memeorandum: McCain Says Bailout Bill He Voted For Is “Putting Us On The Brink … (Greg Sargent/TPM Election Central)

3:25 PM ET, October 2, 2008

Top Items:

GOP ‘Gotcha Journalism’ Charges Throw Spotlight on Debate — For days now, television viewers have watched Sarah Palin unable to explain the significance of her home state's bordering Russia, unable to name a Supreme Court ruling she disagrees with, unable to name a single newspaper she reads.

Discussion: The New Republic, The E&P Pub and First Draft

Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:

McCain's ‘Stop Sarah Palin’ strategy working like a charm, polls show — Fresh evidence tonight that the brilliant McCain campaign strategy to lock away the political effervescence of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to stoke overconfidence among the nation's Democrats and set the stage …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Wonkette, Washington Post, The Moderate Voice, The Dish Rag and TIME.com

Washington Post:

Skepticism of Palin Growing, Poll Finds — With the vice presidential candidates set to square off today in their only scheduled debate, public assessments of Sarah Palin's readiness have plummeted, and she may now be a drag on the Republican ticket among key voter groups, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, MSNBC, Boston Globe, Comments from Left Field, Christian Science Monitor, Daily Kos, DownWithTyranny!, Taylor Marsh, Jules Crittenden, Outside The Beltway, Jack & Jill Politics, Donklephant, FP Passport, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, TIME.com, Electoral-vote.com, Spin Cycle and Martini Revolution

New York Times:

Questions for the Next Vice President — Tonight, Senator Joe Biden of Delaware and Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska will meet in the one and only vice presidential debate of the 2008 campaign. The Op-Ed editors asked people with knowledge of the vice presidency, the candidates and their records …

Discussion: unbossed.com, Patterico's Pontifications, Sister Toldjah, Townhall.com, Hullabaloo and marbury

Michelle Malkin:
What Palin should have said to Couric about the Supreme Court

Discussion: The Corner, Democratic Strategist, Wonkette, Balloon Juice, Sadly, No!, Comments from Left Field and Vodkapundit

Chris Orr / The New Republic:
Another Reason Palin Will Win Tonight

Discussion: The Daily Dish

Ross Douthat:
The Struggles of Sarah Palin

Discussion: The American Scene, The New Republic and The Raw Story

The Politico:
Vice presidential debate: A barrel of gaffes?

Discussion: The Swamp, Ben Smith's Blogs, Washington Post, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Los Angeles Times and www.redstate.com

Foon Rhee / Boston Globe:

McCain: Life isn't fair — Republican John McCain — making the rounds of the morning news shows as polls show him falling behind Democratic rival Barack Obama and his running mate losing the confidence of voters — sounded either bitter or fatalistic, or perhaps was trying some gallows humor.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Huffington Post, TalkLeft, Associated Press and Shakesville

Gallup:

Gallup Daily: Obama Leads McCain by 5 Points — Obama has led McCain by significant margin for last six days — PRINCETON, NJ — Registered voters currently prefer Barack Obama (48%) to John McCain (43%) for president, according to the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update.

Discussion: MyDD

Mike Allen / The Politico:

McCain criticizes Ifill — Hours ahead of the vice presidential debate, Sen John McCain (R-Ariz.) criticized the selection of PBS' Gwen Ifill as moderator because she is writing a book called “The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.” — “Frankly, I wish they had picked …

Discussion: The Raw Story, Pajamas Media, Commentary, Gateway Pundit and TBogg

Michelle Cottle / The New Republic:
Cue The Comeback — Will Palin get pushed into a sinkhole …

Discussion: The American Scene, The Daily Dish, No More Mister Nice Blog and Althouse

Liz Cox Barrett / CJR:
Drudge Raises a Point

Discussion: iowahawk, Michelle Malkin, Hot Air, News Hounds, The Huffington Post, The Volokh Conspiracy and NewsBusters.org

CNN:
McCain: Obama lead rising because 'life isn't fair'

Discussion: Oliver Willis

David Bauder / Associated Press:
VP debate moderator's impartiality questioned

Discussion: Donklephant, Townhall.com, Weekly Standard, Little Green Footballs, Moonbattery, ProgressPolitics, Scared Monkeys and Pajamas Media

Jonathan Martin / Jonathan Martin's Blogs:

McCain pulling out of Michigan — John McCain is pulling out of Michigan, according to two Republicans, a stunning move a month away from Election Day that indicates the difficulty Republicans are having in finding blue states to put in play. — McCain will go off TV in Michigan …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Associated Press, Ben Smith's Blogs, AMERICAblog News, Emptywheel, Reason, The Debatable Land, pandagon.net and Elections Impact

David Nather / Beyond the Dome:

Obama Makes McCain Very Uncomfortable — Let the record reflect that Barack Obama made the approach to John McCain tonight. — As the two shared the Senate floor tonight for the first time since they won their party nominations, Obama stood chatting with Democrats on his side of the aisle …

