Op-Ed Contributor
A Prisoner’s Mind
By LEO THORSNESSIn war, wisdom stops you from crossing the line from courage to brutality. Wisdom is needed to avoid entering a war not in the national interest, while not hesitating to defend America’s liberty.

September 14, 2008 Op-Ed Columnist
Bering Straight Talk
By MAUREEN DOWDAn Arctic blast of action has swept into the 2008 presidential race, making thinking passé. Presidential candidates don’t really need to think; just intimidate.

September 14, 2008 The Public Editor
Getting Past the Formalities
By CLARK HOYTUsing Barack Obama’s middle name, Hussein, and referring to Sarah Palin as Ms. instead of Mrs. is rooted in newsroom tradition and has nothing to do with politics.

September 14, 2008 The Medium
Facebook Politics?
By VIRGINIA HEFFERNANThe completely serious (or maybe utterly pointless) activity on a John McCain Web page.

September 14, 2008
Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes
By JO BECKER, PETER S. GOODMAN and MICHAEL POWELLGov. Sarah Palin’s visceral style and tendency to attack critics contrast with her public image, her record shows.

September 14, 2008 Everybodys Business
Where to Direct All That Rage
By BEN STEINWashington is not the problem. Human nature is the problem, and that’s going to be a tough nut to crack. That’s the machine to rage against.

September 14, 2008 Op-Ed Columnist
Making America Stupid
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMANUnless we make America the country most able to innovate, compete and win in the age of globalization, our leverage in the world will continue to slowly erode.

September 14, 2008 Editorial
Consumer Protection
If the presidential candidates really want to help the ordinary American, they must get behind credit reform.

September 14, 2008 The Way Live Now
Retro Identity Politics
By MATT BAIThe return (sort of) of race and gender.

September 14, 2008
Cautious Campaigning in Shadow of Storm
By JEFF ZELENY and MONICA DAVEYWhile Barack Obama pared back his campaigning because of the hurricane, his criticism of John McCain reflected the new urgency of the contest.

September 14, 2008 Op-Ed Contributors

Portraying McCain as a Man of the Past
By JEFF ZELENYAn evaluation of a new 30-second advertisement for Senator Barack Obama.

September 13, 2008 The Ad Campaign
A Sharp Attack on Obama
By LARRY ROHTERAn evaluation of a new advertisement for the Republican ticket of Senator John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin.

September 13, 2008 Op-Ed Columnist
She’s Not Ready
By BOB HERBERTWith Gov. Sarah Palin, it’s not about agreeing or disagreeing with her on the issues. It is that she doesn’t appear to understand the important issues.

September 13, 2008

The Loneliness of the Blue-State Conservative
Judy Gruen
Hours after I slapped a McCain bumper sticker on my car, somebody tore it off in the parking lot of a local courthouse. I laughed when I thought that whoever had done it probably claims to support "diversity." More

Palin's Experience Weapon
C. Edmund Wright
One of the strokes of genius by John McCain with the pick of Sarah Palin is how it lured the Obama Campaign right back into the "experience" debate. So eager to pounce on Palin's "lack of experience" compared to Senator... More

Oregon's Suicidal Approach to Health Care
Rita L. Marker
Oregon seems to have found a surefire way to lower health care costs: Tell the patient you'll pay for drugs that will end her life, but not those that would extend her life. More

More ACORN fraud (What Else is New?)
September 14, 2008
As we head toward another election, ACORN is doing what it does best: handing in phony voter registrations and facilitating election fraud. More

Powder Keg: Kurds in Iraq encroach on Arab enclaves
September 14, 2008
This is a problem that has been simmering for years and is the next big challenge for the Iraqi government. More

The all-too predictable NY Times hit piece on Palin
September 14, 2008
Is this the best the New York Times can do in a hit piece? More

Land of purple waters?
September 14, 2008
Minnesota, largely written off by the GOP as hopelessly liberal, now is a dead heat between McCain and Obama, according to a new poll. More

Insight into Candidates through their gifts to charity
September 14, 2008
Who really cares about those less fortunate than they? More

Speaking lies to power
September 14, 2008
Sometimes the people who write the law believe that they are above it. Case in point, Democrat Congressman Charles Rangel, chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee More

Obama's missing years
September 14, 2008
Now that we've had full field MRIs of Palin, her family and their pets, perhaps the media could focus on the many missing aspects of Obama's bio. More

Charlie Gibson's interview question for Obama vs. for Palin
September 14, 2008
Charlie Gibson of ABC News applied very different standards to asking questions of Barack Obama and Sarah Palin. A side-by-side comparison reveals laughable bias. More

Dehli hit with multiple bomb attacks
September 13, 2008
They're the new terrorist kids on the block and they call themselves "Indian Mujaheddin." More

Bob Herbert's dimwitted slur
September 13, 2008
Bob Herbert of the New York Times castigates the "dimwittedness" of Palin supporters while flaunting his own laziness, ignorance, and/or dishonesty. More

Rescue of Lehman in the offing - and we're not out of the woods yet
September 13, 2008
Crunch time for Lehman Bros while the other big banks on Wall Street weigh their options More

