David Corn

Biden Wins Debate [?]

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/bidenpalin

once again it is all about putting israel first and ignoring the more than a million iraqis that have died as a result of U.S. aggression.
gosh i am so proud to be an american right now!

""and attack the person topping the other ticket""

ya, that seems to be the politics du jour.
"oops i am not quite the pillar of the community that i would like to pretend that i am but hey my opponent is even less of a pillar of the community. - vote for me!"

Meanwhile, back in Anchorage...

"Judge refuses to halt Troopergate probe"

Anchorage Daily News
Published: October 2nd, 2008

"An Anchorage judge today refused to halt the Legislature's investigation of Gov. Sarah Palin and denied the state attorney general's attempt to throw out legislative subpoenas."

http://www.adn.com/palin/story/543892.html

WIPEOUT!! -------- - Biden THRASHES Palin - ---- By 2 to 1 Margin ---- (NOW w/ Eye Candy)

http://tinyurl.com/4aeh57

*****

I didn't watch any of it but it is interesting to see the vast disconnect between the punditry, the inside the beltway brain truss and the people that watched it.

I wonder if the polls will swing for the bleachers for McCain now?

"But Palin clearly had stopped her free-fall"

I wonder if that is projecting? The newest meme?

Where did ya hear THAT?

Is it supprted by any facts, polls, focus groups or just one opinion?

"Not only was there no debate but Sarah Palin was not required actually to answer any of the questions put to her, and she announced before she began that she was just going to throw up on us all the talking points that she had binged on in Arizonafor the past few days.

She mugged for the camera, winked like a bar fly, and just went on talking and talking and talking, oblivious to whatever anyone else said. Not only did she ignore most of Gwen Ifill's questions,she paid no attention to what Joe Biden said. When he choked up over the loss of his family, she did not have the decency to express any kind of condolences. It is almost as though she is autistic and unable to connect with human beings."

Juan Cole

I wonder if the Couric interview will be pulled down from the youtubes or will it get more and more play?

Maybe "Say Goodbye to Sarah Palin Reality TV" is more well wishing than factual?

Hmmmm

I’ve been reading all over and have yet to hear even one of her supporters say she looked, sounded, or seemed presidential?

Did she give the impression she could wink her way into sound governance from the seat in the oval office? Does anybody feel she could “folksy” her way around Putin or any international crisis?

Nielsen: Biden Scores Big On Iraq, Palin's "White Flag Of Surrender" Tanks

According to a Nielsen focus group of undecided voters in Las Vegas, one of Joe Biden's best moments of the debate -- when he talked about ending the war in Iraq -- was also one of Sarah Palin's worst, when she accused Biden of waving "the white flag of surrender" in Iraq.

Watch as the dial meter soars for Biden, and plunges for Palin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjEMVwWZpl8

The Nielsen group results were broadcast on CBS. CNN's dial meter also yielded the same results.

(huffpo)

CNN's poll just came in, of all debate watchers, MoE 4%.

Who did the best job in the debate?

Biden 51
Palin 36

Did Biden do better or worse than you expected?

Better 64
Worse 14
Same 20

Did Palin do better or worse than you expected?

Better 84
Worse 7
Same 8

Is Palin qualified to serve as president?

Yes
Before debate: 42
After debate: 46

No
Before debate: 54
After debate: 53

http://tinyurl.com/3jhrnw

Shuuurrrrre...The candidate from Icehockystan "stopped her freefall"...

Until she gets back into a one-one one interview. (which WON'T happen)

Until the next nonsensical babble of disjointed Repugnicon talking points erupts.

When we send her back to Alaska, she'll be lucky if they haven't melted her igloo.

-T

I can still see the end of her career from my house!

This says it all about McCain's character...

MAKE BELIEVE MAVERICK

Walking along the grounds at Fort McNair, McCain runs into John Dramesi, an Air Force lieutenant colonel who was also imprisoned and tortured in Vietnam....

On the grounds between the two brick colleges, the chitchat between the scion of four-star admirals and the son of a prizefighter turns to their academic travels; both colleges sponsor a trip abroad for young officers to network with military and political leaders in a distant corner of the globe.

"I'm going to the Middle East," Dramesi says. "Turkey, Kuwait, Lebanon, Iran."

