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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.”
Discussion:
MoJoBlog, Firedoglake, NO QUARTER, Buck Naked Politics, Happy Furry Puppy Story … and Paul Krugman
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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:
Washington Post, The Glittering Eye, Washington Monthly, Buck Naked Politics, The Sideshow, Wall Street Journal, The American Scene, EconLog, Los Angeles Times, Agence France Presse, LewRockwell.com Blog, The Mahablog, DownWithTyranny!, Newshoggers.com, EconoPundit, Bang the Drum, Connecting.the.Dots, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Firedoglake, Boing Boing, Prairie Weather, DealBook, Corrente, The RBC, Pacific Views and Marginal Revolution

Biden speech to take hard hit at McCain — CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Joe Biden will deliver a high-profile first attack in a sustained anti-McCain offensive in a speech called “Bush 44” Monday in the key battleground state of Michigan. — While the lines of attack have long been drawn …

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.

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

McCain This Morning: “The Fundamentals Of Our Economy Are Strong”
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog

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


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:
Power Line, protein wisdom, Townhall.com, Stop The ACLU, The Moderate Voice, www.redstate.com, NO QUARTER, Fox News, Betsy's Page and Pajamas Media
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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.
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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.

EVEN FOX NEWS.... I guess we've reached a tipping point.
Discussion:
TBogg

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, Commentary, A Blog For All, www.redstate.com, Wolf Howling, www.redstate.com and TaxProf Blog


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

Chicago TV in 2000: Obama admits a terrorist launched his career — Barack Obama was interviewed by Bill O'Reilly last week. … But on local television in 2000, Obama told a very different story. … Yet this important qualification in Barack Obama's career has been utterly …
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, The Campaign Spot, Wizbang, Global Labor and Politics and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS