CBS snap poll shows Obama won -- and cast your votes

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. Ambinder has details.



Markos has a list of polls where you can cast your vote for who won the debate. Read the rest of this post...

Obama to McCain: "You Were Wrong"

Obama: So John, you like to pretend like the war started in 2007. You talk about the "surge," the war started in 2003. At the time, when the war started, you said it was going to be quick and easy. You said you knew where the weapons of mass destruction were -- and you were wrong. You said we were going to be greeted as liberators -- you were wrong. You said that there was no history of violence between Shi'a and Sunni, and you were wrong. ...if the question is, who is best equipped as the next president to make good decisions about how we use our military, how we make sure we are prepared and ready for the next conflict, then I think we can take a look at our judgment.

Read the rest of this post...

No doubt about it: Obama won the debate

First thoughts....

Barack Obama clearly won the debate tonight. Hands down.

Throughout the debate, Obama was very strong. He never let a McCain attack go unanswered. He mocked McCain appropriately. And, he sounded like a president.

McCain looked old. He got bitchy and cranky several times. And, he kept invoking the old days. He couldn't stop talking about the old days.

Obama has a vision for what America can be. McCain can only look back. He has no vision.

Those are initial thoughts. Remember, John McCain is known as a great debater. The GOP expected McCain to dominate tonight. He didn't. This was also supposed to be McCain's strong suit. It wasn't.

What does everyone think? Read the rest of this post...

DEBATE OPEN THREAD 2

We'll still be liveblogging on this post, but for those in the comments, a fresh thread.

John is still on CNN.com - share your thoughts in the comments - what did you think overall? Give us your reactions. Read the rest of this post...

Presidential Debate Open Thread

10:36 PM: Took McCain til the very end, but he managed to work in the POW reference.

10:36 PM: No one can say our standing in the world is the same as it was. We are going to change that.

10:34 PM: McCain gives a bitchy response -- tries to compare Obama to Bush. HUH? Obama laughs. McCain has been around for a long time...as he keeps reminding us. Yeah, he's got experience, but the WRONG experience. The VERY wrong experience.

10:32 PM: Obama says Bush and McCain have focused all their resources on Iraq. bin laden is still out there. They've ignored China, because of the focus on Iraq. Look at our economy...which is a national security issue. we're not taking care of our vets. The next president has to have a broader strategic mission.

10:30 PM: McCain can't stop talking about the good ole days with Reagan. He really longs for those days. And, al Qaeda established a base in Iraq after we got there.

10:29 PM: Obama says we're safer in some ways. We haven't done enough. We have to focus on al Qaeda. They are operating in 60 countries now...not just Iraq. I am going to restore America's standing in the world. We are the greatest nation in the world.

10:28 PM: McCain thinks we're safer now than the day after 9/11. And he created a commission with Joe Lieberman...and we have a long way to go.

10:26 PM: Chances for another 9/11 on the continental U.S.?

10:24 PM: Obama manages to work in the need for a new energy policy as part of foreign policy. Did you know McCain has been in the Senate for a very, very long time?

10:20 PM: John McCain spends a lot of time on the Georgia question. His campaign advisers were very well paid by the country of Georgia.

One other thing: Where is John McCain's flag pin???

10:16 PM: New question on Russia.

10:14 PM: Obama just busted McCain. SPAIN....McCain won't even meet with prime minister of Spain. That was PERFECT. And, clearly, that got under McCain's skin. He got bitchy in response. See our posts on McCain and Spain here and here.

10:11 PM: Obama had to tell McCain that his adviser, Henry Kissinger, said we should meet with Iran without preconditions. This isn't about having tea. And, it doesn't mean no preparation. Obama is very clear and very strong on this. And, again, he mocked McCain..noting that the Bush administration has reversed itself.

10:09 PM: Does anyone understand what McCain is talking about here? McCain says, Look, I'll sit down with anyone, but not without pre-conditions.

10:08 PM: I think Obama hits the right tone on Iran...and, says McCain is wrong because his view of not talking to our enemies has not worked.

10:06 PM: McCain just gave a long answer on Iran, but I couldn't follow it because of that tie of his. It's really driving me crazy...and I know it's an issue for commenters and other people who are pinging Rob and me.

10:04 PM: New question on the threat from Iran.

10:03 PM: Obama has gotten under McCain's skin....McCain got testy after that Afghanistan question.

10:02 PM: Obama to McCain...no one is talking about defeat in Iraq. But, you are responsible the problems in Afghanistan. You talked about muddling through...you don't muddle through against bin Laden, you don't muddle through against the Taliban.

10:00 PM: McCain wants you to know that he has a long, long record in foreign policy issues. Yeah, we know you're really old, John McCain.

9:57 PM: Obama dares McCain to disagree with him on taking out Bin Laden even if Pakistan won't help. Then, mocks him for the song about bombing Iran.

Admittedly, I am biased, but I think Obama is being very strong on these foreign policy questions. He is mocking McCain. Mocking him while being totally unbothered.

9:54 PM: McCain admits making mistakes on Afghanistan. Invokes George Schultz (you know, another grandpa story.) "We've got a lot of work to do in Afghanistan." Yeah, SEVEN YEARS LATER.

Getting comments from my fellow viewers about McCain's make up. He pays a lot of money for that make up. It should be a lot better.

9:52 PM: Obama -- YES. We don't have enough troops there. But, it's not just more troops...he is very specific about his plan. And, mentions the safe havens of al Qaeda in Pakistan.

9:50 PM: New question on Afghanistan. Should more U.S. troops be sent to Afghanistan and when?

9:48 PM: Obama will not let McCain get away with anything tonight. He is hammering him back on every question. Obama is very strong on these Iraq/Afghanistan questions. He keeps invoking Afghanistan, al Qaeda and bin Laden. And, McCain keeps smirking. Just keeps smirking.

9:45 PM: Obama nailed McCain on that Iraaq question. ID'ing all the things on which McCain was wrong.

9:42 PM: Obama on Iraq - we took our eye off the ball. It's about judgment and Obama was right.

9:41 PM: McCain is going on and on about Iraq - McCain was wrong right from the start. Obama is going after him on it - as he should. McCain's judgement on Iraq was just plain wrong.

9:38 PM: John McCain says he's a maverick - 90% agreement with Bush isn't maverick John.

9:37 PM: McCain "spending got out of control" - yeah John, Bush inherited a surplus. Obama is going after McCain on Bush's "orgy of spending". Nice.

9:36 PM: Obama ties tax cuts to values - exactly what Democrats need to do.

9:33 PM: McCain wants a spending freeze...Obama says that's taking an axe where a scalpel is needed.

9:32 PM: Obama notes his liberal record is based on voting against Bush's record. We'll take that.

9:31 PM: McCain "we have to cut spending." He's going to do away with ethanol subsidies. We need fixed-cost contracts. Did you know McCain has been involved in these issues for "many, many years"? He has...many, many years.

9:28 PM: Obama...we won't know. There are some things I'll want to get done, but can't. But there are some things we have to get done: Energy, Health Care and be competitive..in education. College must be affordable. Rebuild infrastructure.

9:26 PM: New question: What are you going to have to give up because of the financial rescue plan?

9:25 PM: Obama tells McCain that what he's saying about his tax plan just isn't true. And, tells McCain he wanted to give tax breaks for oil companies.

9:23 PM: Obama is on a roll -- explaining his tax plan. And, Obama exposes the McCain health care scam.

And, what's up with that McCain smirk? He's inherited the Bush smirk for debate.

9:22 PM: John McCain is talking about Ireland -- Sarah Palin has been there so she probably filled him in. And, he mentioned his ridiculous health insurance scam.

9:20 PM: Obama: I don't know where John is getting his numbers. Eliminating earmarks alone isn't going to get the middle class back on track. McCain is going to continue the policies of the past eight years. Okay...on that one, Obama gave a great response.

9:19 PM: Did you know McCain didn't win Miss Congeniality? I think, however, Sarah Palin did.

9:18 PM: Obama says McCain is obsessed about earmarks which account for 18 billion while proposing $300 billion in tax cuts for the wealthiest individuals in the country. Need to change the policies of President Bush that John McCain wants to change.

9:15 PM: McCain gets first crack. Disses Republicans for pork barrel spending. Earmarks are a "gateway drug." Uses his grizzly bear anecdote (which, of course, undermines his running mate's earmarks).

9:14 PM: Next question -- are there fundamental differences between your approaches if you were president to this economic crisis.

9:13 PM: Obama directly to McCain: John, 10 days again, you said the fundamentals of the economy are strong.

9:11 PM: Obama: we're going to have to ask how we shredded so many regulations. Have to deal with the failed economic philosophy. McCain: Will vote for the bailout. I also warned about corporate greed and "all that." A lot of us saw this train wreck coming. Oh, an Eisenhower anecdote. John says "Grandpa and his stories. Here he goes again."

9:08 PM: McCain is "feeling better" about things now. Great...he's mucked it all up yesterday. And, just last week, McCain thought the fundamentals of the economy were strong. McCain gave no solid answer on that question. He didn't list any principles.

9:05 PM: First question is about the economy: We're do you stand on the bailout plan? Obama made the issue about the American people on Main Street, not Wall Street. Very clear answer hitting the key points. Failed verdict on Bush and McCain economic philosophy: It hasn't worked.

9:03 PM: Game on. Obama and McCain are finally on the stage. The first debate is underway. The audience will stay silent we're told.

8:58 PM: Rob and I are at AMERICAblog corporate headquarters. John is at CNN where he's doing commentary live on CNN.com. Click the "live video" link at the top of the page. He'll be weighing in here, too. Read the rest of this post...

Reid: McCain "is erratic"

Sure John McCain knows how to debate. But, the public doesn't know the real John McCain. Majority Leader Harry Reid does know John McCain and he thinks John McCain "is erractic." Via PoliticsTV:



There is a real consensus developing that John McCain is erratic. It's no longer just whispered among those who know McCain. It's becoming very public. And, as I wrote this morning, while "erratic" is the best word to describe John McCain, "erratic" is one of the worst words to describe a potential president. Read the rest of this post...

USNews: Obama Looks Presidential While McCain Looks for a Photo Op

The post is so blisteringly delicious, it's difficult to excerpt and do it justice. Read it. But here's a small tease:

Barack Obama was at the White House yesterday, looking presidential.

Maybe you remember "presidential." You know: smart, calm, patriotic.

Obama knew, going in, that it was a Republican setup. And that George W was just trying to help his sidekick, John McCain, to a third Bush term.

But when your country is in a fix and the president asks for your help, if you're a patriot you show up. You make the best of an awkward political situation. You do your homework. You ask relevant questions. You participate.

As opposed to, say, McCain.

Given the Republican nominee's untethered (there's that word again) performance in the last three weeks, during which he has swung wildly from Oblivious to Panicky by way of Blurt and Bluster, McCain's performance comes as no surprise.

But it is still instructive to review McCain's actions in the last two days, to see why the notion of him as president is now alarming even some Republicans....

McCain finally arrived in the capital yesterday afternoon. Almost immediately, he discovered that the bailout deal (the one that he hoped to swoop in and seize credit for) was falling apart because of Republican opposition.

Did McCain roll up his sleeves and put his magical maverick bipartisan skills to work? Did he help get the members of his own party on board? Build a bridge or two across the aisle? Stick it to the Wall Street greedheads, as he had promised, by capping the money they can make in this bailout?

No. McCain closeted himself with his advisers and tried to find a way to salvage his rapidly deteriorating political position.

Then it was time for the White House photo op, which McCain had so coveted. And what does Mr. Suspend My Campaign for the Good of the Country do?

He goes AWOL.

Read the rest of this post...

McCain tried to cut and run from the debates in 1999 too

Tonight isn't the first time John McCain tried to cut and run from a debate. He did the same thing when he was running for president back in 1999. Any of this sound familiar?

With new polls showing his campaign dead in the water among California Republicans, Arizona Sen. John McCain has pulled out of a long-scheduled debate with Texas Gov. George Bush, set for Thursday in Los Angeles.

McCain campaign officials tried desperately yesterday to put the best face on their withdrawal, even as a new Field Poll showed Bush far ahead among likely Republican voters in the winner-take-all race for the state's 162 GOP delegates.

Read the rest of this post...

Top Repub. sets debate expectations: McCain "is much better...off the cuff;" Obama needs a teleprompter.

McCain's guy at the RNC, Frank Donatelli, established the GOP's baseline for the debate. They're convinced McCain will dominate tonight:

"Starting early next week, I think you'll see a lot of interest in Friday's debate. It may draw the highest numbers we've ever seen, and I think that for the v.p. debate, you'll see a tremendous amount of interest. We feel good about that. Senator McCain is much better at giving answers off the cuff, and Obama has some trouble when he doesn't have his teleprompter."

Donatelli isn't new to the game. He's been around GOP politics for a long time. From the years of watching McCain in action, the GOPers are very, very confident about their candidate's abilities.

Also, Donatelli made this statement last week, which makes McCain's behavior this week seem all the more bizarre and erratic. Read the rest of this post...

Dan Savage wants to be Sarah Palin's gay best friend

More from Dan here.

Read the rest of this post...

Things I'd never have the nerve to write

This is from Arianna's comedy site, 23/6:

Read the rest of this post...

No blank checks

The majority of Americans feel this way which is why the Democrats were right to push back against the Paulson "trust me, no questions asked" plan. It's not perfect, it's not pleasant but the Democrats plan is considerably better than the loony McCain plan which will not help moving forward. I mean really. Tax cuts and less regulation? That is a blank check. Read the rest of this post...

Sarah Palin's beauty pageant video (not kidding)

Via Huff Post, it looks real.



Makes my spoof video from last night even more salient:

Read the rest of this post...

Townhall writer calls on Palin to step down and leave race

This is a conservative writer at the lead conservative Web site. This is a woman who was a fan of Sarah Palin, and now thinks Palin is wholly unqualified to be president of the United States. There is so much import to this article.

First off, the writer is a real conservative, not some liberal. (She's been called "an Ann Coulter wannabe," and Media Matters even recently sent out an alert about her.") Second, she's a woman. Third, she was a Palin fan. Fourth, she's willing to say publicly that Palin needs to leave the race. You don't do that to your own nominee unless it's panic time and you feel you have no choice. This article gives cover to anyone in the future who criticizes Palin. She was declared unfit for combat by a lead female conservative. Also, there are probably even more conservatives fretting in the wings. This also means that Sarah Palin has not rallied Republicans. She's rallied SOME Republicans. She's freaked out others, just as she's freaked out all of us.

I'm going to try to excerpt this article, but it's hard, it's that good, the entire thing - read it - and CNN has more on this here:

Some of the passionately feminist critics of Palin who attacked her personally deserved some of the backlash they received. But circumstances have changed since Palin was introduced as just a hockey mom with lipstick — what a difference a financial crisis makes — and a more complicated picture has emerged.

As we’ve seen and heard more from John McCain’s running mate, it is increasingly clear that Palin is a problem. Quick study or not, she doesn’t know enough about economics and foreign policy to make Americans comfortable with a President Palin should conditions warrant her promotion....

It was fun while it lasted.

Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.

No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I’ve been pulling for Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I’ve also noticed that I watch her interviews with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted.

Palin filibusters. She repeats words, filling space with deadwood. Cut the verbiage and there’s not much content there....

If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself.

If Palin were a man, we’d all be guffawing, just as we do every time Joe Biden tickles the back of his throat with his toes. But because she’s a woman — and the first ever on a Republican presidential ticket — we are reluctant to say what is painfully true.

What to do?

McCain can’t repudiate his choice for running mate. He not only risks the wrath of the GOP’s unforgiving base, but he invites others to second-guess his executive decision-making ability. Barack Obama faces the same problem with Biden.

Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first.

Do it for your country.

Read the rest of this post...

House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO): McCain "stopped a deal" yesterday at the White House

House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) was just interviewed by Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC, and he told Mitchell that McCain killed the deal yesterday at the White House:

"I do think that John McCain was very helpful in what he did. I saw him this morning, we've been talking with his staff. Clearly, yesterday, his position in that discussion yesterday was one that stopped a deal from, uh, finalizing that no House Republican, in my view, would've been for. Which means it probably wouldn't have passed the House. Now, Democrats are in the majority, they can pass anything they want to without a single Republican vote. But they don't seem to be willing to do that. I'm pleased we can have negotiations now that get us back to things that we think can protect the taxpayers better, create more options, are, frankly, be better understood in the country than the plan, than the path that we were on just a couple of days ago."