Discussion: Alas, a blog, Politics Blog, Democrats.com, Political Machine, Booman Tribune, Ta-Nehisi Coates, TPMCafe, MyDD, Pam's House Blend, Jack & Jill Politics, Firedoglake, Eschaton, Political Punch and Spin Cycle

Marc Ambinder:
Metathought Of The Day — If there's one thing that worries …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Open Left

Ian Welsh / Firedoglake:
Obama Betrays the Middle Class: Votes for “Bail out the Rich Act”

Discussion: StephenBainbridge.com, Corrente and The Sideshow

Joe Sudbay / AMERICAblog News:

McCain on the bailout bill he supported last night: “This bill is putting us on the brink of economic disaster” — John McCain was on “Morning Joe” a few minutes ago to talk mostly about the bailout bill. His answers were, as usual, discombobulated as he ranted about Washington (as if he hasn't served in D.C. for 26 years.)

Discussion: Think Progress, Washington Monthly and MyDD

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
McCain Says Bailout Bill He Voted For Is “Putting Us On The Brink …

Discussion: Open Left and Pam's House Blend

St. Petersburg Times:

Florida GOP meets in secret as Obama passes McCain in polls — TALLAHASSEE — Florida Republican leaders hastily convened a top secret meeting this week to grapple with Sen. John McCain's sagging performance in this must-win state. — Their fears were confirmed Wednesday when four …

Discussion: MoJoBlog, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Oliver Willis, MSNBC and Salon

Marc Fisher / Washington Post:

Gilchrest Unloads on Know-Nothing Pols and the Rest of Us — Wayne Gilchrest, the nine-term Republican congressman who represents Maryland's Eastern Shore and parts of Anne Arundel County, has had it, and he's ready to talk. — He's had it with his own party, which he says “has become more narrow …

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, Raising Kaine, Real Clear Politics and DownWithTyranny!

Stephen Shankland / CNET News:

Obama releases iPhone recruiting, campaign tool — Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign launched an iPhone application on Thursday that turns the vaunted device into a political recruiting tool. — The most notable feature “organizes and prioritizes your contacts by key battleground states …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs and Althouse

Dareh Gregorian / New York Post:

NOT ONE 'BUCK'LEY FOR YOU! — WILL'S WILL: GRANDSON, 8, DEAD TO ME — Before he died, William F. Buckley Jr. put his young grandson on the firing line. — The intellectual conservative icon - renowned for his erudition and use of uncommon words - excluded his son's illegitimate child …

Discussion: Grasping Reality …

Washington Post:

Judge Could Dismiss Stevens's Indictment or Declare Mistrial — Prosecutors Wait Until Last Minute to Disclose Potentially Exculpatory Material — A federal judge this morning scolded lawyers prosecuting Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R) on ethics charges for waiting until the last minute …

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Crypt's Blogs, Emptywheel and Kevin Drum

KMyles / The Wichita NAACP Blog:

OH NO HE DIDN'T - The Mayor of Ark City performs in Blackface — Mel Kuhn, the Mayor of Arkansas City Kansas, won a beauty pageant fundraiser last weekend. Kuhn participated in the Men in Tights, drag queen contest that has become an annual fund raiser for CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates.

Discussion: Pam's House Blend, Think Progress and Shakesville

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

Confronting Racism Against Obama — A pretty amazing speech by the AFL-CIO's Richard Trumka. To see a white union man take on racism this way is very moving. Something truly profound could happen in this election, if we want it to:

Discussion: Political Machine

Bruce Ackerman / Los Angeles Times:

Abolish the vice presidency — The founders messed up. We should do away with the office. — Sarah Palin is the product of a design flaw — the unintended consequence of the founders' decision to create the vice presidency. — For two centuries, presidential nominees have used …

Discussion: Outside The Beltway and normblog

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight.com:

Real Credibility Problems — EDIT: Please see also my follow-up post here. — Last week, I discussed Real Clear Politics' decision to exclude the Research 2000 daily tracking poll from their national averages. After a lengthy discussion with RCP founder John McIntyre, I decided to defend them …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Oliver Willis, Weekly Standard and Real Clear Politics

Marc Ambinder:

So Why's Huck An Early '12 Frontrunner? — It's very early to assume that Obama wins, but if he does, expect the GOP to engage in a circular firing squad. Who's the frontrunner? — The betting money is on Mitt Romney for his governing experience, talented pool of political operatives …

Discussion: Townhall.com and American Spectator

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:

New Obama Ad In South Stars Bluegrass Legend Saying Obama Is “A Good Man” — Now this is a good ad. A Virginia Democrats sends over a new radio spot that Obama is airing in the southern part of the state — it stars homegrown bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley vouching for Obama's values …

Discussion: Harry's Place and Oliver Willis

Alexander Burns / The Politico:

100 percent, absolute truth? — John McCain told the Des Moines Register this week that he always tells “100 percent absolute truth,” even in campaign ads. There's one big problem with that bold statement: it's just not true. — McCain has made a number of statements …