More on CNN's debate poll. Not good for Palin at all.

After Debate, 53% Still Believe Palin Unqualified
Despite Palin exceeding expectations, majority still think Palin unqualified to take over as president.

Who Did the Best Job In the Debate?
Biden 51%
Palin 36%

Biden did better or worse than expected?
64% better
14% worse
20% same

Palin did better or worse than expected?
84% better
7% worse
8% same

Palin qualified to serve as President?

Before debate:
42% yes
54% no

After debate
46% yes
53% no Read More......

The reviews are in. Biden won.

Huffington Post Ex-Bush Officials: Biden Won The Debate: Said Torie Clarke, who worked with McCain back in Arizona and with the Bush Administration's Department of Defense, had the following remarks on ABC: " I think Joe Biden had his best night tonight. He came with one mission, and that was to go after John McCain, and he did it, backed up by facts. I think he did a better job tonight of tying McCain to the Bush administration than Obama did last week. Matthew Dowd, who worked for George Bush's communications team while in the White House, followed Clarke and he too agreed that the Delaware Democrat took the evening.

ABC Dowd 10:52 PM: “I think fundamentally the American public came away with this tonight, just like they came away with the debate last night, saying, you know, I'm leaning in Obama and Biden's corner, and this didn't change my mind.”
Gibson: I'm amazed that we have agreement from all three of you.

CNN David Gergen 10:05 PM: People underestimating how good Biden was, Biden “was really good”

CNN Alex Castellanos 10:38 PM : "The second part of the debate, you know Republicans aren't going to win debates on Iraq, I don't care who you put on that stage tonight, we're not going to win debates on Iraq and we didn't tonight. But overall, we've had a rough week as Republicans. You know, this has not been our best week."

CBS Bob Schieffer 10:35 PM: “I must say, I thought Senator Biden had a very good night. He seemed comfortable with the facts, it was clear he has dealt with these issues over the years, I thought he put his experience on display in a very good way.”

MSNBC Chris Matthews 10:35 PM: "Not only did she say I'm not going to do any more interviews, it seemed, but she was saying, I'm not going to listen to uh Gwen Ifill tonight. She said I'm not going to uh give the answers the moderator wants to ask for. What an extraordinary statement. I'm not going to play by the rules and when I get elected I want more power in the office than it's had before. Hmm.. Not too much humility here."

CBS Bob Schieffer 10:35 PM: “I must say, I found it a little disconcerting, time and again, Governor Palin would just choose not to answer the question and launch into some dissertation, sometimes talking points, and not really address what Gwen Ifill had asked her.”

PBS David Brooks 10:39 PM: "When he talked about his family and the death of his wife, that is a moment people remember, what they remember about the debates is the moment when you think you see the person and that was a moment where I thought you saw Joe Biden."

MSNBC Andrea Mitchell 10:38 PM: "She didn't answer the questions. And, in fact, she would say, I want to talk about taxes, which hadn't even come up."

FOX News Frank Luntz 10:44 PM: With the Luntz Polling Group was in the Anheuser-Busch Headquarters, When Asked Independent Voters Their Reactions One Voter Said, “she had a presentation about her, but that also annoyed me, too. She catered to kind of an adorability and lacked substance.”

Washington Post (Eugene Robinson): Exactly an hour into the debate, Joe Biden began an answer by saying, "Facts matter, Gwen." To him, maybe. To Sarah Palin, maybe not. The pattern, so far, has been one of Biden presenting facts and Palin countering with… saying stuff. Sometimes she throws in a fact, but mostly she seems to be offering a string of approximate policy positions, encomiums to the American spirit, disputed interpretations of Barack Obama's record and anecdotes from Alaska.

Washington Post (Chris Cillizza): Go Biden Go! Again, very good moment for Biden. The more he talks "Bush=McCain" the better.

Philadelphia Daily News (Will Bunch): Biden points out that Ahmadinjad isn't the surpreme ruler of Iran -- how come people don't bring that up. Hammering McCain on the Spain issue -- the McCain camp really screwed up on the way it handled that one.

Salon (Joan Walsh) How Sarah Palin blew it: Joe Biden and Sarah Palin were talking to two different Americas Thursday night. Actually, that's unfair to Joe Biden; he was trying to talk to everyone. I can say for certain, though, that Sarah Palin was talking to – and winking at – her own private Idaho, and for long stretches of the debate, it was an unnerving experience.

Washington Post: (E.J. Dionne Jr.) McCain's Dicey Gamble: Gambling with his presidential candidacy is McCain's right. Gambling with the country McCain says he puts first is another thing entirely. And last night's vice presidential debate took place at precisely the moment when a majority of American voters decided that having Palin in line for the presidency is more than a little bit scary.

CNN (Bob Schneider): Palin’s answers do not lack confidence, they lack coherence.

Washington Post (Chris Cillizza): She pivots to executive appearance but her answer on the role of the vice presidency was REALLY bad.

TIME: Palin didn’t make any big mistakes, but she also didn’t reassure that she could handle the presidency.

Washington Post (Chris Cillizza): Palin: Worst spot in the debate. Looking down at her notes a lot. Really struggling.

TIME: This closing statement sounds like she's giving a speech to the College Republicans. It's really amateur hour.

Politico (Ben Smith): As this debate has gone on, Palin's gotten more abstract, Biden more concrete.