Telling the Pakistan Government to basically 'Go to hell'
September 13, 2008
Finally taking off the gloves in Pakistan while virtually ignoring their government. More

• To Blink or not to Blink - E. L. Burton

• Obama and Life - Miguel A. Guanipa

• What Europeans are Saying about Sarah Palin - Soeren Kern

• Bruce Walker's The Swastika against the Cross - Steve Cates

• Daniel J. Flynn's A Conservative History of the American Left - Judith Reisman

• Now set for publication, 'The Jewel of Medina' - David Paulin

• Paul Jacob : The unreason season
• Mary Grabar : God Told Me to Write This Column
• Jackie Gingrich Cushman : Building the Right Framework
• Debra J. Saunders : Old Enough To Fight, Old Enough To Drink
• George Will : Making Education Work
• David R. Stokes : Palin, Roosevelt, and American Originals
• Ken Connor : Keeping Religion in the Closet
• Salena Zito : Can McCain really win Pennsylvania?
• Doug Giles : You Can Put Lipstick on a Socialist—But He’s Still a Socialist
• John McCain : John McCain's Weekly Radio Address
• Amanda Carpenter : Obama Partisan Tampers with Palin Subpoena List
• Bill O'Reilly : Some Advice for Sarah Palin
• Wayne Winegarden : Bailing Out Fannie and Freddie: Short-Term Gain, Long-Term Pain
• Michael Barone : McCain Flies His Campaign Past Obama
• Charles Krauthammer : Charlie Gibson's Gaffee
• Hank Adler : Biden/Obama – Charity & Savings – Failing Grade
• Bruce Bialosky : The 95% Solution
• Dick Morris and Eileen McGann : Why She Really Scares Them
• Laura Hollis : It’s Not the Primaries Anymore…
• David Strom : Wading Into a Health Care Swamp
• Jonah Goldberg : Very Different Visions
• Rich Tucker : It's Good to Go Global
• Hugh Hewitt : Palin is Ready for Prime Time
• John McCaslin : Barry's Change
• Amanda Carpenter : How Media Judged Palin’s Interview

risis on Wall Street - Mollenkamp, Craig, Ng, & Lucchetti, Wall St. Journal
Wall Street's Perfect Storm - David Henry, Business Week
Financial Russian Roulette - Paul Krugman, New York Times
Chaos Doesn't Rule Out Recovery - Anatole Kaletsky, Times of London
Bank Meltdown Wallops Campaigns - Mike Allen, The Politico
Palin Ignites Serious Debate About Governance - Stephen Hayward, WS
The Wal-Mart Frontier - John Heilemann, New York Magazine
The GOP Plays the Victim Card - Gregory Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times
Why Feminists Hate Sarah Palin - Cathy Young, Wall Street Journal
McCain's Outraged and Outrageous Campaign - Michael Scherer, Time
Outrage at McCain's "Lies" is a Total Loser Strategy - Mickey Kaus, Slate
It's Not Just Palin -- Its the Message - Joe Trippi, JoeTrippi.com
He's Kerry; She's Reagan - John Brummett, Las Vegas Review-Journal
Obama Tried to Stall Iraq Withdrawal - Amir Taheri, New York Post
Race -- and the Race for Ohio - Walter Shapiro, Salon
Can McCain Really Win Pennsylvania? - Salena Zito, Pitt Trib-Review
How Will Black Americans React If Obama Loses? - Randall Kennedy, WP
RCP Blog: Obama Ad: Honor | Reax to Wall St. | SNL Treatment | AM Rpt
Editorials

Political News & Analysis
McCain Team Hustles Amid Rising Interest - Wall Street Journal
Obama Raises $66m in August - New York Times
Familiar Ground May Decide Election - Washington Post
Biden's 'Bush 44' Speech to Hit McCain Hard - The Politico

Transcripts & Speeches


Guests: Lt. Gov. Parnell & Fmr. Gov. Knowles - Fox News Sunday
Govs. Pawlenty and Richardson - Late Edition
Guests: Gov. Napolitano, Sen. Hutchison (PDF) - Face the Nation
Guests: Sen. Schumer and Rudy Giuliani - Meet the Press
John McCain's September 13 Radio Address - John McCain

Best of the Blogs
McCain's Second Life - Alex Massie, Debatable Land
Is New York in Play? - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
It's 3am on Wall Street - Howard Wolfson, The Flack
What a Community Organizer Does - Don Surber
Replacing Biden with Hillary Makes Sense - Andy Ostroy, Huffington Post

Editorials
Nightmare on Wall Street - The Economist
Wall Street Reckoning - Wall Street Journal
Rangel Should Step Aside For Now - New York Times
Latin American Saber-Rattling - Los Angeles Times

Media Cooking the Books on Palin
Cecil Turner
The breathless accounts of Mayor Palin banning books in Wasilla are based on disputed versions of two meetings, and almost certainly overblown. More