"Why are you going to the Middle East?" McCain asks, dismissively.

"It's a place we're probably going to have some problems," Dramesi says.

"Why? Where are you going to, John?"

"Oh, I'm going to Rio."

"What the hell are you going to Rio for?"

McCain, a married father of three, shrugs.

"I got a better chance of getting laid."

Dramesi, who went on to serve as chief war planner for U.S. Air Forces in Europe and commander of a wing of the Strategic Air Command, was not surprised. "McCain says his life changed while he was in Vietnam, and he is now a different man," Dramesi says today. "But he's still the undisciplined, spoiled brat that he was when he went in."

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain

Good Morning Flan!

Good post!

I still content that Roger Ailes will sign her up for a job in Faux News Service as the voice of the Hockey Moms of America. She could start as soon as she is recalled in Alsaka.

Palin's good for a laugh but I think it's a mistake to dismiss Palin's performance, even if it was vacuous.

The fact is, the VP debate wasn't the train wreck (or NASCAR pile up) most people were predicting. And while Biden was great, the story of the debate has become, "Palin didn't screw up".

Sure, she might have dodged every question put to her and reverted to talking points, but like it or not that was smart strategy, given her apparent mental faculties....

Interesting clip here shows a media coach talking about the debate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4vDcnAahAk

He describes Palin's "bridging" - seamlessly jumping from the question to the rehearsed talking points.

We've all seen it and it's frustrating but works for most viewers!

There must have been some heavy coaching this week! As well as managing down expectations of Palin's ability...

Anyway - it allowed Palin to survive and shine (depending on who you ask) as the folksy, fundie, hockey/soccer/whatever mom that the right love to love.

I still haven't heard the word "presidential" or "judgment" to describe Palin.

Lacking those - she is as worthless to McCain as an anchor hung around his neck.

Dragging him down.

More Couric interview on the tubes - she says Cheney shooting his friend in the face was a mistake? I guess that is insightful?

If the election were held TODAY:

Probability of Win: McCain 4.7% Obama 95.0%
Expected EV's : McCain 213.6 Obama 324.4

http://election-projection.net/

Even though McCain Camp successfully neutered Gwen Ifil by a predebate attack on her credibility, we should not be fooled by Palin’s Acting/sparring abilities (although she had her Notes with her, Isn't That Like Cheating?) to sucessfully weave and bob and her canny ability not to answer questions she does not like in contradiction to her also not being able to intelligently answer complex questions on the spot! It seems as if she feels the American people have no need to be given intelligent, thoughtful answers to the pressing questions of today, and that we would rather be winked at and called hockey moms and Joe Sixpacks while our economy is in ruins! We need our candidates to present truth, not lies and talking points of lies which have nothing to do with reality. We have been lied too enough in this country. We need leaders who are of high moral character and who believe their word is thier bond.

*******************************************************************

Starting to question McCain’s mental fitness

McCain’s interviews have become increasingly angry, hostile and unhinged. He seems to be on the verge of some kind of mental collapse. A big part of McCain’s erratic behavior is due to Obama having gotten deep, deep, deep inside his head. If McCain’s brain was x-rayed, it would reveal Obama sitting comfortably upon McCain’s cerebral peduncles. But, it is more than that. I believe McCain’s increasing instability is being caused by the stress of the campaign and his 72 year old body not being able to get the rest that it requires to function properly. That isn’t ageism—that is a simple fact of life. I wondered how McCain, being in advanced years, would respond under the grueling pace of a general election. I think we are all beginning to find out and it really isn’t a pretty site. He is on the verge of some kind of mental collapse.

http://www.progressivedailybeacon.com/?p=1986

So maybe Palin is a diversion and there's something else that should have our attention.

McCain needs something to boost his sagging 72 year old polls. Another Osama tape? An attack on the New York Subway system? Community Action Volunteers for Truth? An Obama White baby?

Mrs01 says that McCain never seems really serious about winning. And now it's October.

She can make regular appearances on Fox News while still remaining governor. Whether she gets paid or not depends on the vagaries of Alaska law -- but that's not the point.

[Assuming her ticket loses, of course] Sarah Palin will be on Fox News, starting before Inauguration Day. Her debate performance was less about John McCain than establishing her as a credible candidate in 2012.