ABC News (Rick Klein): Palin: "So Joe, there you go again." Anyone else over that line? Couldn't it have been retired with Reagan? Shout-out to third graders at her brother's elementary school? What world were we just in there for a few minutes?

CNN (Bob Schneider): Palin needs to define the terms she uses. Reform, corruption, maverick…these are words that Palin often uses, but she needs to define them.

FOX News (Aaron Bruns): Palin calls the supreme NATO commander in Afghanistan, Gen David McKiernan, “McClellan.” Does it twice.

Politico (Jonathan Martin): Biden explains how McCain is not a maverick On voting for Bush's budgets, health care and education. No dispute from Palin.

TNR: Palin's final quote was from Ronald Reagan, warning that without vigilance, "you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children, and our children's children, what it once was like in America when men were free." In fact, Reagan was not warning about a general lack of vigilance about freedom, he was warning what would happen if Medicare was enacted. Read More......

CNN POLL: Biden wins 51-36

CNN/OPINION RESEARCH CORPORATION POLL
DEBATE WATCHERS

Who Did the Best Job In the Debate?

Biden 51%
Palin 36%

QUESTION Regardless of which candidate you happen to support, who do you think did the best job in the debate - Joe Biden or Sarah Palin? Read More......

CBS POLL: Biden wins debate 46-21. Did better than Obama did in first debate.

CBS NEWS/KNOWLEDGE NETWORKS POLL
(Uncommitted Voters who watched the debate)

46% of uncommitted voters who watched the debate tonight thought Joe Biden was the winner (that's better than the undecideds gave Obama after the first debate with McCain). 21% thought Sarah Palin won, 33% thought it was a draw. Before the debate, 79% thought Biden was "knowledgeable," after the debate 98% had that opinion.

Here is how Obama did in the same snap poll after his first debate with McCain:

Olbermann just reported on a snap poll of uncommitted voters conducted by CBS: 40% said Obama won; 38% said it was a draw; and only 22% just said McCain won. On Iraq, 55% said McCain would make the right decision while 49% said Obama would. In that poll, Obama closed that gap.

Huff Post reports that CNN's undecideds liked Biden more than they liked Palin:

During the course of the debate, CNN was running a viewer response line for uncommitted voters in Ohio. Overall the numbers reflected a very strong performance for Biden. And while Palin scored well, at times, among this crowd, the dial lines indicated that she remains a controversial figure among females in that state.

Biden repeatedly won high accolades on a wide range of topics. His remarks about the personal trials of having a wife and daughter die in a car accident sent male and female respondents through the roof. His dig at Dick Cheney -- "the most dangerous Vice President in history" -- and his pledge to end the war in Iraq were similarly popular. When he defended Obama from Palin's attacks, he held in equally high regard....

Following the debate, only one member of the focus group said they had decided to support the McCain-Palin ticket based on the debate; a half-dozen or more said they would now back Obama and Biden.

Read More......

Biden chokes up talking about being a single dad after his wife and daughter died a week before Christmas

A very moving moment in the debate. More on the tragic story here.

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CNN focus group results

CNN just showed their focus group results. This was the group from the dial meter audience of uncommitted Ohio voters. The usual back and forth who did better on what questions, etc. One interesting question however had consensus - who do you think will win this election: almost unanimous response Obama will win.

Side note - of the six CNN political commentators who scored the debate, only Ed Rollins said Palin did better. All five others favored Biden:

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Vice Presidential Debate Open Thread

10:33 PM: It's over. Strong ending from Biden. Talking points from Palin.

10:29 PM: From Rob: Palin's answers trend flat to slightly positive. Occasionally she dips really low, sometimes high, but usually not when it's related to the question
she was asked but rather when she blathers on about whatever seems to be in her head at that moment.

10:26 PM: Wow. The difference in answers to that last question are stark...Biden gave such a good answer. She gave her talking point again. All night, Palin read talking points. Biden spoke from experience.

10:24 PM: Palin keeps saying "Maverick" but Biden DESTROYED that talking point over McCain: A maverick he is not. Excellent.

10:22 PM: Very powerful answers from Biden. He choked up when talking about his family tragedy. Wow. And, we can't afford more of the same. Then, she comes back with that same grating voice. She just keeps spewing talking points.



10:19 PM: OMG...she just blathers...never answers the question...it's unbelievable. She's trying to cram in every single talking point. Rob just wrote "You'd think with Biden on the stage if anyone would be filibustering the questions tonight it would be Biden. If Palin doesn't get to the White House, she might have a future in the Senate."

10:18 PM: Biden nailed it with that quote about Dick Cheney...Rob said it skyrocketed with the CNN focus group. There already seems to be a consensus that Palin read from a script, Biden spoke from experience.

10:17 PM: Sarah Palin and George Bush, separated at birth:



10:16 PM: From Rob: Been watching CNN and the dial meter tonight - for the most part Biden does better with women than men, but generally trends positive. Palin occasionally gets good responses, but for the most part mostly neutral. It's clear that with these uncommitted voters in Ohio Biden is taking the night so far.

10:14 PM: Where is the question about the bridge to nowhere, about the rape kits, about her seeing Russia from her window? Gwen Ifill got bought off by McCain before this debate. He played her and she rolled over. What a sad excuse for a reporter. I've always liked Ifill in the past, but what has she done tonight that a 5th grader couldn't do? She's read questions. That's it. Palin doesn't answer them, Ifill moves on to the next question. Maybe McCain will like you know, Gwen, maybe, keep being nice and he just might invite you back to the barbeque.