Bill Moyers' Fights Conservative Talk Radio on PBS
Peter Barry Chowka
In his weekly prime time national taxpayer-supported PBS show on September 12, 2008, left wing icon Bill Moyers targeted talk radio -- and not for the first time. More

Ten Tips for Obama
Randall Hoven
Senator Obama, the latest news is that this presidential election is close, that there is, ahem, some possibility that you might, er, lose. I offer you some tips to keep your campaign on track. More

Obama and sex ed for kids
September 15, 2008
Aided and abetted by his allies in the media and elsewhere, Obama is claiming that the McCain camp is lying about his bill to bring sex education to kindergartners. Really? More

Dumb, Dumber, Whoopi
September 15, 2008
Watching The View discuss politics is like watching the Mad Hatter's tea party. More

Interview with Andrew Klavan
September 15, 2008
The National Review website has posted an extraordinarily profound interview with the novelist and writer Andrew Klavan where he discusses America's cultural war. More

Obama's embellished resume?
September 14, 2008
A claimed witness with an alternative version of Barack Obama's "Wall Street" job after Columbia University has emerged. More

Obama's mentor at Occidental College speaks
September 14, 2008
Lawrence Goldyn, Barack Obama's mentor during his freshman and sophomore years at Occidental College, speaks out about the young Obama in an interview More

More Rangel Scandals
September 14, 2008
Three scandals and you're out? More

Alaska, the 'welfare state'
September 14, 2008
Alaska "is essentially a welfare state taking money from the federal government," the fiercely partisan Paul Begala fumed on CNN More

McCain-Palin seeing a 'Gibson Bounce'?
September 14, 2008
Could it be that the McCain-Palin ticket is seeing a "Charlie Gibson bounce" in their poll numbers? Perhaps. More

States restore voting rights to ex-convicts (updated)
September 14, 2008
An injustice is being righted. Or maybe not. More

More ACORN fraud (What Else is New?)
September 14, 2008
As we head toward another election, ACORN is doing what it does best: handing in phony voter registrations and facilitating election fraud. More

The all-too predictable NY Times hit piece on Palin
September 14, 2008
Is this the best the New York Times can do in a hit piece? More

Insight into Candidates through their gifts to charity
September 14, 2008
Who really cares about those less fortunate than they? More

McCain and Palin Are Trying to Take Political Lying to the Next Dimension

Robert Parry, Consortium News

Election 2008: McCain and Palin reach a new level of campaign dishonesty as they tell lies about their records and their opponent. But will they pay a price?


The Media Call McCain and Palin on Their Trail of Lies

Newsday

Election 2008: A rundown of 25 responses in the media to McCain and Palin's bald-faced lies from the past two weeks.

Debunked: Ten Conservative Myths About National Security

Sara Robinson, Campaign for America's Future

ForeignPolicy: Going after the most dangerous myths spun by conservatives after 9/11.

A Second Cold War with Russia? Not Likely

Noam Chomsky, CounterPunch

ForeignPolicy: It's in America's best interests to regard Russia a resurgent power and not apply a strategy of confrontation against it.

Cheney Hid Wiretapping Memos From White House Chief of Staff

by Satyam, Think Progress - 3:18 AM

Racist "Values Voters" Dress Obama as Aunt Jemima; Depict Candidate in Arab Garb

by Joshua Holland, AlterNet - 2:48 AM

The Country's Going to Hell in a Handbasket, and all the GOP Can Talk About Is Lipstick and Pigs?

by Tom Degan, The Rant - 12:00 AM

Did the Pakistani Gov't Order its Army to Fire on U.S. Troops?

by Joshua Holland, AlterNet - 7:12 PM

GOP Voter Suppression Comes to Wisconsin

by Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet - 3:56 PM

Palin's 'Heretical' Church: Censored Video the McCain Campaign Doesn't Want you to See:

by Bruce Wilson - 3:23 PM

n the Campaign
Two Candidates Strive to Overcome Media Overload
By ADAM NAGOURNEYCampaigns are stumbling through what has become a daily campaign fog, struggling to figure out what voters are paying attention to and, not incidentally, what they are even believing.

September 16, 2008 The Media Equation
An Anchor Lets Down Her Hair
By DAVID CARRHaving a woman in the anchor chair with a history of roaming across all kinds of subject matter might be a pretty good asset.

September 15, 2008
Both Sides Now
By WILLIAM KRISTOLIt’s past time for such an antiestablishment awakening. If it goes too far, though, I of course reserve the right to become an antidisestablishmentarian again.

September 15, 2008
Both Sides Seeking to Be What Women Want
By KATE ZERNIKEIn particular, the campaigns are competing for working-class white women, the group that could be especially pivotal in the hotly contested states.

September 15, 2008
Obama Raises a Record $66 Million in a Month
By JEFF ZELENY and MICHAEL LUOThe campaign drew 500,000 first-time donors, crucial new supporters as the senator forgoes public financing.

September 15, 2008
Picking Winners by the Popularity of Paraphernalia
By DOUGLAS QUENQUACafePress.com, a maker of trinkets like throw pillows, said orders for politically related items are a reliable indicator of whom the voters favor.

