memeorandum: McCain Campaign Buys Air Time In Indiana (Marc Ambinder)

4:40 PM ET, October 22, 2008

Top Items:

On Al-Qaeda Web Sites, Joy Over U.S. Crisis, Support for McCain — Al-Qaeda is watching the U.S. stock market's downward slide with something akin to jubilation, with its leaders hailing the financial crisis as a vindication of its strategy of crippling America's economy through endless, costly foreign wars against Islamist insurgents.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Think Progress, Reason, Washington Wire, The Jawa Report, Balloon Juice, Democracy in America, TalkLeft, Comments from Left Field, The Campaign Spot, The Raw Story, Matthew Yglesias, ATTACKERMAN, democracyarsenal.org, Wake up America, The Nation and VetVoice

Pamela Hess / Associated Press:

Al-Qaida-linked Web site backs McCain as president — Featured Topics: - John McCain - Barack Obama — WASHINGTON - Al-Qaida supporters suggested in a Web site message this week they would welcome a pre-election terror attack on the U.S. as a way to usher in a McCain presidency.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Matthew Yglesias, Washington Monthly, ATTACKERMAN, Minnesota Independent, Political Machine, Michael Bérubé, The Gun Toting Liberal, Obsidian Wings, THE TOOT, Firedoglake and TPMCafe

Spencer Ackerman / The Washington Independent:

McCain Advisers Freaked Out by Al Qaeda Preference for McCain — I just got off a conference call held by the McCain campaign to deny that Al Qaeda, contrary to reports in the AP and the Washington Post, is rooting for their man. To describe the call as panicked would be an understatement.

Discussion: Obsidian Wings, The RBC and democracyarsenal.org

John McCain / Telegraph:
John McCain ‘endorsed by alQaeda supporters’

Discussion: MyDD

TPM Election Central:
McCain Campaign Attacks Washington Post, Insinuates Terrorists Want Obama Victory

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Matthew Yglesias, Washington Post and Think Progress

CitizenLink:

Dr. Dobson Talks with Gov. Sarah Palin — The Republican vice presidential candidate talks about her family, the sanctity of human life and the pressures of the election season. Dr. Dobson encourages listeners to pray for our country as the election draws near. — Listen to the broadcast:

Discussion: beliefnet, Washington Monthly, The Huffington Post, Taylor Marsh, FOX Embeds, TIME.com and Boston Globe

Peter Hamby / CNN:

Palin: God will do the right thing on election day — FINDLAY, Ohio (CNN) — In an interview posted online Wednesday, Sarah Palin told Dr. James Dobson of “Focus on the Family” that she is confident God will do “the right thing for America” on Nov. 4. — Dobson asked the vice presidential hopeful …

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Heretik and TIME.com

Marc Ambinder:

Palin: McCain Supports GOP Abortion, Stem Cell Platform Planks — Dr. James Dobson today asked Gov. Sarah Palin about her private conversations with Sen. McCain about the Republican platform's planks on life and marriage. — “In your private conversations with Senator McCain is it your impression …

Discussion: Think Progress, Washington Monthly, GOP.com, The Washington Independent and Pajamas Media

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Feminists and Sarah Palin

Discussion: Feministing, pandagon.net, Washington Monthly, The Caucus and The Impolitic

Kyle / Right Wing Watch:
Palin Declares Herself “Hardcore Pro-Lifer” During Dobson Lovefest

Discussion: Feministe, Reproductive Health, pandagon.net and Pam's House Blend

Joshua Green / The Atlantic Online:

Sarah Palin's Personal Shopper — M — ove over Carson Kressley. A new celebrity shopper has emerged! — The attention from Jeanne Cummings's much-talked-about Politico story has naturally focused on the $150,000 in luxury clothing purchased for Sarah Palin at Neiman Marcus, Sak's Fifth Avenue, and Barney's.

Discussion: TIME.com, City Pages, Political Machine, Daily Kos, FiveThirtyEight.com and The Moderate Voice

Marc Ambinder:

Republicans Disgusted By RNC Spending On Palin … There is already an attempt to blame the media — as in, the liberal media would have looked askance at Palin if she wasn't clad in Neiman Marcus, but this won't wash. Republicans, RNC donors and at least one RNC staff member have e-mailed …

John McCormack / Weekly Standard:
How Much Is Hillary Clinton's Wardrobe Worth?

