversing an earlier decision to delay the event until Washington had taken action to address the crisis.
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Debate commissioner: If McCain doesn't show, it's cancelled; Update: McCain says he'll be there; Update: AP poll says public wants debate to go on, 60/22 — Ole Miss wants a townhall with The One if Maverick bails, but don't expect the Debate Commission to participate, says Frank Fahrenkopf.
David Brooks / New York Times:
Thinking About McCain — I've been covering John McCain steadily for a decade. A few years ago, I worked on a book, which I foolishly never completed, on the U.S. Senate with McCain as the central character. So when I step back and think of McCain, even in the heat of this campaign …
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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.
New York Times:
Fate of Bailout Plan Remains Uncertain — WASHINGTON — The day began with an agreement that Washington hoped would end the financial crisis that has gripped the nation. It dissolved into a verbal brawl in the Cabinet Room of the White House, urgent warnings from the president and pleas …
Discussion:
Newshoggers.com, Hot Air, Swampland, The Caucus, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Think Progress, The Politico, Reuters, Washington Post, Portfolio, Baltimore Sun, CNN, The Nation, Bloomberg, NO QUARTER, Associated Press, NY Daily News, Paul Krugman, TalkLeft, CNET News, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Talking Points Memo, Electoral-vote.com, THE CUNNING REALIST and ABCNEWS
William Kristol / Weekly Standard:
McCain's Choice — Is there a third way? — The McCain campaign is now trying to broker a deal between House Republicans, Treasury Secretary Paulson, and the Democrats. This will be tough—but it's worth a shot. — If it works, fine. If it fails, McCain will have, I think, three alternative paths:
Faiz / Think Progress:
House GOP Aides: McCain ‘Not Familiar With The Details’ Of The Financial Bailout
House GOP Aides: McCain ‘Not Familiar With The Details’ Of The Financial Bailout
Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard:
Depends on the Meaning of ‘Close’
Depends on the Meaning of ‘Close’
Discussion:
Real Clear Politics
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.
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
PUSHING FOR A GRACEFUL EXIT.... Kathleen Parker, a columnist syndicated …
PUSHING FOR A GRACEFUL EXIT.... Kathleen Parker, a columnist syndicated …
Discussion:
Boztopia.com
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.
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Where Are the Grown-Ups? — Many people on both the right and the left are outraged at the idea of using taxpayer money to bail out America's financial system. They're right to be outraged, but doing nothing isn't a serious option. Right now, players throughout the system are refusing …
Discussion:
The New Republic, The Moderate Voice, Matthew Yglesias, Once Upon a Time, The Right Coast and Alternate Brain
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Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
National Review asks: Did WaMu fail because it employed minorities? — (updated below) — 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 …
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.
Alan Fram / Associated Press:
AP poll: Few support Bush's market rescue plan — WASHINGTON - There is scant public support for President Bush's $700 billion federal rescue plan for the financial industry and little expectation it would solve the crisis that has roiled the markets and hobbled some of the country's largest …