Constant exposure on Fox will help.

I don't think I could stand another 4 years of hearing the world nuclear being mispronounced!! Everytime she said "nucular" last night, I wanted to smash the TV!

The American people are concerned about issues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCdf1dQ6Gso

*****

Issues? People really care about issues this time? If they do McCain is toast (day old toast at that)

McMelba?

Palin Criticizes McCain Decision on Michigan

In an interview with Fox News, Gov. Sarah Palin criticized Sen. John McCain's decision "to pull campaign resources out of Michigan, saying she and her husband Todd would 'be happy' to campaign in the economically distraught battleground state."

Palin said that when she read the news, she "fired off a quick e-mail and said, 'Oh come on, do we have to?'"

http://tinyurl.com/3znafk

Being in Michigan I would say yes, you have to.

We have enough problems, we don't need you, Todd, or your Moose Stew with Moss and Bark.

Michigan for Obama Michi-gone for McCain!

Woo Hoo!

Factcheckers going over Palin's debate answers . . .

Could find any facts!

I think we need "talking points checkers?"

Um, could NOT find any facts -

Obama on bailout: "This is not a moment for celebration"

Below is a statement from Senator Obama on the Passage of the Emergency Rescue Plan:

“America is facing one of the greatest financial crises in history, and today’s passage of an emergency rescue plan was absolutely necessary to prevent an economic catastrophe that could have cost millions of jobs and forced businesses across the country into bankruptcy.

“I’m glad that Democrats and Republicans put aside their differences, came together, and took this step. I am also grateful to the House Democrats I personally spoke with who supported this rescue plan. While the Administration initially asked for a blank check to solve this problem, over the last few weeks we were able to include important taxpayer protections to prevent golden parachutes for CEOs, provide independent oversight, help struggling homeowners, and ensure that taxpayers get their money back when the economy recovers.

“Now we must ensure that this Administration uses the authority it has been given wisely and in a way that protects American taxpayers. We also must do more than this rescue package does to help homeowners stay in their homes. And while we will all hope that this rescue package succeeds, we should be prepared to take more vigorous actions in the months ahead to rebuild capital if necessary.

“This is not a moment for celebration, but a sobering day when we found out that three-quarters of a million jobs were lost just this year. Passing this rescue plan cannot be the end of our work to strengthen our economy – it must be the beginning.

“I call on Congress to pass an emergency plan for the middle-class that will help folks cope with rising food and gas prices, save one million jobs by rebuilding our schools and roads, and help states and cities avoid budget cuts and tax increases. It’s a plan that should extend expiring unemployment benefits for those Americans who’ve lost their jobs and cannot find new ones.

“I will also continue to lay out the clear choice in this election between myself and Senator McCain: four more years of policies that have killed jobs and devastated our middle-class, our a change in Washington that will provide tax relief to 95% of workers and create millions of new jobs by investing in clean, renewable energy. It is time to end the era of greed and irresponsibility in Washington and on Wall Street so that we can come together and restore American prosperity from the bottom-up,” said Senator Barack Obama.

capt --- You must have a TALL house!

"rescue plan"
as if!

give $900 billion or so of the taxpayers' money to the banks so they can turn around and loan it back to the taxpayers!

Biden dominated in this debate and Palin's responses were so shallow as to be pathetic. You can't say she did okay just because she managed to not fall off the stage.

A smile and a wink does not a good VP make.

Lobbyist Hired by Freddie Mac to Work on McCain Is Now Senator's Aide

When mortgage giant Freddie Mac feared several years ago that Sen. John McCain was too outspoken on the issue of executive pay, it pinpointed a lobbyist known for his closeness to McCain and hired him to work with the senator.

http://tinyurl.com/4a2wqf

__________

PALIN: Yes, I would have. But here, again, there have -- there have been so many changes in the conditions of our economy in just even these past weeks that there has been more and more revelation made aware now to Americans about the corruption and the greed on Wall Street.

We need to look back, even two years ago, and we need to be appreciative of John McCain's call for reform with Fannie Mae, with Freddie Mac, with the mortgage-lenders, too, who were starting to really kind of rear that head of abuse.