10:12 PM: Biden reminds us that Bush = McCain. But, doggone it, Sarah doesn't think we should look back at the Bush administration. No wonder...because so many of us got screwed by Bush And, a shout to third graders? That's presidential.

10:08 PM Jacki: Palin says McCain knows how to win a war. What war did he win, Sarah? Does she know he was captured in Vietnam? Does she know we didn't win?

10:07 PM Rob says, "If I were Sarah Palin I wouldn't be inviting the fact checkers."

10:04 PM: Palin doesn't understand how you vote for the Iraq war and now criticize how it's going. Huh? Because a real leader doesn't give the president authorization to go to war, then say nothing when the president proceeds to screw up that war. Real leaders don't stay the course and stay in Iraq 100 years.

9:57 PM: Huh? Her answer on nuclear weapons wasn't even coherent (watch the video). And now she's answering a question about nuclear weapons by talking about Afghanistan. And where is Gwen "I died an hour ago" Ifill? Nowhere to be found.

9:55 PM: Ben Smith notes the core of "Palin's improvement" tonight: "In the Couric interviews, she answered every question, floundered at times, blanked at times and dug herself in deeper. Now, she's ignoring questions."

9:53 PM: Rob says, "We've all had that dream of getting to the week before a final exam and haven't been to class all semester - Sarah Palin looks like she's living that dream right now."

9:51 PM: Biden zinged McCain on not wanting to even meet with the Prime Minister of Spain. He won't talk to anyone.

9:49 PM: Ok. It's Jacki again. One more. The Castro Brothers? Really? Where are they appearing nightly in Vegas? I grew up in Miami. I've never heard that one before.

9:48 PM: Is Gwen Ifill dead? Palin AGAIN - for what, the 20th time? - has given a 3 word answer and then changed the topic. And Ifill says nothing. Ever.

9:46 PM: Biden: McCain keeps telling us that Iraq is the central battle in the war on terror. We will go after Bin Laden.

9:45 PM: BIDEN: John McCain voted to cut off money to the troops.

9:40 PM Why is Gwen Ifill even there? She's an idiot. She spits out questions that she wrote in advance, she cuts off people when she decides that she wants to go to her next question, and she lets Palin always switch her answer to another topic while Ifill NEVER ever comes back and says "excuse me, Ms. Palin, you didn't answer the question." Why is Ifill even there?

9:38 PM: Biden gives a very strong answer on same sex couples. Sarah is very tolerant.

9:36 PM Rape, Palin wants to talk about rape? Is she nuts?

9:32 PM: Palin doesn't want to argue about the causes of climate change. HUH? My god, she just blathers and repeats the same things over and over...but not arguing about the causes of climate change? Biden is unequivocal: If you don't understand what the cause is, it's virtually impossible to come up with solutions.

9:30 PM Palin: No it's not so and I'm not going to answer the question, again. What the hell is Gwen Ifill doing? Does she plan on letting Palin not answer a single question - not hedge, but literally change the topic and answer a totally different question - every single time, and not challenge her on it?

9:29 PM: Rob just made a good point: Sarah is starting to repeat herself. Has she run out of flash cards? Palin just said we've got a toxic mess on Main Street affecting Wall Street. HUH? She's getting her talking points mixed up. That's her line of the night: We've got a toxic mess on Main Street affecting Wall Street.

9:25 PM: Yeah, Palin says you won't hear her and McCain tell different things to different audiences. Like how she was for the Bridge to Nowhere before she was against it, like McCain was for Roe v Wade before he was against it, like McCain was against the Bush tax cuts before he was for them, like how McCain called Jerry Falwell an agent of intolerance and then asked him to support his election. And on and on and on...

9:22 PM: Hi all. It's Jacki. It's my birthday so I'll make this quick. Joe Biden rules my world. He just called McCain's health care plan "the ultimate bridge to nowhere." Happy Birthday to me.

9:20 PM: 95% of small businesses fall under Obama's $250,000 limit, meaning, they wont' see tax increases under his plan. Plain claimed they would.

9:18 PM: Sarah Palin says that government regulation is the problem right when our economy is melting down because of lack of government regulation.

9:18 PM: Biden knows what he's talking about..."we have a different values set." And, he's looking at the camera finally.

Rob notes that it's clear that Sarah Palin is playing the traditional role of attack dog vice presidential candidate tonight. Whether she knows the answers to the questions or not still remains to be seen.

9:15 PM: Shorter Sarah Palin: "I'm not going to answer the questions you're asking."

9:13 PM: Palin will not answer questions...she just parrots her talking points...Biden busts her. John McCain voted 477 times to raise taxes..and wonders why Palin won't answer the question about regulation.

9:12 PM: Palin has presented her first few memorized talking points. And she's presented them well, as she does. As the debate goes on, and we get to the real Palin, then we'll see a real test.

9:10 PM: Palin hits predatory lending. "We need to band together." We can learn a heck of a lot from this and say never again.

9:07 PM: Biden hits McCain for saying the fundamentals of the economy are strong. Palin passes on the lie that McCain was talking about the American workers as the fundamentals of the economy...she is joining a team of mavericks.

