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Obama Over 50 Percent In Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll Finds; Debate, Palin's Fade, Economy Put Democrat On Top — FLORIDA: Obama 49 - McCain 43 pre-debate; Obama 51 - McCain 43 post-debate; OHIO: Obama 49 - McCain 42 pre-debate; Obama 50 - McCain 42 post-debate …
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Washington Wire, The Moderate Voice, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Ben Smith's Blogs, The New Republic, The Democratic Daily, Pajamas Media, TalkLeft, Daily Kos, Salon, Taegan Goddard's …, NY Daily News Blogs, Boston Globe, Comments from Left Field, tboblogs.com/index.php/news, The Raw Story, The Buzz, No More Mister Nice Blog and Wonkette
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Obama Boosts Leadership Image and Regains Lead Over McCain — Growing Concerns About Palin's Qualifications — Barack Obama has achieved a significant lead over John McCain in the days following the first presidential debate. Pew's new survey conducted Sept. 27-29 finds that Obama …


Poll: Obama Makes Gains With Women, Hits New High — Propelled by concerns over the financial crisis and a return of support from female voters, Barack Obama has opened a formidable 7-point lead over John McCain, reaching the 50% threshold among likely voters for the first time in the general campaign …

On The Other Hand, New Polls Cite Palin As Reason For McCain Drop — As discussed below, the McCain-Palin campaign attributes all of Sen. McCain's gravity in recent polls to the economy. But new Quinnipiac and Pew polls provide evidence to the contrary. Specifically, Pew finds that 51% …


The McCain Bubble? — New Pew poll shows what everyone already knows — John McCain is slipping a lot. But they also have interesting demographic breakdowns. People normally think of Democrats as always winning big among African-American voters, so there's been relatively little attention paid …

WHAT IT'S LIKE TO DEBATE SARAH PALIN — I know firsthand: She's a master of the nonanswer. — Republish — When he faces off against Sarah Palin Thursday night, Joe Biden will have his hands full. — I should know. I've debated Governor Palin more than two dozen times.
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McCain: I've turned to Palin for foreign policy advice many times in the past — On NPR this morning: … Yeah, right, Joe Biden doesn't hold a candle to the woman who's read most of the newspapers and magazines in the world. And McCain has turned to her for sage foreign policy advice “many times in the past”?


Palin Proved to Be Formidable Foe in Alaska Debates
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TIME.com, The Politico, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Political Punch, The Raw Story and AMERICAblog News


VP debate moderator Ifill releasing pro-Obama book — Focuses on blacks who are ‘forging a bold new path to political power’ — The moderator of Thursday's vice-presidential debate is writing a book to come out about the time the next president takes the oath of office that aims to …
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oh - oh !! — I confirmed for us here on GretaWire: the McCain campaign did NOT know about Gwen Ifill's book (I think I told them when I made my efforts - emails about midnight - to find out!) I am stunned....the campaign (actually both) should have been told before the campaign agreed to have her moderate.


A debate “moderator” in the tank for Obama; Update: McCain campaign …
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VP Debate Moderator Pens Pro-Obama Book
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McCain: ‘I Always Aspire To Be A Dictator’ — Discussing the Wall Street bailout yesterday during an interview with the Des Moines Register editorial board, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said the failure of Congress to act is “just not acceptable.” Then — presumably making an attempt at humor …
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Bill v. Barack on Banks — Clinton instructs Obama on finance and Phil Gramm. — A running cliché of the political left and the press corps these days is that our current financial problems all flow from Congress's 1999 decision to repeal the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 that separated commercial and investment banking.

Recapitalise the banking system — The emergency legislation currently before Congress was ill-conceived - or more accurately, not conceived at all. As Congress tried to improve what Treasury originally requested, an amalgam plan has emerged that consists of Treasury's original Troubled …

EXCLUSIVE: Pelosi paid husband with PAC funds — $99,000 for rent, utilities, accounting fees — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has directed nearly $100,000 from her political action committee to her husband's real estate and investment firm over the past decade, a practice of paying a spouse …


Senate to Vote Today on the Bailout Plan — WASHINGTON — Senate leaders scheduled a Wednesday vote on a $700 billion financial bailout package after accepting tax breaks and a higher limit for insured bank deposits in a bid to win House approval and send legislation to President Bush by the end of the week.
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THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING.... In her latest chat with CBS's Katie Couric, Sarah Palin, asked which newspapers and magazines she reads regularly, responded, “Um, all of them.” Hilzoy explained last night just how remarkable this is. — But while that was clearly the most entertaining exchange …
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Muslims for Obama running illegal get out the vote drives at swingstate mosques this week — including Noor Center — The group, Muslim Americans for Obama, has announced a series of “get out the vote” events at mosques in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and Ohio this week during Ramadan celebrations.


Historic Disapproval: Bush Hits All-Time Low Amid Economic Meltdown — Obama Leads McCain 50-46 in Latest ABC News/Washington Post Poll — Barack Obama maintains an advantage on the economy, especially economic empathy, and he's cracked majority acceptance on his key challenge, experience.
Discussion:
Political Radar


Make-Believe Maverick — A closer look at the life and career of John McCain reveals a disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty — At Fort McNair, an army base located along the Potomac River in the nation's capital, a chance reunion takes place one day between two former POWs.
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Firedoglake