*****

Sarah is as full of it as McCain. Good at lying is not quality of character.

Obama 338 McCain 185 Ties 15

Dem pickups (vs. 2004): CO FL IA NV NM OH VA
GOP pickups (vs. 2004): (None)

10/03/04:

Kerry 238 Bush 296

http://electoral-vote.com/

Obama 333.2 McCain 204.8

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/

Elite pundits think Americans are morons

There’s a lot of head-scratching going on right now in Pundit Land. How, these Great Oracles of the print and broadcast media wonder, could the American public have failed to fall head over heels in love with Sarah Palin in the vice presidential debate? After all, she managed to get through an entire 90 minute debate without once saying — “duhhh!” And by definition, this makes her brilliant, right?

Yet, standing in the way of this obvious wisdom are all of those annoying snap polls and focus groups that pretty clearly prove most Americans believe that it was Joe Biden, not Palin, who won the debate.

But surely (the pundits wail) this can’t be right: viewers must have noticed that Palin only seemed hopelessly confused a few times: She was magnificent!

http://www.lastchancedemocracycafe.com/?p=1474

http://debate.palinanswers.com/

and

http://palinanswers.com/

capt --- I guess the pundits are not so elite after all.

"I guess the pundits are not so elite after all."

Clearly, not as elite as Obama!

I am very curious about a Palin subject. What would happen to me if I and my husband and friends or employees refused a judges supena? Why does she and her husband and aides have the right to do what I cannot do? Any lawyer out there?

"For Sarah Palin, Thursday's night’s debate was an open-book exam. She spent much of the evening methodically reading and rehearsing answers from “carefully scripted talking points.” Palin’s notes were largely hidden from plain view, resting behind the lectern where she stood. Because the cable and network television stations did not show a split screen of the debate, most viewers could not see that, during Joe Biden’s answers, Palin spent almost all her time looking down and studiously reading her notes. But viewers did see that when Palin delivered her answers, she would repeatedly glance down to check her talking points. ThinkProgress has compiled a video documenting some of the instances where it was clear to the audience that Palin was propped up by written responses. Watch a video compilation." (See Sarah Palin can Read!)

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/03/palin-can-read/

Goldman Sachs Bribed Senate To Pass Bailout Bill

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek7zc0lJxbM

GOLDMAN SACHS CONTRIBUTIONS:

Obama, Barack (D-IL) $691,930

Clinton, Hillary (D-NY) $468,200

Romney, Mitt (R) $229,675

McCain, John (R-AZ) $208,395

Himes, Jim (D-CT) $114,748

Giuliani, Rudolph W (R) $111,750

etc.

One Month To Victory

Bill Maher had a funny line on Real Time:

"The good news is that Sarah Palin can complete a sentence...the bad news is that we have to listen to it."

http://www.jedreport.com/

They Must Know They Are Screwed

Just take a look at their home page, which blares "Governor Palin proved beyond any doubt that she is ready to lead as Vice President."

Consider:

1. They couldn't bring themselves to declare victory, instead settling for a highly defensive proclamation that she is ready to be VPOTUS; and

2. They couldn't bring themselves to say she was qualfied to be President of the United States.

Here's what the home page looks like, with the key part highlighted:

http://tinyurl.com/3t7hdk

******

President Palin? Even her camp can't bring themselves to say it or print it.

GOP Strategists Whisper Fears Of Greater Losses in November

With the party already struggling to generate enthusiasm for its brand, Republican strategists fear that an outpouring of public anger generated by Congress's struggle to pass a rescue package for the financial industry may contribute to a disaster at the polls for the GOP in November.

http://tinyurl.com/3hy7k9

*****

Funny the GOP looks for reasons - any reason except the failed ideology that has been wrecking this country since the '80's.

If the BS bail-out is why they will lose and lose big, what explains the poor showing before the "Bail out?"

Until they can face reality - we will be winning.

The Daily Show - Jon Stewart

Clusterf#@k to the Poor House - Bailout Bill Passes

The Senate is very proud to have done the work they're supposed to do all the time.

http://tinyurl.com/4wj2ez

*****

Always funny!

http://bobgeiger.blogspot.com/2008/10/saturday-cartoons.html

None better!