Palin is looking directly at the camera. She's been well trained on that...she's talking to the American people. Biden is talking to Gwen Ifill.

9:05 PM: Palin...Is this a good time or bad time in America's economy? Go to a kid's soccer game. We need reform. John McCain has thankfully been one pushing reform. Really? McCain suspended his campaign? No, he didn't/

Rob reports that as opposed to last week's republican / democrat / independent dial meters, CNN is showing uncommitted Ohio voters broken out by men and women.

9:04 PM: Biden uses the question to talk about changing the focus of economic policy.

9:03 PM: Well, she showed up. First question to Biden is about the bailout...is this the worst of Washington or the best of Washington?

8:59 PM: So, here we go. John and I are live-blogging from my place. Rob will be weighing in, too. This should be interesting to say the least. And, we're not prepared to declare a win for Palin just because she shows up. We need to see whether these two candidates are qualified to be president. Read More......

Pre-debate scenes

As you know, the debate is in St. Louis. AMERICAblog's good friends, Robin and Jean Carnahan, are there. Using her beloved iphone, Robin sent a couple pre-debate photos.

Governors Bill Richardson (NM) and Chet Culver (IA) with Robin.



The scene of the crime -- the infamous "spin room" where the McCain campaign will tell the political press corps that Palin won and the political press corps will dutifully report that news:
Read More......

McCain today says women are 'emotional'

WTF? McCain said this today at a "woman's townhall meeting." It was a more emotional townhall meeting, because it was with women, McCain said. (And don't forget about McCain other comments about women - this one is NSFW, and rather vulgar - here's the link.)

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For tonight's VP debate, play PalinBingo!

Cute site.

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Canadian paper mistakes Tina Fey for Palin

UPDATE: Just heard from AFP, in fact the mistake was the Canadian paper's, not AFP's.

Seriously. Their article uses the Tina Fey spot as the photo, with the caption clearly saying it's Sarah Palin sitting to the left.


(Hat tip to Ben)

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McCain's cousin: McCain has changed

A cousin of John McCain's writes that the Republican candidate has changed of late, and not for the good.

A part of me is made very sad to write this article. As I've said, my family has followed John's life and career with no absence of pride. If there ever were a Republican we might consider voting for, it would have been my cousin John.

But, as he continually demonstrates in this campaign, my cousin John is long gone. "Straight talk" has been replaced with "flip-flop." Saddest of all, this is the same man who, when campaigning in 2000, told a crowd of supporters, "I don't think Bill Gates needs a tax cut. I think your parents do."

My parents, John, need some help after the economic destruction Bush has wrought in the last eight years, but it's clear you're not the one who'll give it to us. America's working families no longer recognize you, nor does your own.

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Expect a pitbull (with lipstick) tonight at the debate

Palin the attack dog is showing up at the debate tonight. Hey, it's a roll of the dice for the McCain campaign. But, they don't have much to work with here. Palin can't do substance so she'll get nasty. The McCain campaign is probably betting that if she's nasty and on the attack, people won't notice that she's absolutely not qualified to be president. So, expect a very aggressive Palin tonight:

Sarah Palin plans to go on the attack in tonight’s debate, hitting Joe Biden for what she will call his foreign policy blunders and penchant for adopting liberal positions on taxes and other issues, according to campaign officials involved in prepping her for tonight’s showdown.

The Palin camp is projecting surprising self-confidence in the pre-debate hours, despite the vice presidential nominee’s uneven — and, at some points, peculiar — performances in recent television interviews, the officials say. Top advisers to John McCain privately say Palin’s recent CBS interview was a borderline disaster, especially since it played out in several segments over several days. Tonight will be different, they say.

“This is going to finally put her back into a position where we see her like we saw her the first couple weeks,” a McCain official said. “She was herself. She was authentic, and people related to that. ... Tonight, she’ll get into a rhythm. You’re going to see her in a way that you haven’t seen her yet.”

Funny thing about the McCain campaign. They purport not to care what the "elite" media thinks. But, they're spinning the media elites like mad right now -- and will be again after the debate. The Republicans know how gullible the political press corps is. So, they're going to hope that the pundits play up Palin's pitbull antics and ignore the fact that she's a blithering idiot. And, a blithering idiot who would be one melanoma away from the presidency. Country first, after all. Read More......

Get off my lawn!

A Politico reporter describes a chat he had with McCain earlier today:

We just followed McCain down the steps following the vote to ask him about the reaction of House Republicans to the vote.

He didn't appreciate the company.

McCain: "Excuse me, you're bothering me."

Politico: "I'm bothering you?"

McCain: "Excuse me, I have to go."

Read More......

Another doctor weighs in on McCain's apparent health

JL, an M.D., sent me the following NYT article from earlier this year, and then commented on it. Here is the excerpt from the article that JL suggested we note:

Along with his signature bright white hair, the most striking aspects of Senator John McCain’s physical appearance are his puffy left cheek and the scar that runs down the back of his neck.

The marks are cosmetic reminders of the melanoma surgery he underwent in August 2000. Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, sometimes tells audiences that he has “more scars than Frankenstein.”

The operation was performed mainly to determine whether the melanoma, a potentially fatal form of skin cancer, had spread from his left temple to a key lymph node in his neck; a preliminary pathology test at the time showed that it had not.