September 15, 2008
Hotels’ Shift to Flat TVs Stretches Budget and More
By ERIC A. TAUBMany hotels are bowing to pressure and replacing their old picture tube TVs with new L.C.D. and plasma flat screens, but most have failed to take that one last step: adding high-definition service.

September 15, 2008
Endorsement of Obama Overflows Koch’s In-Box
By SAM ROBERTSWhen Edward I. Koch endorsed Barack Obama for president last week, the public responded.

September 14, 2008

ECONOMY
McCain-onomics
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has spent much of his general election campaign for president trying to distance himself from President Bush's failed policies -- even though the policies he has outlined and would pursue as president mirror those of the last eight years. McCain's strategy so far has been to make the public forget he is offering Bush's policies. During the Republican National Convention earlier this month, McCain and his fellow conservatives seemingly refused to acknowledge that the current administration even exists: Bush's name was mentioned once while Vice President Dick Cheney's name was not mentioned at all. Convention speakers also ignored many key issues that face Americans today, such as health care, environment, and the economy. Yet at times, McCain's surrogates will let the truth slip out. In June, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) admitted that McCain's economic policies would "absolutely" be an "enhancement" of Bush's. He's right. McCain's economic policies are rooted in the same supply-side economic theories that give huge tax cuts to the rich and the most profitable corporations, which will ultimately expand the already ballooning federal deficit. Indeed, as New York Times columnist and Princeton University economics professor Paul Krugman noted, McCain's economic proposals are "Bush made permanent" and "would leave the federal government with far too little revenue to cover its expenses."

THE WEALTHY WILL CASH IN: If elected president, McCain plans to double down on Bush's corporate and individual tax cuts. His plan calls for reducing the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent, a plan that would save corporations $175 billion per year, with $45 billion going to America's 200 largest companies as identified by Fortune Magazine. The five largest U.S. oil companies would save a grand total of $3.8 billion per year. The wealthiest Americans would also cash in. McCain's tax plan will increase after-tax income of the richest 3.4 percent by more than twice the average for all households -- and offer no benefit to the poorest taxpayers and minimal savings for the middle class. At the same time, McCain has not offered any specifics on how he would pay for these massive cuts. In fact, McCain's plan would produce the highest federal deficit in 25 years. After inheriting Bush's $407 billion deficit, yearly deficits under McCain would increase sharply, beginning with at least $505 billion in FY2009.

THE FLAWS OF SUPPLY-SIDE ECONOMICS: Like Bush -- and President Reagan before him -- McCain is fully embracing supply-side economics, lowering tax rates to promote economic activity which, in theory, lead to additional government revenue. But a new report from the Center for American Progress and the Economic Policy Institute has analyzed the two "supply-side eras" in U.S. history -- 1981 to 1993 and 2001 to present -- and concluded that "the results have been meager." The report found that after tax increases in 1993, real investment growth was much higher than after the tax cuts of 1981 and 2001 and "economic growth as measured by real U.S. gross domestic product was stronger following the tax increases of 1993 than in the two supply-side eras." Real median household income "was greatest after the 1993 tax increases, at 2.0 percent annually compared to 1.4 percent after 1981 and 0.3 percent after 2001." Wages and employment also rose higher after 1993 as compared to the two supply-side eras. And in contrast to record deficits that resulted from the two supply-side eras, between 1993 and 1999, the United States"went from a federal deficit of 3.9 percent of GDP to a surplus of 1.4 percent." Even Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke have said that tax cuts do not offset revenue losses.

GREENSPAN WEIGHS IN: Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan said that the current downturn in the economy is "probably a once in a century type of event," one that is the worst he has seen in his career "by far." Indeed, just yesterday, Merrill Lynch agreed to sell itself to Bank of America "for roughly $50 billion to avert a deepening financial crisis, while another prominent securities firm, Lehman Brothers, filed for bankruptcy protection and hurtled toward liquidation after it failed to find a buyer." But Greenspan also addressed McCain's $3.3 trillion tax cuts, telling Bloomberg news last week that the country cannot afford the cuts "unless we cut spending." "I'm not in favor of financing tax cuts with borrowed money," Greenspan said. Perhaps McCain will take Greenspan's advice. While McCain has acknowledged that "issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should," he has also added the caveat: "I've got Greenspan's book."

ENERGY -- NO ENERGY EXPERT AT SENATE HEARING WILLING TO SAY THAT OIL DRILLING IS AMERICA'S MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE: Last Friday, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a Bipartisan Energy Summit featuring experts from MIT, Google, Shell, and others. At one point in the hearing, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) tore into the energy protest House Republicans have been holding for the past several weeks. This political stunt was meant to demand a vote on oil drilling and "attack Democrats for leaving town" in August "without doing something to lower gas prices." After listing problems facing the country, including the war in Iraq, debt, to name a few, Whitehouse asked the experts whether anyone thought drilling was the top issue right now. "Do any of you seriously contend that drilling for more oil is the number one issue facing the American people today," asked Whitehouse. Almost nine seconds went by with complete silence. "No, it doesn't seem so," said Whitehouse after the silence. House conservatives have spent the past month claiming that their political stunt was "America's greatest hour" and the "2008 version of the Boston Tea Party." Not only are they out of step with energy experts, but according to recent polls, the majority of the American public believes that the economy -- not drilling -- is the most important issue facing the nation.