So much time spent on commenting about someone who you think is incopetent and unworthy. Palin scares all of you or you would not even blogging about her. At least have the gonads to admit she has as much, if not more, than Hillary. Which is to say equal to you liberals.

Which is to say equal to you Liberal males!

Grow some or wither away.

I would take a Palin/Hillary ticket over an Obama/McCain ticket any day.

How is that from a conservative? The best female candidates for President have more balls than the males. Both of them are wimps and unworthey of being president, not to mention the zombie eyed Biden.

SNL VP Debate:

Not surprisingly, Tina Fey is back as Sarah Palin in tonight's SNL. Here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nfd4r6l4Fc

Uh-oh... photos surface of Obama's radical past

http://tinyurl.com/3qtyr3

Obama Will Preempt McCain Attack Ads

"Branding his opponent as 'erratic in a crisis,' Sen. Barack Obama is preempting plans by Sen. John McCain to portray him as having sinister connections to controversial Chicagoans," according to Politico.

"Obama officials call it political jujitsu -- turning the attacks back on the attacker."

http://tinyurl.com/43et7w

*****

I don't see more negative ads helping the voters to feel better about McCain. Maybe it will work and the trendlines can be reversed. Time is getting short.

Obama 329 McCain 194 Ties 15

Dem pickups (vs. 2004): FL IA NV NM OH VA
GOP pickups (vs. 2004): (None)

10/05/04:

Kerry 238 Bush 296

http://electoral-vote.com/

palin is a religious extremist and a moron.
she believes that the earth is 6000 years old and that humans co-existed with dinosaurs.
and we don't need a VP who flirts her way thru a debate by seductively licking her teeth, winking and generally behaving like a Hooters waitress looking for a tip.

ALL of the candidates are zionist bastards who will continue to put israel first - just like every U.S. president and congress has done.
the american people are already fucked either way. how is THAT from a conservative?

Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup

When it comes to leadership, this week proved we are living in a moment of mediocrities -- a long moment. Sarah Palin, wearing her ignorance like a beauty pageant tiara, was "annoyed" that she was asked actual questions by Katie Couric. George Bush looked the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression square in the eye...and threw up his hands. Congress stepped into the leadership void and promptly created another one. And the less said about Alberto Gonzales' week, the better. Desperate times cry out for exceptional leaders. It's not a matter of stratospheric SAT scores or Mensa-level IQs. What we need is the one thing in short supply: wisdom. It's in our DNA to fear the evil genius. But we still have to be trained to recognize the dangers of the clueless mediocrity.

"palin is a religious extremist and a moron."

Some people think that is a plus?

Think "Bush supporters?"

lololo

Ifill: Palin "Blew Me Off"

On "Meet the Press" Sunday morning, vice presidential debate moderator Gwen Ifill said Palin "more than ignored" some of her questions -- she "blew me off." She added that Palin decided to "give a stump speech" instead of a debate, and that there's "little a moderator can do" to stop that. Watch:

http://tinyurl.com/4cenv5

Is John McCain a Crook?

The controversial George W. Bush-sponsored poll in South Carolina mentioned John McCain's role in the so-called Keating Five scandal, and McCain says his involvement in the scandal "will probably be on my tombstone." What exactly did McCain do?

In early 1987, at the beginning of his first Senate term, McCain attended two meetings with federal banking regulators to discuss an investigation into Lincoln Savings and Loan, an Irvine, Calif., thrift owned by Arizona developer Charles Keating. Federal auditors were investigating Keating's banking practices, and Keating, fearful that the government would seize his S&L, sought intervention from a number of U.S. senators.

At Keating's behest, four senators--McCain and Democrats Dennis DeConcini of Arizona, Alan Cranston of California, and John Glenn of Ohio--met with Ed Gray, chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, on April 2. Those four senators and Sen. Don Riegle, D-Mich., attended a second meeting at Keating's behest on April 9 with bank regulators in San Francisco.

http://www.slate.com/id/1004633/

McCain Pals Around with Racists and Anti-Semites

Paul Begala, appearing this morning on NBC's "Meet the Press," revealed that back in the 1980s John McCain sat on the board of the extremist "U.S. Council for World Freedom" an ultra-conservative right wing organization which was affiliated with the "World Anti-communist League" which the Anti-Defamation League said "has increasingly become a gathering place, a forum, a point of contact for extremists, racists and anti-semites"

http://tinyurl.com/3msyu5

Alaska Independence Party - Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqa896wYatk

Sarah Palin and the Alaska Independence Party. Palin addresses AIP convention

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwvPNXYrIyI

Yes the above is her address to AIP in 2008.

VP Debate Pushed Undecided Voters to Obama

An Ipsos/McClatchy poll found that Gov. Sarah Palin's performance in last week's vice presidential debate actually hurt her running mate, Sen. John McCain, among undecided voters.

Before the debate, undecided voters were leaning 56% to 44% for McCain. The day after the debate, the numbers tilted 52% to 48% for Sen. Barack Obama.

Said pollster Clifford Young: "It's suggesting an overall tendency of undecideds toward Obama, so it is significant. We're catching an underlying trend that's going on."

The poll also found that Sen. Joe Biden won the debate, 54% to 46%.

http://tinyurl.com/3sq8tr

*****

Talk about the law of unintended consequences.

Why It (Probably) Won't Work

With Sarah Palin's attack yesterday on Barack Obama's patriotism and his ties to former Weather Underground ringleader William Ayers, the McCain campaign has left little doubt about in which direction it intends to head over the final month of the campaign. Namely, they're going to drive their campaign into a ditch -- and hope they can find a way to take Obama along for the ride.

It is a sad denouement for what was one to be a high-minded campaign focused around themes of honor and reform (themes that were resuscitated briefly during the Republican Convention), possibly accompanied by McCain's taking a one-term pledge. It is also, however, Mr. McCain's strategists would seem to have concluded, their only remaining hope.

http://tinyurl.com/485cyr

Did McCain Go Negative Too Early?

Last week, we noted Sen. John McCain's shift to running almost entirely negative ads.

But Marc Ambinder notes the downside: "One worry for Republicans is that McCain has already gone too negative too quickly; you never pull out the strongest punches against your opponent until the very end; it's hard to get tougher than the kindergarten ad... or over-the-top statements about Obama not being fit to lead."

http://tinyurl.com/4wjycl

*****

I keep hearing from the pundit and talking head class that negative campaigning and negative attack ads work? Well, we'll see in the next few weeks. I think people are already sick and tired of the old school crud.

Today's Polls, 10/5

Barack Obama has risen to his highest-ever level in both our electoral college and popular vote projections, principally on the strength of his commanding lead in the national tracking polls. Gallup, Rasmussen and Hotline each have Obama ahead by 7 points, and Research 2000 has him up by 12 (Battleground, which has generally had the most conservative numbers for Obama, does not publish on the weekend). Whether or not the McCain campaign's new round of attacks will have a significant impact on Obama's numbers we shall see, but they're going to have to knock him off a fairly high pedestal.

Obama 339.7 McCain 198.3

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/

CNN Truth Squad Verdict on Palin Smear: FALSE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMRON2GPXUA

Not that the truth or any facts matter to the nutcases - they will believe anything - the more outrageous the more believeable to them.

One month out, McCain taking weekends off

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14279.html

At his age he should take October off!

I'm trying to find out the rules on campaign spending. I just saw an ad for McCain sponsored by McCain for President and the RNC. Can they do that? McCain is taking public funding and the RNC is buying his air time? Anyone have a take on this?

The ad attacked all of the things that Obama will do to America, and then the last frame showed a worried McCain with a caption "Change is Coming"

In discussing the Bill Ayers attack, Mrs01 says "They're digging deep."

Despicable: McCain and Palin Revive McCarthyism

"We see America as the greatest force for good in this world, our opponent though, is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country." -- Sarah Palin

Those are the words of Sarah Palin, a candidate for Vice President of the United States and an embarrassment to herself and our country. Her presence on the Presidential ticket of John McCain demeans all Americans who understand the words truth and civility. It shows us once again that the Governor is only interested in attaining unbridled power and self-importance no matter what the cost to the dignity of the election process. Her words are lies and her lies tell us the truth: Sarah Palin is unfit to govern the United States of America.

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/contributors/1797

Palinazi

Message to Sarah.

