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- John McCain appears determined to take his presidential campaign in a different direction this week, starting with a tough speech in Arlington, VA. Unfortunately this was accompanied by a decision to drop a major overhaul of his economic plan -- and I hear the economy is sorta a big deal these days. Meanwhile, Barack Obama spent Columbus Day in Toledo, Ohio (why not Columbus?) detailing his plan for economic recovery, including creating new jobs, penalty-free access to retirement savings, a 90-day moratorium on home foreclosures, and money for local and state governments. As Tim notes, this last item is key to stopping local economic problems from spiraling out of control.
- Speaking to supporters in Virginia Beach, Sarah Palin declared that John McCain would confront the abuses of power in Washington, which might have been embarrassing for her if her own abuses of power hadn't occurred in Alaska. Meanwhile, Steve Benen notes that the McCain-Palin ticket is the first in American history to feature two politicians charged with ethics violations prior to the election. Maverick!
- I'm open to theories about why this is, but an exceptional number of really, really, really bad editorials have appeared in the past few days. First Peter Beinart asked, in all seriousness, whether Obama is "American enough" in Time magazine. Then Rasmussen felt compelled to run Michael Barone's screed, "The Coming Obama Thugocracy." Not wanting to be outdone, The Washington Post let Andrew Klavan share with us "5 Myths About Those Tinseltown Liberals." Finally, Brian Anderson wrote in Investor's Business Daily about "The Coming Counterrevolution To Hush The Alternative Media." Makes me pine for the days of Vince Foster murder conspiracies.
- The New York Times still had a great weekend profile of Andy Martin, the world-class wingnut responsible for the email smears projected at Barack Obama. Money quote: "He is a law school graduate, but his admission to the Illinois bar was blocked in the 1970s after a psychiatric finding of 'moderately severe character defect manifested by well-documented ideation with a paranoid flavor and a grandiose character.'"
- Joe Biden, forgotten VP candidate, gets a lengthy treatment by The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza.
- The Wall Street Journal surmises that the Obama campaign's time spent out on the trail, which dwarfs that of his Republican rival, might have something to do with the Democrat's strong poll numbers. Also, The New York Times looks at the Obama ground game in Virginia.
- And finally, in Indiana's 9th district, there has been a ongoing battle between Democrat Baron Hill and Republican Mike Sodrel. Their first debate of this election year, scheduled for October 21, is unusual because the local Republican party has asked that the candidates be hooked up to lie detectors.
--Mori Dinauer