Discussion: Washington Post, MoJoBlog and Don Surber

Liz Sidoti / Associated Press:

AP presidential poll: All even in the homestretch … WASHINGTON (AP) - The presidential race tightened after the final debate, with John McCain gaining among whites and people earning less than $50,000, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll that shows McCain and Barack Obama essentially running …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, PoliGazette, Yahoo! News, Hot Air, JammieWearingFool, Wake up America, Gateway Pundit and The Campaign Spot

Paul J. Nyden / Charleston Gazette:

Woman quits job at call center over anti-Obama script — WESTON, W.Va. — Chaylee Cole, a student at Fairmont State University, lost her part-time job in Weston last Friday after refusing to make telephone calls attacking Barack Obama. — McCain-Palin 2008 and the Republican National Committee …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, DownWithTyranny!, Taylor Marsh, West Virginia Blue and Shakesville

WKOW-TV:

Robocaller quits his job — Madison (WKOW) — There's a new perspective on the now infamous robocalls paid for by the Republican National Committee. — Voters in more than 13 states, including Wisconsin are getting calls from people accusing Barack Obama of having ties to terrorists.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, TPM Election Central, Comments from Left Field, Lynn Sweet, 24Ahead and Pam's House Blend

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
In New McCain Robocall, Rudy Giuliani Suggests Obama Opposes …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Ben Smith's Blogs, Washington Monthly, Spin Cycle and MSNBC

Robert Draper / New York Times:

The Making (and Remaking) of McCain — On the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 24, John McCain convened a meeting in his suite at the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Among the handful of campaign officials in attendance were McCain's chief campaign strategist, Steve Schmidt …

Discussion: Swampland, Booman Tribune, The New Republic and Wonkette

The Huffington Post:
NYT Mag Lifts Curtain On Palin Choice, Angst With Schmidt, Worry In McCain Campaign

Discussion: The Daily Dish, The Heretik and Donklephant

Andy Barr / The Politico:

McCain ‘amazed’ by Palin treatment — John McCain called out fellow Republicans who have questioned running mate Sarah Palin's credentials Tuesday. — “What's their problem?” McCain asked during an interview with radio host Don Imus. — “She is a governor, the most popular governor in America,” McCain said.

Discussion: Democratic Strategist

James Kirchick / NY Daily News:
Who are left-wing haters to point fingers at John McCain?

Discussion: Commentary and Media Blog

John McCormack / Weekly Standard:

Obama Responds to Biden's “Crisis” Prophecy — Ben Smith reports: … Read the the full Biden quote in context, and decide whether Biden was merely saying that the next president will be tested “regardless of who it is” (emphases mine): … Is there any doubt that Biden meant …

Discussion: Hot Air, Babalu Blog and Lynn Sweet

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Obama on Biden's test: McCain would be tested, too

Discussion: The Swamp

866ourvote.org:

NBC News and Election Protection Announce Partnership — CONTACTS: — Deb Greenspan, dgreenspan@gloverparkgroup.com, 202-741-5573 — Nell McGarity, nmcgarity@gloverparkgroup.com, 202-292-6973 — Jeremy Gaines, Jeremy.gaines@msnbc.com, 212-664-5133 — NBC News and 1-866 …

Discussion: www.redstate.com

Amanda Carpenter / Townhall.com: MSNBC Teams Up with ACORN, La Raza

Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:

FIRST THOUGHTS: OBAMA WIDENS LEAD — From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann — *** Obama widens his lead: With 13 days to go, Obama has opened up his biggest lead over McCain in the NBC/WSJ poll, 52%-42%, which is up four points from his lead two weeks ago.

Discussion: Eunomia, The Huffington Post, The Moderate Voice and Comments from Left Field

Marc Ambinder:

McCain Campaign Buys Air Time In Indiana — 13 days before the election, the McCain campaign has decided to spend several hundred thousands dollars on a last-minute television buy in the state of Indiana. — This is the first time in a month that the campaign has spent its own money on television in the Hoosier state.

Dana Blanton / Fox News:

FOX News Poll: Obama Grabs Nine Point Lead Over McCain — Less than two weeks before Election Day, Barack Obama leads John McCain 49 percent to 40 percent among likely voters, according to a FOX News poll released Wednesday. — Obama's advantage comes mainly from independents …

Discussion: Daily Kos

Jennifer Loven / Associated Press:

Obama takes on national security in Va. swing — RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama convened a panel of foreign policy and military luminaries Wednesday to discuss “urgent issues” facing the country from abroad, an attempt to inoculate himself against the renewed charge that he is too untested for the White House.

Discussion: The Huffington Post and The Washington Independent

Glenn W Smith / Open Left:

Race Boating: Swift Boat Backer Funds Racist Mail — Swift Boat funder Robert Perry, a top national Republican donor, is funding overtly racist attack mail this cycle. It's not Swift Boating. It's Race Boating. — A group called “Empower Texans,” chaired by Tim Dunn of Midland …

Discussion: Off the Kuff