But because such a test cannot be definitive, the surgeons, with Mr. McCain’s advance permission, removed the surrounding lymph nodes and part of the parotid gland, which produces saliva, in the same operation, which lasted five and a half hours.

The final pathology analysis showed no evidence of spread of the melanoma, his staff said at the time.

JL then wrote me the following:

When a surgeon takes a node, or any tissue for biopsy, there is always an initial or preliminary path test. That's usually called a frozen section, it's done while the patient is in surgery and gives the surgeon info as to whether or not he or she has to go further. But it's the final path report that counts; that's the one that is done with more precision. Just as all x-rays have a first "wet read" and then a 2nd final read, biopsies similarly have a frozen section or quick assessment and then a 2nd more thorough assessment. The two reports usually agree. If they don't, it's the 2nd one, not the preliminary, that is the final say.

Now, as for this line in the NYT article: "The final pathology analysis showed no evidence of spread of the melanoma, his staff said at the time." That does seem definitive, but, do those who say no spread, mean no spread to the parotid gland? A spread there, by the way, would be a continguous spread, not a metastatic one. Or do they mean "no evidence of cancer in the lymph nodes"? The fact that the ct scan and chest xray show nothing is great for McCain, but those tests don't pick up small small subtle spread that could be showing up now. What about a ct now? A cxr now? Bottom line: 50% of people with satellite lesions survive to 5 years. The odds DO NOT get better at 10. Thats so different than breast cancer for instance where the longer you survive, the better your chances get.

We need to see the final path reports on the removed lymph nodes. Obviously the doctors were concerned enough that they did an invasive biopsy into the area of his left cheek/temple. His doctors are hedging their answers when they say, he's fine for now, or we see no evidence of metastatic disease now -- and that if they had seen it they would've treated it. But that was a very serious and deep enough lesion (at 2.2) to have them do such an invasive surgery. Furthermore, if the node was positive they would not necessarily have offered treatment before they had evidence of actual disease. The treatment is debilitating and severe. We need to see the medical records.

In medicine, the rule is: You look for one explanation that covers all the phenomena, before you look for three explanations. The chances of two unrelated melanomas next to each other [McCain had two melanomas, side by side, removed in 2000], when several of the commenting physicians are thinking satellite... it's unlikely that the side-by-side melanomas are unrelated.

Second, the mets (metastatic sites) from melanoma do not show up on the skin, that's not the worry. They metastatize to liver, lung, brain -- very often brain. From what I've seen, there was no official determination that is was not a satellite melanoma. Assigning a "stage" to a patient's cancer is a way to organize the data from thousands of patients and predict for your patient. But its not like the inside of a clock where the pieces are all there. When someone has a satellite lesion, the Stage IIA standard predictions are not the same as someone with simply a Stage IIA lesion (I believe that's what they gave him?) without the satellite lesion.

The significance of a satellite melanoma is that it puts him in a more serious, poor prognostic category.

WE NEED THE PATH REPORTS.
WE SHOULDN'T BE GUESSING ABOUT SOMEONE WHO IS GOING TO BE PRESIDENT.
WHY ARE WE GUESSING?

I wouldn't fly on an airplane with a pilot 10 years post melanoma who had not been followed/staged/ examined because he might seize and the FAA wouldn't let him fly as far as I know.

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We'll be live-blogging the debate tonight at 9PM Eastern

That means Joe and I, and maybe even Rob if we can drag him away from some hopping bar in Baltimore, will be following the debate blow-by-blow, minute-by-minute, gaffe-by-gaffe, cringe-by-cringe... you get the idea. See you at 9 (Eastern).

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Latest McCain spin: Palin is dumb, just like you

Seriously, now, this is the best the McCain campaign could come up with? Palin is an idiot, just like you? I'm sorry, but she needs a lot more going for her if she's going to be a 72 year old cancer survivor's heartbeat away from the presidency. America tried the "vote for the dumb guy, he's funny" thing already - twice in fact. Didn't work out so well. More from Huff Post:

"She's not lived in the world of Washington, so she doesn't know every detail of all the questions senators deal with," Lieberman told NBC's Andrea Mitchell. "But, frankly, that's her strength. I think that's why a lot of regular people out across America think she's going to be their voice."

Mitchell interjected, "Senator, she wants to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. You know, that doesn't mean just being an average mom, it means bringing other skills."

But Lieberman stayed on the point, stating later, "I think tonight is not a kind of final college exam. I think the point is who is she as a person... Whether she can answer every detailed question, I don't think that ultimately matters to the American people so long as they think she passes those other personal thresholds."

You know, call me a Washington elitist, but when I have to call my bank to see if my retirement savings is safe, I don't want to find some dumb nice person on the other end of the line. I want the smartest person I can find taking care of my assets, my economy, my country. The notion that our country is facing its most severe economic crisis since the Great Depression and we're to trust the reins of government to Sarah Palin because she's kind of an idiot, but nice, is beyond absurd. Yes, Americans vote their gut. But they also vote their wallet. Our life savings are on the line. And no one - NO ONE - trusts Sarah Palin with their bank account. And frankly, only a Washington elitist like Lieberman would. Read More......

When Palin misquoted Thomas Jefferson, was she really quoting the Ladies Home Journal?