Bill Ayers turned himself in for his role in planting bombs to stop the war. The year he turned himself in was 1980. You were 16 and Obama was 18. He was dealt with by the justice system. Obama met Ayers long after this and has also condemned his past actions.

Contrast this with 23 bombing missions by McCain on the people of North Vietnam. He was also dealt with until the war ended. McCain did admit to being the war criminal he is. Obama was 6 years old. The two have worked for the same firm for four years and have been seen in public together often. Obama has lauded McCain for his heroism (bombing civilians).

Another contemporary acquaintance of Obama has bombed a sovereign country into the stone age. This state sponsored act of terrorism began the murder and dislocation of 20% of the population, which would compare to 60 million Americans, and knocked out the lights on enough people to equate to 100 Hurricane Katrina's. He has not apologized for his actions. And no one seems to have plans to bring him to justice. Of his behavior, McCain says "More, More, More." Obama says "Enough"

And Sarah, you can read about this, or if you prefer, the movie comes out October 17th. It's called "W".

Regardless of how close some of the states are today, realclearpolitics has the no toss up states at 353 to 185. This is the challenge that McCain faces, he is way behind and he has to rise to get to 338 to 200.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/maps/obama_vs_mccain/?map=10

Unleashing his secret weapon on America is only going to BOMB.

My God, McCain is associated with a known Bomber!

Obama Campaign Greenlights Keating Five Attacks & More!

http://tinyurl.com/4jfcsb

AND

http://mccainkeatingfive.com/

Re RCP:

Real Credibility Problems

Last week, I discussed Real Clear Politics' decision to exclude the Research 2000 daily tracking poll from their national averages. After a lengthy discussion with RCP founder John McIntyre, I decided to defend them, pointing out that while RCP may have a debatable framework for deciding which polls they do or do not include, they at least appeared to have applied this framework consistently.

My gut-level takeaway from my conversation with McIntyre was somewhat different from what I represented, however. My gut-level feeling was that RCP was in fact cherry-picking those results that were to its liking, and then coming up with post-facto rationalizations to justify its decisions.

RCP made a decision yesterday that convinces me I should have trusted my gut. Specifically, it was their decision to re-include polls from American Research Group (ARG) in their state-by-state averages.

ARG had been effectively "banned" from RCP for several months now, going back to the Democratic primaries. Sometimes RCP listed ARG polls with an asterisk and did not include them in their averages; more often they didn't list them at all.

Why didn't RCP include ARG's polls in its averages? Presumably because they had an exceptionally erratic performance during this year's primaries, a performance that -- when coupled with ARG's relative lack of disclosure about its methodology -- had led RCP to conclude that their polls were not credible.

As you may know, I am not much of a fan of ARG myself. However, while ARG ranks toward the back end of our pollster ratings, so do a lot of other pollsters that RCP has no problems with.

What I do know, however, is that whatever RCP's reasons were for excluding ARG from its averages, none of those reasons should have changed over the past 48 hours. Did ARG suddenly improve its level of disclosure? No. Did their polls suddenly become more accurate? How could they, when we haven't had any elections to evaluate them.

No. The only thing that changed is that ARG released a set of three polls yesterday that had considerably more favorable numbers for John McCain than other contemporaneous polls of those states. In each of those states -- North Carolina, Virginia, Nevada -- ARG is presently the outlier on the John McCain side (tied with Mason-Dixon in the case of Virginia). RCP did not feel any compulsion to include ARG's numbers when ARG cycled through all 50 states a couple of weeks ago (including many where there has been very little polling). Only when ARG released this gravity-defying set of polling in Virginia and North Carolina and Nevada did RCP suddenly have a change of heart.

This is not RCP's sole problem with consistency. Take a look, for example, at which polls they presently include in their averages for Virginia:

You'll see three polls -- SurveyUSA, Mason-Dixon, and ABC/Post -- that were conducted at essentially the same time. The ABC/Post poll was in the field from the 18th to the 21st, Mason-Dixon from the 17th to the 22nd, and SurveyUSA from the 19th to the 21st. And yet, the Mason-Dixon and ABC/Post polls are included in its average whereas SurveyUSA is not. Guess which one had the strongest numbers for Obama?