McCain was "helpful," Blunt says, because McCain killed the deal - he didn't help get a deal, he helped kill it. That isn't a maverick bringing everyone together, it's an erratic, confused bull in a China shop doing what his trigger-happy gut tells him (if I may mix my metaphors). When the choice is between making war brokering peace, John McCain always goes for war. It's what hot-heads do. Especially when they're no longer at their prime. Read the rest of this post...

Wash Post: McCain Blinks

Good lord, he looks like someone just told him there isn't a Santa Claus (don't worry, kids, there is). John McCain is clearly not someone accustomed to getting bad news. Not to mention, he doesn't look so good when he's not wearing $5,000 worth of make-up to cover the fact that he's about to explode.



More from Wash Post:

The news that John McCain will debate Barack Obama tonight in Mississippi is a concession by the Arizona senator that his attempt to score a quick political victory on legislation to bail out the financial sector did not pan out as he had hoped.

McCain suspended his presidential campaign with much fanfare on Wednesday, insisting that the crisis in financial markets and the seeming stalemate on Capitol Hill required that politics be set aside for the good of the country.

But, over the intervening 24 hours, McCain saw what at first looked like a brilliant political gambit turn into a nightmare, as an apparent done deal to save the financial industry devolved into a partisan shouting match at the White House that left congressional negotiators back at square one....

Spin aside, McCain blinked in what had become a high stakes staring contest between he and Obama.

Read the rest of this post...

Ex- McCain Adviser: McCain "Blinked," Campaign "Governed By Tactics, Not Ideology"

From Huff Post:

After days of saying that John McCain would not attend Friday's presidential debate unless an agreement on a bailout package for the markets was "locked-down," the McCain campaign has gone back on its word.

On Friday, it announced that the Senator would head down to Mississippi even though, as they readily admit, much work remained needed on the bailout agreement.

The whole episode left even conservatives admitting that the McCain campaign looked erratic and a bit foolish with no apparent direction or guiding principle.

"It just proves his campaign is governed by tactics and not ideology," said Republican consultant Craig Shirley, who advised McCain earlier in this cycle. "In the end, he blinked and Obama did not. The 'steady hand in a storm' argument looks now to more favor Obama, not McCain."

Shirley added, "My guess is that plasma units are rushing to the McCain campaign as we speak to replace the blood flowing there from the fights among the staff."

Read the rest of this post...

Huckabee: McCain's debate gambit "huge mistake"

As Rob notes below, the drama queen is going to the debate after all. Seriously, the best word to describe McCain these days is "erratic." Richard Holbrooke's comments in the video we posted below are devastating. Words like "incoherent" and "confused" are being increasingly being used to describe McCain. Even GOPers seem concerned.

Take for example, Mike Huckabee, who spent a lot of time on the trail with John McCain over the past couple years, who blasted John McCain's antics:

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said Thursday that Sen. John McCain made a “huge mistake” by even discussing canceling the presidential debate with Sen. Barack Obama.

McCain’s campaign has said the Republican wouldn’t participate in the Mississippi debate Friday unless there was a consensus on the financial crisis, but Obama still wants the debate to go on.

Huckabee defeated McCain in the Alabama GOP primary in February.

Huckabee said Thursday in Mobile that the people need to hear both candidates. He said that’s “far better than heading to Washington” to huddle with senators.

He said the candidates should level with the people about the financial crisis and say the “heart of this is greed.”

Huckabee said he still backs McCain’s candidacy, but said the Arizona senator should not have put his campaign on hold to deal with the financial crisis on Wall Street. He said a president must be prepared to “deal with the unexpected.”

“You can’t just say, ‘World stop for a moment. I’m going to cancel everything,”‘ Huckabee said.

Sure sounds like Huckabee doesn't think McCain is prepared to be president. Read the rest of this post...