Jacki wrote earlier about how Sarah Palin gave Katie Couric some made up quote that she attributed to Thomas Jefferson: "And Thomas Jefferson also said never underestimate the wisdom of the people." As Jacki pointed out, Jefferson never said any such thing.

But what Palin might have been thinking of was the slogan of the Ladies Home Journal: "Never underestimate the power of a woman."

But hey, in all fairness, Sarah Palin has read most every newspaper and magazine in America (there are over 7,000 newspapers alone), so it has to be hard to keep 'em all straight when you're a walking Einstein. Read More......

After saying yesterday that Gwen Ifill was fine moderating the VP debate, confused McCain now says it's a problem

Seriously. Can we please have McCain's medical records released to the public, because his erratic behavior is now a daily occurrence. McCain just yesterday - YESTERDAY - said that he was fine with Gwen Ifill moderating. Now today he isn't. And what's more, McCain has created a mythical villain who apparently chose Ifill for him. “Frankly, I wish they had picked a moderator that isn’t writing a book favorable to Barack Obama — let's face it," McCain said this morning. "They"? I know for the presidential debate, McCain approved the moderators in advance. He's saying that didn't happen for the VP debate? Well, in fact, I've just heard from a source I trust that McCain DID have the chance to object to Ifill back in August, and he didn't. So when John McCain says "they" he means "himself." Need more proof that something isn't quite right with McCain? Read More......

Increasingly erratic McCain campaign suspending its operation in Michigan

For months, both campaigns have been trying to figure out which states are in play for them. We've been hearing repeatedly that McCain was going to pour resources into Michigan and Pennsylvania, which have been voting Democratic in the past elections. Not anymore. Today, Jonathan Martin is reporting that the McCain campaign is leaving Michigan and its 17 electoral votes:

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, stop dropping mail there and send most of his staff to more competitive states, including Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida. Wisconsin went for Kerry in 2004, Ohio and Florida for Bush.

McCain's campaign didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Republicans had been bullish on Michigan, hopeful that McCain's past success in the state in the 2000 primary combined with voter dissatisfaction with Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm and skepticism among blue-collar voters about Barack Obama could make it competitive.

Very bad news for the GOP. This is a major development in the campaign -- and a major concession by the McCain campaign, if it's true. Remember, last week, John McCain "suspended" his campaign and wanted to cancel the first debate. Seems like no one is really in charge at McCain HQ. Like the candidate, that campaign seems to be extremely erratic and dysfunctional.

So, today, McCain might be pulling out of Michigan. Tomorrow, it might be his number one state.

Let's briefly review the situation: Obama is encroaching into McCain's turf in states like Indiana, Missouri, Colorado, Nevada, Virginia and North Carolina. Obama is ahead in Iowa and New Mexico, two states where Gore won but Kerry lost. Pennsylvania has been shoring up nicely for Obama of late. Florida and Ohio have been trending his way. Okay, Obama did pull out of North Dakota, but I'll trade North Dakota for Michigan this year.

The reality for McCain, not that he deals in reality, is that he needs to use his limited resources to defend states that have traditionally voted Republican. Remember, McCain opted into the public financing system for the general election. (Also remember, he scammed that system during the primaries.) The McCain/Palin campaign got a check from the government for $84 million and that's all they can legally spend. Obama opted out of the public financing system and is not subject to any spending limits. With the help of George Bush, however, the RNC (the Republican Party headquarters in Washington, DC) has raised a boat load to complement McCain's efforts. Even with that help, it's starting to look like McCain can't afford to fight for blue states. Read More......

Homer Simpson to vote for Obama?

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No man is truly poor who is rich in lies

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Please don't vote

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Obama on the economy: "There’s nothing more fundamental than a job."

Obama's got a new speech on jobs and the economy.

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More doctor analysis of McCain's video yesterday

As I've written before, if the McCain campaign would simply release John McCain's full cancer records, and the media would do their job, there would be no reason for us to speculate publicly as to whether John McCain is ill. Unfortunately, neither the McCain campaign nor the media has shown any intention of getting the bottom of McCain's recent confusion, erratic behavior, and facial spasms. So I have asked a number of our readers who are M.D.s to weigh in. And they have.

This M.D. weighed in yesterday, and mentioned that he would have liked to have seen a full video of McCain's speech in which he had the facial spasms and then became confused. The full unedited speech was online, so I sent it to him. Here is his report after having viewed the entire video:

There were several issues that I noticed upon viewing this video.

First of all - he clearly has a medical problem known as ptosis. This is demonstrated in him by his inability to hold up the eyelid on the left side. Another famous person who has this exact same problem is Forrest Whittaker. I have not really spent a lot of time looking at John McCain - not sure if this is a chronic condition. Nevertheless, that would suggest that he either has a significant central nervous system problem ( ie brain tumor ) OR something could be happening to the delivery of neuronal information from the brain to the eye. That would be over Cranial Nerve III. In my experience, diabetes is the most common cause of this problem - but old age is certainly right up there. Clearly, he could have had some severe damage to CN - III during surgery and or radiation therapy. If you look at the wiki entry on this problem - you can clearly see that diabetes and brain tumors are right up there as the causes. I would assume that if Senator McCain has had this problem for a while - this would have been thoroughly worked up. However, without access to him or his medical records - it is impossible to know. Furthermore, there are many subtle differences in ptosis and neurological problems like this - for example - what are the sizes of his pupils? - do they respond to light? etc etc etc - making certain diagnosis by video absolutely impossible.