ENERGY -- HURRICANE IKE DESTROYS OIL PLATFORMS: In the wake of Hurricane Ike, the U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) reported that at least 10 offshore oil platforms have been destroyed. Lars Herbst, regional director for the MMS said, "It's too early to say if it's close to Katrina- and Rita-type damage," which altogether destroyed more than 100 oil platforms. Ike also damaged several large oil and natural gas pipelines. The extent of the environmental damage resulting from the destroyed oil rigs is unknown. Already, "the average price for a gallon of gasoline has increased to nearly $3.80 from $3.68...a jump that has been rare since the oil price spikes of the 1970s and 1980s." In their push to expand offshore drilling, conservatives have insisted that oil rigs are completely safe, constantly declaring that Hurricane Katrina "didn't cause a single oil spill." In fact, the oil spillage from Katrina was so extensive it was clearly visible from space. It also wreaked environmental damage near the scale of the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster.

RACE -- 'OBAMA WAFFLES' FEATURING RACIST, STEREOTYPED IMAGES SOLD AT VALUES VOTER SUMMIT: At the Family Research Council's Values Voter Summit over the weekend, vendors sold boxes of waffle mix that were branded "Obama Waffles." The product's packaging featured a racist cartoon image of Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) on the front -- with "popping eyes and big, thick lips" -- and another image of him wearing an Arab-like headdress on the top. The top of the box read, "Point box toward Mecca for tastier waffles." Its creators, Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss, said the product was meant as "political satire" and denied that their "satire" could be seen as racist. "We had some people mention that to us, but you think of Newman's Own or Emeril's -- there are tons and tons of personality-branded food products on the market. So we've taken that model and, using political satire, have highlighted his policies, his position changes," they claimed. CNN's Lou Dobbs stopped by the booth and exclaimed, "My wife will love this!" A photo shows Dobbs with a box of the mix in his hand. The American News Project produced a video interview with the creators.

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Interviews & Captions by M.J. Stephey

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4. Poll: Obama, McCain Split Key States By TIME Staff Despite McCain's poll surge, Obama leads in Michigan and New Hampshire, while McCain is up in Missouri and Virginia

5. Sarah Palin's Alaskonomics By Michael Kinsley Viewpoint: The candidate says she's a tough fiscal reformer. But Alaska leads the nation in leeching off Washington

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On the Campaign
Candidates Strive to Break Through Media Fog
By ADAM NAGOURNEYThe campaigns are struggling to figure out what voters are paying attention to, and what they believe.

September 16, 2008
Both Sides Seeking to Be What Women Want
By KATE ZERNIKEIn particular, the campaigns are competing for working-class white women, the group that could be especially pivotal in the hotly contested states.

September 15, 2008
Both Sides Now
By WILLIAM KRISTOLIt’s past time for such an antiestablishment awakening. If it goes too far, though, I of course reserve the right to become an antidisestablishmentarian again.

September 15, 2008 The Media Equation
An Anchor Lets Down Her Hair
By DAVID CARRHaving a woman in the anchor chair with a history of roaming across all kinds of subject matter might be a pretty good asset.

September 15, 2008
Picking Winners by the Popularity of Paraphernalia
By DOUGLAS QUENQUACafePress.com, a maker of trinkets like throw pillows, said orders for politically related items are a reliable indicator of whom the voters favor.

September 15, 2008 The Caucus
Linked to Bush, McCain Faces Gore’s Conundrum
By JOHN HARWOODSince 1951, when candidates were barred from winning more than two presidential elections, five nominees have sought to extend their party’s control for a third straight term. Four of them failed.

September 15, 2008 The Public Editor
Getting Past the Formalities
By CLARK HOYTUsing Barack Obama’s middle name, Hussein, and referring to Sarah Palin as Ms. instead of Mrs. is rooted in newsroom tradition and has nothing to do with politics.

September 14, 2008 Op-Ed Contributor
A Prisoner’s Mind
By LEO THORSNESSIn war, wisdom stops you from crossing the line from courage to brutality. Wisdom is needed to avoid entering a war not in the national interest, while not hesitating to defend America’s liberty.

September 14, 2008 Op-Ed Columnist
Bering Straight Talk
By MAUREEN DOWDAn Arctic blast of action has swept into the 2008 presidential race, making thinking passé. Presidential candidates don’t really need to think; just intimidate.

September 14, 2008 Everybodys Business
Where to Direct All That Rage
By BEN STEINWashington is not the problem. Human nature is the problem, and that’s going to be a tough nut to crack. That’s the machine to rage against.

September 14, 2008 Op-Ed Columnist
Making America Stupid
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMANUnless we make America the country most able to innovate, compete and win in the age of globalization, our leverage in the world will continue to slowly erode.