MSNBC: McCain to attend debate

MSNBC is reporting that McCain will be going to the debate. Someone just blinked. Why? Because McCain's whole performance this week has show his campaign in a meltdown. From MSNBC:



This whole debate stunt was yet another erratic and questionable decision by McCain. In the midst of a crisis, we've seen who the real John McCain is and it says a lot to the American people McCain is incapable of managing the nation in a crisis. Where Obama has been measured in his response, McCain and the Republicans are playing politics with the international economy and making a bigger mess.

Should be an interesting night. We'll be liveblogging it, so check back later. Read the rest of this post...

Be prepared for the Schlep

Read this post (again) and watch this video of Sarah Palin's guest preacher who she joined on stage minutes after he said this about Jews.



Then watch this video. (It's Sarah Silverman so NSFW)

Check out this website and schlep. Show your grandparents the video of Sarah Palin -- not the one of Sarah Silverman. Then read Sarah Palin's latest anti-Semitic problems. Read the rest of this post...

McCain "has raised anew potentially damaging questions of his age, executive abilities and, most of all, his temperament. "

Watching how McCain has handled himself in the economic crisis has put his temperament front and center in the campaign. There's no way to avoid it. McCain made it the issue himself:

McCain’s high-wire intervention in the financial crisis is his latest showstopper move – and his riskiest. He might succeed, but the candidate’s penchant for the dramatic has also raised anew potentially damaging questions of his age, executive abilities and, most of all, his temperament.

"He has been pretty erratic – there's no other way to describe what we've seen out of this guy in the last week," an Obama aide said of McCain's conduct during the financial crisis.

Another Democratic official cited McCain's "erratic, all over the map response to the economic crisis."

"Erratic" is one of the best words to describe McCain. "Erratic" is one of the worst words to describe a president. Read the rest of this post...

Bush: "It's hard work"

Your President just spoke from the White House to assure us that a deal will be done. I suspect Bush's statement, at 9:35ish, was timed to coincide with the opening of the stock market.

Yes, he said "It's hard work." That was his trademark line about Iraq during the 2004 debates.

More Bush this morning:

The legislative process is sometimes not very pretty. But, we are going to get a package passed. We will rise to the occasion. Republicans and Democrats will come together and pass a substantial rescue plan.

Such a leader. Don't you feel assured?
Read the rest of this post...

NYT editorial writer: Sarah Palin owes voters an explanation about charging rape victims for rape kits

Aren't you glad all those big progressive women's groups jumped on this issue? Oh wait, they didn't. We did (with the help of a lot of other blogs). From the NYT:

Even in tough budget times, there are lines that cannot be crossed. So I was startled by this tidbit reported recently by The Associated Press: When Sarah Palin was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, the small town began billing sexual-assault victims for the cost of rape kits and forensic exams.

Ms. Palin owes voters an explanation. What was the thinking behind cutting the measly few thousand dollars needed to cover the yearly cost of swabs, specimen containers and medical tests? Whose dumb idea was it to make assault victims and their insurance companies pay instead? Unfortunately, her campaign is shielding the candidate from the press, so Americans may still be waiting for answers on Election Day.

The rape-kit controversy is a troubling matter. The insult to rape victims is obvious. So is the sexism inherent in singling them out to foot the bill for investigating their own case. And the main result of billing rape victims is to protect their attackers by discouraging women from reporting sexual assaults.

That’s why when Senator Joseph Biden, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, drafted the 1994 Violence Against Women Act, he included provisions to make states ineligible for federal grant money if they charged rape victims for exams and the kits containing the medical supplies needed to conduct them. (Senator John McCain, Ms. Palin’s running mate, voted against Mr. Biden’s initiative, and his name has not been among the long list of co-sponsors each time the act has been renewed.)

That’s also why, when news of Wasilla’s practice of billing rape victims got around, Alaska’s State Legislature approved a bill in 2000 to stop it....

Her campaign would not answer questions about when she learned of the policy, strongly supported by the police chief: whether she saw it in the budget and if not, whether she learned of it before or after the State Legislature outlawed the practice....

Read the rest of this post...

AP: "it was hard to tell who had suffered a worse evening, Bush or McCain."

