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MCCAIN STILL SEES THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE ECONOMY AS STRONG.... The Obama campaign routinely tweaks John McCain for having argued that the “fundamentals of our economy are strong.” Last week, the Washington Post's Jonathan Weisman criticized Obama for using the line, insisting that the quote is “months old.”
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Obama blames Wall St. crisis on Republican policy — CHICAGO - Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama said Monday the upheaval on Wall Street was “the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression” and blamed it on policies that he said Republican rival John McCain supports.

Financial Russian Roulette — Will the U.S. financial system collapse today, or maybe over the next few days? I don't think so — but I'm nowhere near certain. You see, Lehman Brothers, a major investment bank, is apparently about to go under. And nobody knows what will happen next.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Buck Naked Politics, Newshoggers.com, The Sideshow, Washington Post, Agence France Presse, EconLog, DownWithTyranny!, LewRockwell.com Blog, The American Scene, The Mahablog, EconoPundit, Bang the Drum, DealBook, Firedoglake, Connecting.the.Dots, Boing Boing, Corrente, Prairie Weather, The RBC, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Pacific Views, Calculated Risk and Marginal Revolution

It's 3am on Wall Street — During the primary the Clinton campaign posited the idea that a President would face a 3am call on the economy. It looks like one of those 3am calls came this weekend as the government made the decision to let Lehman Brothers go bankrupt rather than bail the firm out.
Discussion:
The Hill's Pundits Blog, The Opinionator, The Marathon Blog, Political Punch and Lynn Sweet

Lehman Monday — This blog will be updated during the day, with the newest items at the top to enable returning viewers to see what is new. It can be best read from the bottom. — It looks like prices are slipping. The financials are testing their loiws of the day.


Bank meltdown wallops campaigns — America's banking instability could upend the final 50 days of the presidential campaign, with both candidates forced to confront a calamity that has gotten only glancing attention during the first 20 months of the race for the White House.

Statement from Senator Obama on the Situation in Financial Markets
Discussion:
Weekly Standard

Crisis on Wall Street as Lehman Totters, Merrill Is Sold, AIG Seeks to Raise Cash
Discussion:
City Room, ScrappleFace, Jay Currie, The Other McCain, The American Mind, New York Times, Dealbreaker, The Big Picture and Economist's View


OBAMA TRIED TO STALL GIS' IRAQ WITHDRAWAL — WHILE campaigning in public for a speedy withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Sen. Barack Obama has tried in private to persuade Iraqi leaders to delay an agreement on a draw-down of the American military presence.
Discussion:
protein wisdom, Townhall.com, The Moderate Voice, NO QUARTER, www.redstate.com, Fox News, Wake up America, Betsy's Page and Pajamas Media
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Did Obama try to scotch an Iraqi-US agreement on military forces? — Amir Taheri accuses Barack Obama of interfering in the attempt to negotiate a status-of-forces agreement with Iraq while making his trip to Baghdad in July. In his New York Post column, Taheri quotes the Iraqi Foreign Minister …

Chairman Rangel — Mounting embarrassment for taxpayers and Congress makes it imperative that Representative Charles Rangel step aside as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee while his ethical problems are investigated. — This recommendation does not come easily …
Discussion:
The Crypt's Blogs, A Blog For All, Commentary, www.redstate.com, Wolf Howling, www.redstate.com and TaxProf Blog

McCain Loses Fox News: Megyn Kelly Rips McCain Flack For Claiming Obama Would Raise Middle Class Taxes — On Fox News today, host Megyn Kelly called out McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds for the campaign's lies about Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) tax proposals.


On the stump, Obama moves past hope — CHICAGO — The “hopemonger” is gone. — Barack Obama sounds more like a man trying to shake a rain cloud these days, dispensing a teeth-clenching, I-get-your-pain stump speech in town after town that offers only snippets of the unbridled optimism that long permeated his campaign pitch.

New Obama ad: Hey, McCain's a liar — See Kaus for why this is “a total loser strategy,” paying particular attention to 5(b). If, after a week of saturation coverage of Lipstickgate, you want to whine about the other guy's nastiness, it would behoove you to offer concrete examples at least (McCain's sex-ed ad, etc.).
Discussion:
www.redstate.com
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Obama: ‘Honor’ — In his new ad, Obama goes at McCain on process …
Discussion:
Pam's House Blend


Cheney Shielded Bush From Crisis — This is the second of two stories adapted from “Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency,” to be published Tuesday by Penguin Press. — Vice President Cheney convened a meeting in the Situation Room at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 …
Discussion:
Salon, The Anonymous Liberal, Balkinization, They gave us a republic, ACSBlog and Swampland


Palin's Project List Totals $453 Million — McCain Campaign Says Record Shows Drop in Requests — Last week, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain said his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, hadn't sought earmarks or special-interest spending from Congress, presenting her as a fiscal conservative.


Why Feminists Hate Sarah Palin — Left-wing feminists have a hard time dealing with strong, successful conservative women in politics such as Margaret Thatcher. Sarah Palin seems to have truly unhinged more than a few, eliciting a stream of vicious, often misogynist invective.
Discussion:
Althouse