September 14, 2008

Biden’s Remarks on McCain’s Policies
September 15, 2008
Cautious Campaigning in Shadow of Storm
By JEFF ZELENY and MONICA DAVEYWhile Barack Obama pared back his campaigning because of the hurricane, his criticism of John McCain reflected the new urgency of the contest.

September 14, 2008

ALAN JENKINS
Opportunity at Risk at the Ballot Box With Election Day just two months away, the presidential campaigns are (finally) beginning their home stretch. At the same time, voters are starting to pay attention to a dizzying array of ballot initiatives that will also be on the November ballot in many states.

TOM SULLIVAN
It's the Phonies, Stupid Events recorded during and after the Republican National Convention demonstrate that leading conservative opinion makers resemble tobacco industry lobbyists, "able to jump up and down and holler for something they don't actually believe."

PAUL KRUGMAN
Financial Russian Roulette nytimes.com — The defenses set up to prevent a return of the bank runs of he 1930s, mainly deposit insurance and access to credit lines with the Federal Reserve, only protect the guys in the marble buildings, who aren't at the heart of the current crisis. That creates the real possibility that 2008 could be 1931 revisited.

WILLIAM GRIEDER
Economic Freefall thenation.com — The gravest danger is that the national economy will weaken further and spiral downward into a negative cycle that feeds on itself: as conditions darken, people hunker down and wait for the storm to pass — consumers stop buying, banks stop lending, producing companies cut their workforces. This vicious cycle is essentially that led to the Great Depression after the stock market crash of 1929. The comparison may sound farfetched now, but U.S. policy-makers and politicians are putting us at risk of historic deflationary forces that, once they take hold, are very difficult to reverse.

MRIDU KHULLAR
The Rise of Medical Tourism thewip.net — With health care costs rising at twice the pace of inflation, Americans are heading off to foreign shores for their medical needs.

STEVE FLEISCHLI
The Global Warming Blame Game If the consensus is that the climate is going to change — whether it's human-induced or not — shouldn't we try to do something to protect our communities, our fisheries and our food supplies before it's too late? Instead, the whole debate seems to center around whether global warming is our collective fault or not. It's like little kids blaming each other for playing with matches while watching the house burn down.

MICHAEL MOYNIHAN
Drilling Mania ndnblog.org — At the root of the primitive appeal of drill, drill, drill is a desire to return to our oil-soaked past. While Americans seemed ready to flirt with renewables, with push coming to shove, they have sought the safety and security of the girl who brung us to the party: oil. There is only one problem with this desire to return to the inexpensive, American produced oil and gas of our past. It is fantasy.

JON RYNN
Ride, Baby, Ride gristmill.grist.org — While conservatives are busy chanting "drill, baby, drill," they ignore a much better alternative: riding on buses and trains.

KATRINA VANDEN HEUVEL
A Return to Sanity thenation.com — For those who care about this country's security, for those who put country above partisan gutter politics, what's key is that we repair the damage the misconceived Bush doctrine has inflicted on our security and engagement with the world.

A Crash Course in Economic Crashes

Larry Beinhart, AlterNet

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: Each week, sometimes daily now, we slide by a new economic warning sign, by another wreck that's already off the road.


Big Banks Go Bust: America's Financial System in Crisis

The Nation and Campaign for America's Future

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: Authors Bill Greider and Dean Baker argue that the latest Wall Street woes expose the finance industry's deep need for reform.

What Makes People Vote Republican?

Jonathan Haidt, Edge

Not everyone who votes Republican has been 'duped'. Conservative ideals appeal to some because they reflect heartfelt visions of a 'good society.'

Sara Palin's Shocking Animal Cruelty

Michael Markarian, Humane Society Legislative Fund

If Sarah Palin ran the United States like she has run Alaska, it would indeed be a terrible day for animals.

Christian Right Voter Summit Sells Racist 'Obama Waffles'

Adele Stan, Media Consortium

Election 2008: The Values Voter Summit hawks a a box of waffle mix emblazoned with a cartoon image of a bug-eyed, toothy, dark-lipped Barack Obama.


Calavera Highway: The Story of an All-American Mexican Family

Kyle Hussein de Beausset, AlterNet

Immigration: A new documentary reveals the realities faced by millions of people in trans-national communities.


What the Chemical Industry Doesn't Want You to Know about Everyday Products

Elaine Shannon, AlterNet

Environment: The chemical industry has spent years trying to suppress information about a certain chemical. Will Congress help the public know the true dangers?

Biden Slams McCain on Economy

Post by Steve Benen
PEEK: "I could walk from here to Lansing, and I wouldn't run into a single person who thought our economy was doing well -- unless I ran into John McCain." More »

• Full Post

McCain and Palin Are Trying to Take Political Lying to the Next Dimension

Robert Parry, Consortium News

Election 2008: McCain and Palin reach a new level of campaign dishonesty as they tell lies about their records and their opponent. But will they pay a price?


The Media Call McCain and Palin on Their Trail of Lies

Newsday

Election 2008: A rundown of 25 responses in the media to McCain and Palin's bald-faced lies from the past two weeks.