Any article with the line "it was a remarkably bad day for Republicans" in the first paragraph is going to pique my interest:

Even for a party whose president suffers dismal approval ratings, whose legislative wing lost control of Congress and whose presidential nominee trails in the polls, it was a remarkably bad day for Republicans.

The drama that unfolded yesterday wasn't as much about the underlying policy, but on the underlying politics -- internal Republican politics. Neither Bush or McCain have any leadership abilities:

By midnight, it was hard to tell who had suffered a worse evening, Bush or McCain. McCain, eager to shore up his image as a leader who rises above partisanship, was undercut by a fierce political squabble within his own party's ranks.

The consequences could be worse for Bush, and for millions of Americans if the impasse sends financial markets tumbling, as some officials fear. Closed-door negotiations were to resume Friday, but it was unclear whether House Republicans would attend.

Republicans and Democrats alike seemed unsure which way McCain was leaning. His campaign's statement late Thursday shed little light.

"At this moment, the plan that has been put forth by the administration does not enjoy the confidence of the American people," it said. It was unclear whether McCain would attend Friday night's scheduled debate against Democratic nominee Barack Obama in Oxford, Miss.

So, get this straight: McCain made a big announcement that he was suspending his campaign (which he didn't do) and planning to bag the first debate because of the economic crisis. He swooped into D.C., caused a stir -- but no one knows what his position is. That's some kind of crazy. He hasn't solved the problem. It's no kind of leadership. Read the rest of this post...

Friday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

John McCain is a drama queen. There's really no other way to describe his erratic and petulant behavior. And, have you noticed how he always has to be the center of attention?

There is no reason for McCain to be in D.C. today. There are no Senate votes. He has no role in the discussions about the bailout. McCain in the Capitol to create more drama with his sidekick, Lindsey Graham. Could he have a better partner-in-crime for creating drama than Lindsey? Can't wait to see what new shenanigans those two will come up with today.

I think we've reached a point in this campaign where it is clear that McCain doesn't have a style of leadership or a management philosophy. It's all about the crisis. It's all about him. He's dangerous. Drama makes good t.v, but won't keep our nation safe and secure.

All right, it's going to be a long day. We will be live blogging the debate -- even if it's just Obama on the stage. Read the rest of this post...

Some highlights of the bailout that McCain doesn't want

It's fair to say that the Democrats and some Republicans have made a lot of headway on the bailout plan. McCain has promoted "tax cuts for corporate America and less regulation" for decades so of course, his radical injection into this bailout is more of the same and what led us to this failure. Many of us against the bailout have been angry both that we have to bailout Wall Street but also are concerned about unchecked powers with Paulson and paying a fair price for the toxic debt. The bailout plan has taken much of this into consideration. The bailout isn't perfect but everyone except the radical GOP fringe and the grandstanding McCain were prepared to sign off on this. I'd like to hear McCain defend his tax cuts and less regulation tonight on TV. Please educate us on how that will help because it sure isn't obvious.

- Two oversight boards would be formed—one with congressional representation, another would have the power to undo decisions by the Treasury Secretary.

- The Treasury Secretary would be prohibited from acting in an arbitrary or capricious manner or any way inconsistent with existing law.

- Regular, detailed reports would be made to Congress disclosing exercise of the Treasury Secretary's authority.

- An independent inspector general would be set up to monitor the use of the Treasury Secretary's authority.

- The Government Accountability Office would be required to perform audits to ensure proper use of funds, appropriate internal controls, and to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.

- Maximize and coordinate efforts to modify mortgages for homeowners at risk of foreclosure.

- Loan modifications would be required for mortgages owned or controlled by the federal government.

- A percentage of future profits from the bailout fund would be made available to the Affordable Housing Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund to meet America's housing needs.

Read the rest of this post...

Former AIG CEO to sell $1 billion worth of stock after bailout

OK, now this is what pisses off everyone with the bailout. The government propped up AIG and now the former CEO (who is still being charged with fraud dating back to his days at AIG) Maurice Greenberg is selling his shares which are currently valued at $3.02 per share for a cool billion dollars. Maybe it's not too late to include something in the AIG bailout that prevents such profiteering after a bailout? Let taxpayers get their money back first and then let sleazy CEOs like Greenberg to get paid later. Again, it is very questionable whether the American government will ever see the bailout money back from AIG no matter how many people talk about 12% interest returns. Talk it up after we get the initial investment back and then tell me about profits.