Secondly, Senator McCain blinks constantly. Notice the blinking is much more prominent on the right eye - because the left eye as stated above is not functioning as well from a motor standpoint. If I had to guess, I would suggest that this possibly represents dry eyes. The seventh cranial nerve - or the facial nerve - is in charge of innervating the lacrimal gland or tear glands. That nerve is clearly compromised based on his other facial problems. It would not be a stretch to assume that his ability to make tears is compromised - and people tend to blink a lot when this happens. Again, there are many other questions I would like to ask him -- does he have any trouble tasting food? - Do his eyes burn during the day? Again, this is all educated guesswork without a patient in front of you.

Thirdly, Senator McCain has very clear facial asymmetry - both neurologic and anatomic. By neurologic asymmetry, I mean that he clearly has trouble with his facial muscles and moving them around appropriately - this is obvious with still photos - his left mouth is hanging - not appropriately "up" like the right. When he smiles - he cannot seem to move the left mouth like his right. There are clearly other facial muscles involved - but not his forehead and eyebrows - both do quite well. This neurologic asymmetry is very likely secondary to massive nerve damage to cranial nerve VII on the left. He has evidence of damage to Cranial Nerve III and V as well. Cranial Nerves IV and VI are less likely to be involved because he does not seem to have trouble moving the actual eye itself - in other words he is not cross-eyed when he speaks. He has anatomic asymmetry - involving the big scar down his left face - as well as a pouched out area around his left jaw. This could be left over from facial reconstructive surgery - or he could have some lymphatic issues from radiation or surgery. I just would have no idea without medical records.

Toward the end of the video - when the massive nervous twitching was happening - his voice did seem to soften - and he paused frequently. There was no speech slurring. There did not seem to be any problem with other motor movements - ie he was still able to stand up straight - no leaning to one side or the other.

I still stand by what I said earlier - this twitching toward the end was distinctly different and corresponded to a time when he was confused. He momentarily did not appear as robust as he had been. Given these symptoms - and his obvious confusion - a visit to a physician immediately is in order. I would also add that cognitive dysfuntion like we have witnessed over the last several weeks is also quite concerning. He may be tired - but John believe me - that is what they all say. I see this kind of presentation all the time - concerned family members bringing grandpa in because something just is not right - and then on exam it is clear that grandpa has had a little stroke. He needs to be evaluated now.

In my professional career, I have done countless executive physicals and attestations to corporate boards and personnel offices. It is customary for men and women in leadership positions to get a thorough physical examination and follow up on anything out of the ordinary. In my career, I have seen several people turned down for jobs as CEOs or CFOs for the most trivial of reasons. This, however, is not one of those times. There are enough serious issues going on - pointed out to me today - that I believe he really needs to be evaluated and shoot straight with the American people - his future board of directors (assuming he is elected).

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Jobless claims hit 7 year high

And there is more of this to come in the near future. This is not an economy that is headed in the right direction yet McCain thinks we want more of the same. Less regulation, more chaos and no idea how to even approach the economy. I don't even want to think about Palin deciding the future direction of our economy.

Initial jobless claims were at 497,000 in the week ended Sept. 27, the highest since 517,000 in the week ended Sept. 29, 2001 and above Wall Street economists' forecasts of 475,000.

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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.) When pressed as to why he voted for the bailout package given all his ranting and complaining, McCain responded "This bill is putting us on the brink of economic disaster." Does McCain know that he voted for the bailout bill?



Now, all those reporters and pundits who know John McCain so well (and used to ride around on the bus laughing at his stories) will just say, "Oh, that's just John McCain being McCain." But, if Obama made a screw up like that on the dominant issue in the campaign, it would be a huge story and those same reporters would be all over it. You know that's true. And, it makes this video more relevant. Read More......

Palin's Fake Quote

Everyone's talking about Palin's botched Supreme Court response, but I haven't seen much conversation yet about her answer to Couric's question regarding the separation of church and state. Take a listen:

Katie Couric: Thomas Jefferson wrote about the First Amendment, building a wall of separation between church and state. Why do you think that's so important?

Sarah Palin: His intention in expressing that was so that government did not mandate a religion on people. And Thomas Jefferson also said never underestimate the wisdom of the people. And the wisdom of the people, I think in this issue is that people have the right and the ability and the desire to express their own religious views, be it a very personal level, which is why I choose to express my faith, or in a more public forum.

And the wisdom of the people, thankfully, engrained in the foundation of our country, is so extremely important. And Thomas Jefferson wanted to protect that.

Not only does Palin get so twisted up in herself that it's tough to remember what the question was in the first place, but I went hunting for the Jefferson quote she references and couldn't find it. I did dig up this:

"It is not wisdom alone but public confidence in that wisdom which can support an administration." --Thomas Jefferson to James Monroe, 1824.

If this is what Palin was going for, she not only took it out of context, but she wasn't even close.

Then I found this interaction on amongst chatters in the Sean Hannity forum, and they came to the same conclusion. There is no Jefferson quote.

You know you're in trouble when the Fox peeps call your bluff. Read More......