A similar example from Minnesota. The Star-Tribune conducted polling from September 10th through September 12th; SurveyUSA conducted polling from September 10th to September 11th. The Star-Tribune poll, which shows a tie, is included; the SurveyUSA poll, which showed Obama ahead by 2, is not.

As long as we're having fun with this, how about Alaska? Anchorage-based pollster Ivan Moore had released a poll in July, then showing just a 3-point race between McCain and Obama. We included it, Pollster.com included it, and RCP did not. But then last month, when the same firm released a fresh poll showing the profound effect that Sarah Palin had on the race (McCain +19), RCP decided they were a worthy pollster.

Or how about North Carolina Senate? RCP presently includes two weeks-old polls from SurveyUSA and Research 2000, whch had shown Elizabeth Dole with a solid lead in her race against Kay Hagan. But they didn't bother to include more recent polls from Elon and Civitas, which show the race essentially tied.

Why is one of Mitch McConnell's internal polls included in their Kentucky Senate averages?

Why, a week or so ago, did RCP include a poll from the Marketing Resource Group of Lansing, Michigan, which the Detroit News describes as a "Republican consulting firm", while excluding a Nevada poll that came out on the same day from Project New West, a Democratic strategy firm? Might it have had anything to do with the fact that the Michigan poll showed McCain ahead -- and the Nevada poll showed him behind?

Look -- I'm not going to tell you that my site is completely devoid of spin. I am a Democrat, and I see the world through a Democratic lens. But what I can promise you is that we'll keep the spin separate from our metrics. The spin is a side dish, which you can choose to consume or ignore.

Unfortunately, that is not a choice you have at RCP. Their partisan leaning is infused into their numbers. If RCP disclosed their methodology -- articulated their rationale for excluding or including certain polls -- I would give them the benefit of the doubt. But they do not, so I do not.

You do, however, have a number of good alternatives in the marketplace. So here is a recipe for RCP detox.

For polling averages, you can of course look here. But otherwise, I would recommend Pollster.com. Pollster.com has the most unbiased standard imaginable: they simply include every poll.

For content aggregation, I would recommend Memeorandum or PoliticsHome, each of whom refresh their material on a 24/7 basis.

We're not asking that you go cold turkey. Do bookmark and continue to read Jay Cost at RCP, who is an outstanding analyst.

Full disclosure: RCP is a competitor, so I have every incentive to tell you this. (I'm pretty sure they see me as a competitor too, as I don't think they've linked to me in about a month). But the fact is that there's not an exceptionally high degree of difficulty in simply collecting a bunch of polls and averaging them together. There's no excuse not to do it right.

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/09/real-credibility-problems.html

RCP Follow-Up

I just concluded a long, and understandably fairly contentious phone conversation with John McIntyre of Real Clear Politics.

John strongly disputes the notion that he is cherry-picking polls to achieve a particular partisan result (pro-GOP or otherwise).

It is clear to me that there is substantial subjectivity in how RCP selects the polls to include in its averages. RCP does not publish an FAQ, or any other set of standards. Nor, in my conversation with John, was he willing to articulate one. In my view, the fact that RCP does not disclose a set of standards means ipso facto that they are making judgment calls -- that there is some subjectivity involved -- in how their polls are selected.

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/10/rcp-follow-up.html

*****

Nate and Sean at fiverthirtyeight.com are Obama supporters - they make no bones about it. They are good enough with the numbers to nail others like RCP. I stopped using RCP when they were tauting the "popular vote" in the primary between HRC and BHO as if it mattered. They were not honest about the race or the numbers then.

FWIW

When reporters first asked McCain about Charles Keating, McCain called them 'liars'

Let's not forget, John McCain was involved in the Keating Five scandal when he was 54 years old. Barack Obama is 47. That means McCain was 7 years OLDER than Obama when he had his Keating Five ethics scandal. That's not a youthful indiscretion. That's a man ten years from retirement age who's doing some pretty unethical things, showing that he has some pretty bad character flaws.

Joe and I will be exploring the Keating Five Scandal all week, and then some. John McCain likes to talk about his character. So let's talk about it. Remember, he was 54 years old when he got himself into this unethical mess.

http://tinyurl.com/43y2c3

*****

58 is a long time ago to McCain.