Debunked: Ten Conservative Myths About National Security

Sara Robinson, Campaign for America's Future

ForeignPolicy: Going after the most dangerous myths spun by conservatives after 9/11.


Another One Bites the Dust: What's Behind the Crash of Lehman Bros

Otto Spengler, Asia Times

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace: The wake of the financial meltdown on Wall Street is going to badly damage confidence about retiring on an investment portfolio.


A Second Cold War with Russia? Not Likely

Noam Chomsky, CounterPunch

ForeignPolicy: It's in America's best interests to regard Russia a resurgent power and not apply a strategy of confrontation against it.


Why I'd Rather Sleep with a Man over 50

Katherine Anne Forsythe, American Sexuality Magazine

Sex and Relationships: A 25-year-old with a firm six pack might be fun to look at and know how to satisfy himself. But what about satisfying you?


Bill Moyers: Rage on the Radio, the Shock Jocks Rory O'Connor Has Warned Us About

ZP Heller, Bill Moyers Journal

Video: Watch just how damaging right-wing hate speech can be.


A Matter of Morals, Not Morales: Respect Bolivia's Democracy!

Olivia Burlingame Goumbri, AlterNet

ForeignPolicy: Yet again, the United States appears to be siding with violent right-wing elements to undermine a Latin American democracy.


The Corporate Control of Water Takes an Unexpected Twist

Jon Keesecker, AlterNet

Water: In one U.S. city, a mayor is putting the city's water systems up for sale in exchange for money for eduction.

• McCain and Obama’s Reactions to Wall Street Collapse
• Obama Raises a Record $66 Million in a Month
• Conservative Group Will Try to ’Swift Boat’ Obama
• McCain’s Record On Economic Reform: ‘Zero’
• Fiorina rips Tina Fey’s portray of Palin as ‘dismissive’ and ‘sexist.’

McCain and Leadership in a Time of Financial Crisis
Ed Lasky
How will all this financial turmoil affect the Presidential campaign? The times demand a real leader. More

Obama 's Friends and Chicago's New Slums
Lee Cary
In 1993, Barack Obama joined a Chicago law firm that specialized in helping develop low-income housing. In time, the job would bring him political support from slum landlords who make Clinton's shady Arkansas associates look like teenage shoplifters. More

Obama's Foul Weather Friends
Scott Swett and Roger Canfield
The lack of media interest in the role of former domestic terrorists Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn in Democratic nominee Barack Obama's political ascent in Chicago is one of the most remarkable aspects of the 2008 presidential campaign More

Sarah Palin as Tina Fey
September 16, 2008
Life imitates art. More

The latest Sarah Palin 'scandal'
September 16, 2008
Can you believe the latest scandal over Sarah Palin? She installed a tanning bed in the governor's mansion and -- what's worse -- she paid for the contraption with her own money! More

Media Spin on Palin Becomes a Vortex
September 16, 2008
The MSM is literally covering its coverage of Sarah Palin. More

Jamie Gorelick's two trillion dollar disasters
September 16, 2008
Doug Ross reviews the remarkable record of Democrat fixer Jamie Gorelick in two of the major disasters of this era of American history. More

MSM losing even more public confidence
September 16, 2008
Gallup reports that the number of Americans who have no confidence in the media is at an all time high. More

McCain at NASCAR -- exclusive photo
September 15, 2008
At yesteday's SYLVANIA 300 NASCAR race at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH., John McCain was fabulous. More

Treeing Sarah Palin
September 15, 2008
They are like a pack of slathering hounds ... aren't they? ... the mainstream media in its pursuit to tree Sarah Palin on some obscure issue. The More

Biden: Sleepover at Obama's house! (updated)
September 15, 2008
Joe "Gaffe a minute" Biden has done it again. More

Obama Rally in DC Sparsely Attended
September 15, 2008
Buried all the way on page C4 of the Metro section the Washington Post reported yesterday on a rally Saturday. More

Obama Throws 'Hope and Change' under the bus
September 15, 2008
Once the emptiness of Obama's "Hope and Change" campaign was realized by the voters, the Democratic candidate for president had precious little substance to fall back on. More

Obama: leave Iraq, no stay
September 15, 2008
Did the candidate violate the Logan Act? More

RNC killing the DNC in fundraising
September 15, 2008
The Republican National Committee has nearly 6 times the amount of money on hand at the end of August as their Democratic party counterparts: More

How to Win a Presidential Debate
Paul Waldman
September 16, 2008 | web only
The debates, for better or worse, may decide the outcome of the election. Here's how the press will decide who won.

From the archives: Paul Waldman on the role of the media in manufacturing campaign scandal.

Cardboard cut-outs of Barack Obama and and John McCain for sale in Clarence, N.Y. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

The group blog of The American Prospect
What did David Brooks really mean?[/color]
Posted at 9:31 a.m.



A respectable liberal blog
Obama ad on women's pay.
Posted at 9:27 a.m.


Dean Baker's economic commentary
[color="#800000"]A low dollar: the best argument for a Fed rate cut.
Posted at 5:19 a.m.

Sarah Palin's Retrograde Gender Politics
Courtney E. Martin
September 15, 2008 | web only
Don't be fooled. Palin is not on the ticket to bring gender balance to the White House. Her primary role is to reinforce traditional ideas of masculinity and femininity.

Related: Laura McGann on how Palin fits into Alaska's culture of corruption and Tim Fernholz on why Palin is a gamble for Republicans.

(AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

Frida Berrigan:
Military Industrial Complex 2.0


Chris Hedges:
For Palin, It’s a (Christian) Man’s World


Glenn Greenwald:
What Illegal 'Things' Was the Government Doing in 2001-2004?


Ira Chernus:
Obama-as-Sojourner v. McCain-as-Mythic-Hero


Larry Beinhart:
Crash Course in Economics


Michelle Goldberg:
Alaska Women Cool to Palin


Danny Schechter:
Who Will Protect Us From Plunge Protection?


Jeremy Seabrook:
Who's to Blame for Market Failure? Clue: Not the Bankers


Gary Younge:
Barack Is Playing the Incognegro, but It Is Not a Risk-Free Strategy


Sunday, September 14
Ian Bell:
A Letter to America: You Cannot Be Serious


Jessica Valenti:
The F-Card Won't Wash


Haroon Siddiqui:
Our Deafening Silence on Afghanistan


Sanford Levinson:
The Decider Can Become the Dictator

Sanford Levinson:
The Decider Can Become the Dictator


Christopher Brauchli:
Sarah and the Polar Bear


Pierre Tristam:
Flat-Out Lies Finding a Receptive Audience in Voters Seeking Denial


Boston Globe:
Sleeping with the Industry


Joanna Blythman:
Small Protests Can Beat the Big Guys


Saturday, September 13
Robert Weissman:
Executive Pay and the 'Market Economy'


Sean Gonsalves:
The Order of St. William


Mark Engler:
There is an Alternative to Corporate Rule


Roberta Riley:
McCain Presidency Would Mean More of Same for Women

On Wall St., Like Main, A Problem of Denial - Joe Nocera, New York Times
Treasury's High States Poker - Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post
Perspective on the Market Turmoil - Irwin Stelzer, New York Post
Paulson's Courageous Action - Lawrence Kudlow, RealClearMarkets
Turmoil An Opportunity for Obama - Steve Kornacki, New York Observer
Whose Elitism Problem Now? - E. J. Dionne, Houston Chronicle
The Charlie Gibson Doctrine - Dennis Prager, Human Events
Red States Get Redder, Blue States Purpler - Andrew Romano, Newsweek
Obama's Youth Movement Will Be Difference - Peter Dreier, The Nation
The Obama Campaign Is In Disarray - Jonah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times
McCain's Dishonesty & Personal Treason - Richard Cohen, NY Daily News
On Sex-Ed Ad, McCain Is Right - Byron York, National Review Online
Hyped Indignation Over McCain "Lies" - David Harsanyi, RealClearPolitics
McCain's Court: Change We Don't Need - Cass Sunstein, Huffington Post
Censorship in Hollywood - Andrew Breitbart, Washington Times
Palin as Phenom: It's a Mystery - Mike Littwin, Rocky Mountain News
The High Cost of Racial Hype - Thomas Sowell, RealClearPolitics
RCP Blog: NJ Poll: Obama +3 | Special Love / Politics Nation: Stra

Editorials
This Too Will Pass - Investor's Business Daily
The Flaws of Anti-Regulatory Ideology - New York Times
Paulson Makes Right Call on Lehman - Miami Herald
Bolivia on the Brink - Washington Post

Political News & Analysis
Obama, McCain Confront Market - Wall Street Journal
McCain, Obama Offer Few Ideas for Financial Crisis - Washington Times
Obama Blames Bush for Wall St. Mess - Denver Post
In Miami, McCain Hits Obama on Immigration - Miami Herald

Transcripts & Speeches


Obama Interview on "Money and Politics" - Bloomberg
Secretary Paulson's Briefing on Financial Markets - Henry Paulson
The Case for Change - Joe Biden
Panel on the Candidates & Economy - Special Report w/Brit Hume
Scott Rasmussen on the Latest Polling - Hannity & Colmes

Best of the Blogs
McCain Blinks - Jonah Goldberg, The Corner
Parochial Palin - Daniel Larison, Eunomia
The Stock Market is Not the Economy - Dean Baker, Beat the Press
Obama's Pakistan Tough Talk - Abe Greenwald, Contentions
Palin and the Teleprompter - Lee Speigel, Political Punch

Most Read
Last 24 Hours
The Audacity of Defeat: What if Obama Loses?
- Russ Smith, Splice Today
Media in the Obama Tank for the Final Push
- Jennifer Rubin, PJM
Reflections on the State of the Race
- Jay Cost, RealClearPolitics
Can McCain Really Win Pennsylvania?
- Salena Zito, Pitt Trib-Review

Last 7 Days
The Election Is Now All About Obama
- Dick Morris, The Hill
Obama's Altitude Sickness
- Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
Obama on His Heels
- Jay Cost, RealClearPolitics