CQ Politics' Web Picks

Wall Street Journal: Democrats Vie to Shape an Obama Legislative Agenda

Democrats inside Sen. Barack Obama's circle of advisers and on Capitol Hill are jockeying even before Election Day to shape an Obama administration's legislative agenda and define "Obamanomics," a concept he himself has left vague over the campaign.

Knowledge at Wharton: On Energy Issues, Candidates' Funding Priorities are Fueling the Debate

The energy proposals of John McCain and Barack Obama are more alike than their campaign rhetoric suggests. Both offer to reduce global warming with a cap-and-trade program, "clean coal" technology and expanded use of wind and other renewable energy. But no matter who wins, energy prices are likely to climb.

Washington Post: Obamavision - An Appeal to the Masses

Barack Obama fired the final salvo in the great battle of images that is the 2008 presidential campaign last night with a half-hour, multimillion-dollar television infomercial that could be considered not the "feel-good" but rather the "feel-better" movie of the year.

Los Angeles Times: Vote Watchdogs Warn of Trouble on Election Day

Counting down to an election day expected to draw a record-shattering turnout, voting-rights watchdogs are sounding the alarm that a repeat of the Florida fiasco of 2000 could occur. Lawsuits are already flying in many of these states

Slate: Don't Worry, Be Happy

McCain's campaign now relies on hope more than Obama's does. They hope that the Obama organization isn't as impressive as signs suggest it is. They hope that the greater enthusiasm apparent among Democrats turns out to be less than advertised ...They hope that the public polls that show a big Obama lead are poorly designed, overstating participation by young voters and African-Americans. They hope undecided voters will all break to McCain in the end.

National Interest: Senator Congeniality

What happened to the global standing of Senator John McCain? A year ago, I found a good deal of support for the Republican senator in his bid to become the next president. What changed? Well, to start, Senator McCain had to win the nomination of a party rank-and-file who, for the most part, agreed with the direction President Bush had taken the country. As a senator from Arizona, McCain could be a critic of the administration; as a candidate, he had different priorities.

Huffington Post: ABC News Misleads on Palin Interview, Later Backtracks

The McCain campaign has been battling back against reports of tension and dissension between John McCain -- and his close circle of advisers -- and Sarah Palin. Those reports reached a new level of inflammation on Wednesday when excerpts from Palin's appearance on ABC's Good Morning America were released by ABC News as a preview. But it's plainly evident that the contentions presented in ABC's original preview of the interview just aren't borne out by the interview itself.

Politico: McCain Camp Trying to Scapegoat Palin

John McCain's campaign is looking for a scapegoat. It is looking for someone to blame if McCain loses on Tuesday. And it has decided on Sarah Palin. A "top McCain adviser" told Mike Allen of Politico that Palin is "a whack job." Maybe she is. But who chose to put this "whack job" on the ticket? Wasn't it John McCain? And wasn't it his first presidential-level decision?

Chicago Tribune: Where Does Palin Go From Here?

To become a party leader, Palin would have to build a coalition beyond the base she's acquired since the Republican National Convention, and some campaign watchers warn that her record since the convention might prevent that from ever happening. Some suggest that Palin would have been wise to decline McCain's invitation and wait until she could run a campaign on her own terms.

Daily Beast: Tarheel Madness

A one-time Senate candidate, Jim Neal, on how politics replaced basketball in North Carolina--and Elizabeth Dole's strange demise. He writes:"Florence Nightingale unleashed her fangs yesterday. The Dole campaign lit up the airways with a stinging commercial suggesting that Democrat challenger Kay Hagan was other-than Godly."

Anchorage Daily News: Rally Welcomes Stevens Home

The crowd at his Anchorage rally seemed to harbor little doubt that Stevens, who showed flashes of both humility and defiance, would beat his challengers. There was undisguised hostility toward the federal government and the FBI at the Stevens event, with people wearing T-shirts that said "F*#@ the feds, vote for Ted."

Mental Floss: Ten Things You Didn't Know About Colin Powell

Colin Powell is a guy you hear about a lot politically, but it seems like most of us don't know much about him personally. Turns out he's pretty fascinating, and he has a great sense of humor. If you've got a little time to kill, check out this interview with Larry King. It takes a while to get to the funny stuff, but near the bottom he swears that he TiVos Larry King every night and calls Larry a Luddite (Larry: "What's a Luddite?") in the same breath.