60% see Palin "lacking the experience to be an effective president"

Sarah Palin is starting to slip into George Bush territory when it comes to polling. Her numbers are atrocious. The Washington Post/ABC News poll has very bad news for John McCain. Because while McCain thinks Sarah Palin is qualified to be president, most Americans don't:

In the new Post-ABC poll, Palin matches the Democratic vice presidential candidate, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., on empathy, one of McCain's clear deficits against Obama, while fewer than half of voters think she understands "complex issues."

But it is the experience question that may prove her highest hurdle, particularly when paired with widespread public concern about McCain's age. About half of all voters said they were uncomfortable with the idea of McCain taking office at age 72, and 85 percent of those voters said Palin does not have the requisite experience to be president.

The 60 percent who now see Palin as insufficiently experienced to step into the presidency is steeply higher than in a Post-ABC poll after her nomination early last month. Democrats and Republicans alike are now more apt to doubt her qualifications, but the biggest shift has come among independents.

In early September, independents offered a divided verdict on Palin's experience; now they take the negative view by about 2 to 1. Nearly two-thirds of both independent men and women in the new poll said Palin has insufficient experience to run the White House.

McCain gambled big time on his v.p. pick. It's not really paying off.

Because the political reporters and pundits in the traditional media are so easily spun (Exhibit A), Palin will undoubtedly get a bounce from her debate performance tonight. If she can say her name and conjugate a few verbs, the pundits will be agog. But, whatever happens tonight, she's not qualified to be president. Read More......

Thursday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Tonight's the big night for the v.p. candidates. America gets to see Sarah Palin in action. Remember, she's a great debater, a wily one. The punditry is going to cut her lots of slack. But, at the end of the night, people have to decide if she is ready to be president. That's the issue.

The other important thing of note about October 2nd: It's Jacki Schechner's birthday. Happy birthday to a great, great friend. These days, Jacki is on a mission to get us all better health care coverage -- and those insurance company lobbyists have no idea what they're up against.

Today, no doubt, will be another interesting day on the campaign trail...so let's get it started. Read More......

Melamine showing up in US candy from China

How's deregulation working these days? Wasn't industry supposed to self-regulate? You know it's bad when the Bush FDA gets off its butt and actually says something that alerts consumers to a problem.

A chemical blamed for sickening infants in China has been found in candy on American shelves.

Connecticut consumer protection Commissioner Jerry Farrell Jr. said Wednesday that tests on White Rabbit Creamy Candy found melamine.

The candy has been found in stores in Connecticut. It was imported from China and sold primarily at Asian markets.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended last week that consumers not eat White Rabbit candy and that retailers remove it. Queensway Foods Company Inc. of California distributed the candy and says it is recalling it.

Melamine is used in plastics manufacturing and has been associated with contaminated infant formula and other Chinese products containing milk protein.

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Credit crisis hitting colleges

I've been suspicious of university costs in recent years and the scandals last year related to the cozy relationship between lenders and certain universities confirmed some of this. Now that the credit crisis is upon us, colleges and would-be students are going to have some tough times. America is a country that lives on credit so until we get money moving again we're going to find so many more problems that we never thought about before.

In a move suggesting how the credit crisis could disrupt American higher education, Wachovia Bank has limited the access of nearly 1,000 colleges to $9.3 billion the bank has held for them in a short-term investment fund, raising worries on some campuses about meeting payrolls and other obligations.

Wachovia, the North Carolina bank that agreed this week to sell its banking operations to Citigroup, has held the money in its role as trustee for a fund used by colleges and universities and managed by a Connecticut nonprofit, Commonfund.

On Monday, Wachovia announced that it would resign its role as trustee of the fund, and would limit access to the fund to 10 percent of each college’s account value. On Tuesday, Commonfund said that by selling some government bonds and other assets held in the fund, it had succeeded in raising its liquidity to 26 percent.

Still, Wachovia’s announcement sent shock waves through higher education, sending hundreds of college presidents rushing to check their financial vulnerability on every front.

Some smaller colleges that had not previously arranged lines of credit were feverishly seeking to negotiate those on Wednesday. And some large institutions said they were facing, at the least, a major financial inconvenience as a result of Wachovia’s action.

The University of Vermont, for instance, said that about half of its liquid operating assets — $79 million — were invested in the fund.

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Gambling and Evangelicals, and John McCain

From CBN:

A follow-up now from the other day when The Brody File reported that the Democratic National Committee released web ads slamming McCain for his lobbyist ties to the gambling industry.

The web ads are now up on places like Beliefnet.com, the Drudge Report, the American Prospect and many more.

Click here and here and here to see some images appearing on the sites for the ad. The web buy is pretty hefty.thousands of dollars.

Obama has gambled before too but that type of story won't have the same traction because gambling and Evangelicals don't go together too well in the same sentence. That's the danger for McCain.

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US factory activity declines for 2nd month

The ongoing uncertainty in Congress is going to make this even worse. More from Reuters:

U.S. factory activity contracted for a second month in September, while inflation pressures tumbled and employment in the sector fell, according to an industry report released on Wednesday.

The Institute for Supply Management said its index of national factory activity fell to 43.5 in September from 49.9 in August. The level of 50 separates contraction from expansion.

Economists had expected a reading of 49.5, according to the median of their forecasts in a Reuters poll. The 81 forecasts ranged from 47.0 to 51.1.

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For third day in a row, McCain has blamed Obama for the economic crisis while saying now is not the time to cast blame

Liar.

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