Top Items:
William Kristol / New York Times:
The Wright Stuff — I spoke on the phone Sunday with Sarah Palin, who was in Long Beach, Calif., preparing to take off on her next campaign trip. It was the first time I'd talked with her since I met her in far more relaxed circumstances in Alaska over a year ago.
Discussion:
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Howard Wolfson / The New Republic:
It's Over: Why Bill Ayers Won't Save John McCain — Perpetually fretting Democrats will not want to accept it. The campaigns themselves can't afford to believe it. Many journalists know it but can't say it. And there will certainly be some twists and turns along the way.
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Videos: The Ayers connection; Update: Obama doesn't read newspapers? — This morning, we have a series of videos dealing with the intersection of William Ayers, Bernardine Dohrn, and the Obamas. Sarah Palin's accusation that Barack Obama “palled around with terrorists” …
Discussion:
Power Line, JustOneMinute, The Jawa Report, Pajamas Media, The Strata-Sphere, PrestoPundit and Commentary
Thomas M. Defrank / NY Daily News:
Insults fly as Barack Obama & John McCain prepare for second debate — WASHINGTON — It's getting McNasty again. — A day after Sarah Palin accused Barack Obama of “palling around with terrorists,” Obama struck back Sunday with a tough ad painting John McCain as “erratic.”
Discussion:
Think Progress, Washington Monthly, Spin Cycle, Political Machine, The Seminal, FOX Embeds and pandagon.net
Erick Erickson / www.redstate.com:
In 1996, Media Coverage of Bill Ayers Was Too Extensive to Believe …
In 1996, Media Coverage of Bill Ayers Was Too Extensive to Believe …
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, The Huffington Post, Pajamas Media, Flopping Aces and Townhall.com
Beth Fouhy / Associated Press:
Palin criticizes Obama's ties to Wright, Ayers
Palin criticizes Obama's ties to Wright, Ayers
Discussion:
Whiskey Fire
Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
Palin Attacks Obama Over Wright — Even Though McCain Said Wright Was Off Limits
Palin Attacks Obama Over Wright — Even Though McCain Said Wright Was Off Limits
Laura Meckler / Wall Street Journal:
McCain Plans Federal Health Cuts — Medicare, Medicaid Spending Would Be Reduced to Offset Proposed Tax Credit — John McCain would pay for his health plan with major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid, a top aide said, in a move that independent analysts estimate could result in cuts …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, TalkLeft, The New Republic, Think Progress and The Washington Independent
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Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Health Care Destruction — Sarah Palin ended her debate performance last Thursday with a slightly garbled quote from Ronald Reagan about how, if we aren't vigilant, we'll end up “telling our children and our children's children” about the days when America was free. It was a revealing choice.
Jonathan Cohn / The New Republic:
McCain: I'm Not Raising Taxes. I'm Cutting Medicare! — Barack Obama says John McCain would raise people's taxes by changing the way the IRS looks at health insurance. McCain says he wouldn't. — Who's right? — Quite possibly McCain. But only because he's decided to slash Medicare and Medicaid instead.
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
MCCAIN'S OTHER SHOE DROPS — Faced with health care plan numbers that didn't add up, McCain's economics advisor Douglas Holtz-Eakin has just announced that McCain will make up the difference with big cuts to Medicare. I guess they really are writing off Florida.
Discussion:
Newshoggers.com
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Engaging on Keating — I'd always thought McCain's great strength in defending the Keating affair was that he'd acknolwedged making a huge mistake, and spent his career repenting by recasting himself as a reformer. — So when his campaign puts his lawyer on the line with reporters to contest …
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John Aravosis / AMERICAblog News:
McCain campaign: Keating Five investigation was ‘a political smear job’ on John McCain — Holy crap. — I'm listening to the McCain campaign conference call about John McCain's involvement in the Keating Five scandal. McCain's lawyer just said that the Keating Five investigation was “political” as it concerned John McCain.
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, The Campaign Spot, Daily Kos, Jack & Jill Politics, Emptywheel, Oliver Willis and TPM Election Central
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Keating, coming … A couple of quick thoughts on Keating and Ayers.
Keating, coming … A couple of quick thoughts on Keating and Ayers.
Discussion:
The New Republic, Newshoggers.com, Washington Monthly, Balloon Juice, HorsesAss.Org and American Street
Mike Allen / The Politico:
Exclusive: Obama to hit McCain on Keating Five
Exclusive: Obama to hit McCain on Keating Five
Discussion:
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Megan McArdle:
Meanwhile, across the pond . . . Europe's ongoing disaster is starting to match ours. This not only seriously challenge the idea that the main problem is American bank regulation—everyone is having the same problem, despite different regulatory regimes—but also puts us in much deeper jeopardy.
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Michael Crowley / The New Republic:
Lieberman: Palin Will Win “With God's Help” — Via CNN streaming video, I watched Sarah Palin's event in Clearwater, Florida, this morning. She was heartily introduced there by John McCain's pal Joe Lieberman. The former Democrat is a very strange figure these days, far from his moorings in the Democratic Party.
Janet Albrechtsen / Wall Street Journal:
Not Everyone Should Own a Home — Even without Fan and Fred, American mortgage rules are unusually lax. — Maybe only a friendly foreigner could say this. But America needs to realize that not everyone can own a home. The American Dream of home ownership for all is a fraud.
Discussion:
protein wisdom
Gallup:
Gallup Daily: Obama Leads 50% to 42% — Obama remains statistically ahead for tenth straight day — PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama leads John McCain among registered voters across the country by a 50% to 42% margin in Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Oct. 3-5, the tenth straight day in which Obama …
Erick Erickson / www.redstate.com:
This Week is the Last Week — At this point, the campaign for the Presidency is Barack Obama's to lose. If the election were held today, he would win. Not only would he win, but Republican loses in Congress would be massive. — From here until the election on November 4th …
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Joe Klein / Swampland:
Embarracuda — I'm of two minds about how to deal with the McCain campaign's further descent into ugliness. Their strategy is simple: you throw crap against a wall and then giggle as the media try to analyze the putresence in a way that conveys a sense of balance: “Well, it is bull-pucky …
Wall Street Journal:
Biden's Fantasy World — Sarah Palin may not know as much about the world, but at least most of what she knows is true. — In the popular media wisdom, Sarah Palin is the neophyte who knows nothing about foreign policy while Joe Biden is the savvy diplomatic pro.
CNN:
CNN RELIABLE SOURCES — Examining the Media and Coverage of Recent Stories — THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. — HOWARD KURTZ, HOST (voice-over): Palin and the pundits. The media verdict: Sarah Palin did far better against Joe Biden than with Katie Couric.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars