Day's End Round-Up

John McCain's campaign has irked liberal bloggers by rethinking its decision not to attack Barack Obama for his ties to his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. McCain isn't getting much help from his old friend, the press, notes a McCain aide. And some voters have faced heckling for already casting ballots for Obama, according to the Democrat's blogging backers.

McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis, said on a radio show Monday that Rep. John Lewis's (D-Ga.) remarks comparing McCain to segregationist George Wallace have caused the McCain camp to rethink its reluctance to use Wright, the controversial pastor, notes The Huffington Post's Sam Stein. Attacking Obama for Wright this late in the campaign would backfire against McCain since many people already know about Wright and since such attacks would reinforce the idea that McCain is erratic, writes Political Animal Steve Benen. Resorting to Wright would make the Republican seem desperate, writes MyDD's Josh Orton.

McCain aide Mark Salter told The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg that the press uses a different standard for Obama than it does for McCain. Salter also said the press, which used to be in McCain's corner, has changed while McCain has not. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) are correct to note that reporters haven't done much to look into Obama's past drug use, according to Hot Air's Ed Morrissey.

McCain backers are heckling Obama supporters voting early in North Carolina are undermining democratic norms, writes Political Animal's Benen. Other Obama backers in North Carolina have had their tires slashed, but the Democrat's supporters are undeterred, notes Lisa Derrick at The Campaign Silo.

FROM THE BLOGS:
McCain Campaign Rethinking Playing Wright Card - S. Stein, HuffPo
Wright Redux? - Steve Benen, Political Animal
You Made Us Do It! - Marc Ambinder
You Think Fox News Is Bad Now? - Josh Orton, MyDD
Mark Salter on the Press and McCain - Jeffrey Goldberg
Huck, Rudy Cite Obama's Drug Use - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
The Ayers Cover-Up Cont. - J. Hinderaker, Power Line
N.C. Voters Heckled Early - Lisa Derrick, The Campaign Silo
Heckling Voters - Steve Benen, Political Animal

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Bernanke Says He Supports New Aid for Economy - NY Times
Momentum Building For New Economy-Boosting Package - AP
Optimistic McCain Camp Unloads New Lines of Attack - The Hill

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell

A New York Times profile of Cindy McCain is culled from shoddy reporting, conservative bloggers complain today while liberals buzz over whether former Bush administration Secretary of State Colin Powell might endorse Barack Obama. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) also draws ridicule from the left for claiming some members of Congress are anti-American.

National Enquirer wouldn

John McCain's defense of Joe Wurzelbacher, aka "Joe the Plumber," from media scrutiny and criticism earns the GOP nominee praise from conservative bloggers, while liberals celebrate the Chicago Tribune's endorsement of Barack Obama.

The banner headline on the Drudge Report this afternoon reads, "McCain Defends the Plumber" after McCain accused the media and Barack Obama's campaign of inappropriately scutinizing Wurzelbacher. McCain is right that Americans should be able to ask tough questions of candidates without reporters digging up their background info, Carol Platt Liebau writes at Townhall.com. Hot Air's Ed Morrissey, meanwhile, asks why Obama has not called on the media to leave Wurzelbacher alone, given that his campaign has criticized Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) for not denouncing agitated GOP supporters at her rallies.

The Tribune may be Obama's hometown paper, but Obama is the first Democrat it has endorsed in its 161-year history, SusanG notes at Daily Kos after its editorial board backed the Illinois senator for president today. The endorsement is particularly significant because the paper's editorial board is conservative--an alignment the Tribune editors admit in their endorsement piece--writes AMERICAblog's John Aravosis.

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), meanwhile, catches heat from one blogger for testimony he gave today at his corruption trial. Stevens basically deflected blame to his wife for the home renovation project, allegedly paid for in part by friends, that has landed him in court, TChris alleges at TalkLeft. Stevens said the renovation was essentially his wife's project, and the blogger claims Stevens is using his busy life as a senator as his main defense.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Never Question Obama - Dan McLaughlin, RedState
Trib Endorses Obama - John Aravosis, AMERICAblog
McCain to Obama: Lay off Joe - Allahpundit, Hot Air
Supreme Court Rules against Ohio GOP - T. Beeton, MyDD
Obama Slams McCain's Health Plan - Jed L, Daily Kos
McCain Defends Joe - Carol Platt Liebau, Townhall.com
Stevens Testifies - TChris, TalkLeft
Fake Votes in NM - Jim Geraghty, The Campaign Spot
The Fundamentals - Matthew Yglesias
Obama Worship at The Post - Paul Mirengoff, Power Line

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Supreme Court Throws Out Ohio GOP's Suit - LA Times
Iraq Appears on Verge of Troop Deal with U.S. - NY Times
Rising Star Adopts Low-Key Strategy - Washington Post

Liberal bloggers are amused to find that Joe Wurzelbacher, the now-famous "Joe the Plumber" of last night's debate, does not hold a plumber's license, while conservatives worry that John McCain could open Wurzelbacher to further scrutiny by featuring him in a new ad.

"Joe the Plumber"--referenced dozens of times last night by Barack Obama and McCain--is not an actual plumber, emptywheel claims after learning that Wurzelbacher does not hold a plumber's license in the state of Ohio. Wurzelbacher tells the Associated Press that, since he works for someone else, he doesn't need a license, and too much attention is being heaped on the Ohio plumber, according to Political Animal's Steve Benen. TalkingPointsMemo's Josh Marshall calls the discovery a "bummer" for the McCain campaign, but according to Mattew Yglesias, tradesmen shouldn't have to be licensed in the first place.

McCain has made Wurzelbacher into a political football by featuring footage of him in a new TV ad, Hot Air's Allahpundit charges, taking issue with the degree of scrutiny bloggers and media outlets have applied to the plumber. The ad will rile Wurzelbacher's new crowd of critics, Michelle Malkin suggests, predicting that more attacks on Wurzelbacher could be on the way.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), meanwhile, held a "show trial" today on the origins of the economic crisis, Brian Faughnan alleges at RedState. Dodd blasted Bush administration economic policies today at a sparsely attended committee hearing, and Faughnan accuses Dodd of only inviting witnesses who agreed with him and ignoring his own role in the economic collapse.

FROM THE BLOGS:
New McCain Ad: 'Joe the Plumber' - Michelle Malkin
McCain-Palin on ACORN, FBI - A. Carpenter, Townhall.com
Saxby's Empty Coffers - Jonathan Singer, MyDD
Republican Ugly - TChris, TalkLeft
Joe's the Man - Allahpundit, Hot Air
Gov. Palin, I Should Have a Choice - MissLaura, Daily Kos
Chris Dodd's Show Trial - Brian Faughnan, RedState
Not Barney Frank's Fault - looseheadprop, FiredogLake
Cool Story, Joe Biden! - Mark Hemingway, The Corner
Plumber Licensing - Matthew Yglesias

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Uncommon Ground - Washington Post
Debates Over, Candidates Begin Final Sprint - NY Times
Stevens Takes Stand, Denies Charges - The Hill

Bringing up former Weather Underground member William Ayers in tonight's final 2008 debate will be key to John McCain's chances in the race, conservative bloggers say. A report that the Republican National Committee (RNC) has stopped airing TV ads in Wisconsin, meanwhile, has others wondering if McCain is conceding the state.

Tonight's debate will be significant because Barack Obama will have to confront his association with Ayers, RedState's Mark Kilmer contends, hoping the Democrat has to answer tough questions about his relationship with the former radical. Obama''s association with Ayers speaks to the Democrat's character and judgment, Townhall.com's Matt Lewis says, agreeing that it will be important for McCain to raise the association tonight.

An Associated Press report that the RNC has stopped airing ads in Wisconsin has MyDD's Josh Orton wondering if Wisconsin will follow Michigan as the second battleground state that McCain is conceding. If McCain pulls out, it will free Obama's field workers to move to redder states, the blogger says. Despite the RNC's decision, the McCain campaign has not pulled out, The Campaign Spot's Jim Geraghty asserts. McCain is running ads there until late October, Geraghty says, but the blogger notes that the halt of the RNC's ad campaign probably won't help McCain in Wisconsin polls.

A pair of secret Bush administration memos endorsing torture in 2003 and 2004, meanwhile, have unsurprised liberals blasting the administration. The memos, reported today by The Washington Post, give written proof that the administration authorized illegal techniques, TalkLeft's TChris claims. The entire world has known for years that the White House endorsed torture, Daily Kos's Kagro X asserts, calling today's news "predictable."

FROM THE BLOGS:
Wisconsin to Follow Michigan? - Josh Orton, MyDD
White House Authorized Torture (in Writing) - TChris, TalkLeft
Debate Prediction: Schieffer Raises Ayers - emptywheel
ABC: Mahoney & Federal Money - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Debate Drama? - Matt Lewis, Townhall.com
Not Quite Conceding Wisconsin - J. Geraghty, The Campaign Spot
NRSC Pulls Out of La.-Sen. - kos, Daily Kos
Ayers Will Be at Tonight's Debate - Mark Kilmer, RedState
McCain's Fate in Hands of S&P? - G. Andres, The Weekly Standard
Keeping an Eye - Matthew Yglesias

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Candidates Prepare for Final Debate - NY Times
McCain Faces Tough Task in Final Debate - Washington Post
Biden, Palin Focus on Economy - LA Times

John McCain

John McCain

Liberals outraged over the reportedly aggressive tone by those attending John McCain rallies have ignored the left's own aggression and fanaticism, conservative bloggers allege, while Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) stirs debate by comparing McCain to former segregationist Alabama Gov. George Wallace (D).

While liberals have accused McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) of inciting hostile sentiments in crowds of supporters, Michelle Malkin asserts that it's the left that is guilty of violent speech--against Palin in particular. The blogger points to liberals who have referenced violence against Palin in bumper stickers, artwork, and on stages at public events. Liberals should look in the mirror, Power Line's John Hinderaker agrees, suggesting they are unrealistically faint of heart when it comes to conservatives' distaste for Barack Obama.

A war of words is brewing between Lewis and the GOP ticket, Marc Ambinder speculates after Lewis compared McCain and Palin to the segregationist Wallace and accused them of "sowing the seeds of hatred and division." The Obama campaign rebuked the comparison but did not explicitly disagree that the GOP ticket is sowing hate, Ambinder notes, suggesting more is to come in this dispute. Townhall.com's Amanda Carpenter accuses the former civil rights leader of needlessly injecting race into the presidential election, while noting that Lewis has denied that he directly compared McCain and Palin to the segregationist governor.

Palin, meanwhile, earns jeers from liberals for being booed by hockey fans as she dropped the puck at a Philadelphia Flyers game on Saturday. Palin was booed overwhelmingly, AMERICAblog's John Aravosis celebrates, posting multiple videos of Palin's appearance. The moment could hurt Palin among casual voters as it will give her bad headlines on the sports page of newspapers, MyDD's Todd Beeton suggests.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Crush the Obamedia Narrative - Michelle Malkin
Insane Rage? - John Hinderaker, Power Line
Report: McCain, Palin at Odds - Allahpundit, Hot Air
The Bride to Nowhere - John Cole, Balloon Juice
Palin's Extremist Ties - Plutonium Page, Daily Kos
Lewis Plays George Wallace Card - T. Beeton, MyDD
Outrage of the Day: Lewis - M. Lewis, Townhall.com
Double Digits in Colo. - Jeralyn, TalkLeft
Uncivil War of Words - Marc Ambinder
Palin on Attack: Life Issues - Moe Lane, RedState

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Obama Camp Relying on Ground Effort - Washington Post
Concern in GOP after Rough Week for McCain - NY Times
Palin: Probe Cleared Me of Wrongdoing - CBS News
Obama Rides Wave of Bad Economic News - LA Times

A probe finding that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) abused her executive power will be trouble for Palin on the campaign trail, bloggers decide, while conservatives wonder if jailed fundraiser and real estate developer Antoin "Tony" Rezko will deal any dirt on Barack Obama now that he may be talking to federal prosecutors.

It just got harder for Palin and John McCain to bill themselves as reformers, Steve Benen suggests at Political Animal, after a probe by the Alaska state legislature found that Palin abused her power as governor to try to get her ex-brother-in-law fired from the state trooper force. The so-called "troopergate" investigation also confirmed reports of the trooper's violent behavior, but it could still pose a problem for Palin on the campaign trail as the phrase "abuse of power" tends to stick in people's minds, Hot Air's Ed Morrissey contends.

Rezko likely won't implicate Obama in any sort of scandal, RedState's Moe Lane supposes after news that Rezko recently met with U.S. attorneys, but the blogger claims that some of Obama's Illinois-based staffers may have shady ties Rezko could reveal. A rumor that Rezko will talk about a Chicago bank, meanwhile, has The Corner's Mark Hemingway hoping Rezko will implicate a former Illinois state treasurer Obama once endorsed.

And Democrat Jim Martin's strong performance against incumbent Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) has Swing State Project's DavidNYC calling on liberals to support Martin and avenge Chambliss's 2002 victory over Democratic Sen. Max Cleland (Ga.). The blogger hopes Chambliss will get some payback for running ads that morphed Cleland's face into that of Osama bin Laden, while Daily Kos's kos says a new Insider Advantage poll, which shows the two tied at 45 percent, is cause for Georgia Republicans to panic.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Ga.-Sen.: 'Bomb Obama' - kos, Daily Kos
Just (Another) Misjudgment - C. Liebau, Townhall.com
ACORN Watch - Moe Lane, RedState
McClintock's KKK Problem - Todd Beeton, MyDD
ACORN on Suppression - P. Rosenberg, Open Left
Troopergate Trouble - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Confused - Kathryn Jean Lopez, The Corner
The Polls - Big Tent Democrat, TalkLeft
Obama Up Eight - tremayne, Open Left
Biden Smears Obama - J. McCormack, The Weekly Standard

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Probe Finds Palin Abused Power - Washington Post
Bush: World Coming Together - The Hill
White House Overhauling Rescue Plan - NY Times
N. Korea Off Terror List - USA Today