Too bad McCain's last second addition had nothing to do with such payouts, but was focused on creating the problems that led to this crisis in the first place. It wouldn't surprise me if McCain's tax cut addition would benefit Greenberg as he cashes in. After all, he certainly benefited from less regulation. Read the rest of this post...

McCain's own crisis

Tome Toles, Washington Post. Read the rest of this post...

So McCain wants to inject "less regulation and tax cuts"?

Has John McCain completely lost his mind or is he just confused again? Tax cuts and less regulation? Didn't he tell us he was going to change his 26 year record in Washington and support better regulations or was that only for the TV cameras last week? Which is it going to be? Regulations or no regulations? I would say less, but hell, they're hardly there so how much more can you cut and why would you want less?

Nobody dislikes this bailout more than I do, but let's be serious, something has to be done and McCain's plan is about as far out as they come. It's worse than far it, it's what helped usher in this disaster in the first place. McCain sounds like Mr Whiner himself, Phil Gramm, when he promotes such a bizarre proposal. If McCain had insisted on taxpayers receiving their fair share of any upside at the end of this crisis, sure, that would make sense. But more handouts and a banking lobbyists dream list? Wow, that's just nuts.

Now more than ever, we need a debate. McCain needs to defend his craziness and tell Americans why and how more tax cuts and less regulation (as he has been suggesting all along, except for last week) is going to help our current economic crisis. Read the rest of this post...

Even in these tough times, there will always be chocolate

It's for your heart, you know.

A small square of dark chocolate daily protects the heart from inflammation and subsequent heart disease, a new study of Italians suggests. Milk chocolate might not do the job.

However, this guilty pleasure has a limit.

Specifically, only 6.7 grams of chocolate per day (or 0.23 ounces) represents the ideal amount, according to results from the Moli-sani Project, one of the largest health studies ever conducted in Europe. For comparison, a standard-sized Hershey's kiss is about 4.5 grams (though they are not made of dark chocolate) and one Hershey's dark chocolate bar is about 41 grams (so a recommendation might be one of those weekly).

Hershey's is terrible and not made of much chocolate so go find some real chocolate and do your heart a favor. Read the rest of this post...

Wash Post: Palin Accepted $25,000 in Gifts, Alaska Records Show

I understand that from her kitchen window you can see hypocrisy. From the Wash Post:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who has made a crackdown on gift-giving to state officials a centerpiece of her ethics reform agenda, has accepted gifts valued at $25,367 from industry executives, municipalities and a cultural center whose board includes officials from some of the largest mining interests in the state, a review of state records shows.

The 41 gifts Palin accepted during her 20 months as governor include honorific tributes, expensive artwork and free travel for a family member. They also include more than $2,500 in personal items from Calista, a large Alaska native corporation with a variety of pending state regulatory and budgetary issues, and a gold-nugget pin valued at $1,200 from the city of Nome, which lobbies on municipal, local and capital budget matters, documents show.

About a quarter of the entities bestowing gifts on the governor are represented by one of Alaska's most influential mining lobbyists, who said in an interview that she was not involved in the tributes. The lobbyist, Wendy Chamberlain, has a relationship with the governor's family through the friendship of their teenage daughters.

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GOP strategist: House Republicans are putting party first, to hell with the country

Sam Stein at Huff Post:

"At the end of the day, there's a lot of people thinking about how to rebuild this party," said strategist Ed Rollins on CNN, "and do we want to rebuild it with John McCain, who's always kind of questionable on the basic facts of fiscal control, all the rest of it, immigration. And I think to a certain extent this 110, 115 members of this study group are saying, here's the time to draw the line in the sand."

"That's pretty scary stuff that they're thinking about party right now and not country, is that what you're saying?" responded host Anderson Cooper.

"I think they're, yes, they're thinking about themselves," said Rollins. "I think they don't think that the threat is as great as a lot of other people do."

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