Morning Read

The report of a mutilation of a John McCain volunteer sounds fishy to bloggers on all sides. But if it's true, it's far worse than anything that McCain supporters have done to Barack Obama, conservative bloggers write. While most of the latest polls show McCain on the ropes, conservative bloggers say that it's not yet time to look past him.

The volunteer, Ashley Todd, 20, said she was at an ATM when she was attacked by black man, who carved a 'B' into her cheek, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. But not only do Todd's statements conflict with the evidence, the 'B' in her cheek is written backwards, as if it was done using a mirror, writes Michelle Malkin, who is skeptical of the story. The press should calm down in its coverage of the story, since occasional violence with political ramifications will occur on both sides, writes Andrew Sullivan.

If the report is true, the actual violence is worse than the verbal abuse by Republicans toward Democrats that the press has "cooked up," writes RedState's Erick Erickson. Though the beating was political, it's unfair to conclude something about Obama supporters based on the actions of one nut, writes Hot Air's Ed Morrissey.

In the campaign, McCain is on life support, as the latest state polls show him behind in his must-win states of Pennsylvania, Florida and Indiana, writes FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver. But conservatives who are already looking to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republicans' future leader forget that losing vice presidential nominees often don't amount to much, writes Townhall's Michael Medved. Though many polls and pundits are pointing to an Obama victory, McCain still has a chance because voters don't like to be bullied, writes Power Line's John Hinderaker.

FROM THE BLOGS:
'Mutilation' Story Smells Awfully Weird - Michelle Malkin
Joe the Mugger? - Andrew Sullivan, The Daily Dish
Looks Hoaxy To Me - Althouse
But Someone Yelled 'Kill Him' At Rally - Erick Erickson, RedState
McCain Supporter Maimed - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
McCain on Life Support - Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight
McCain Loss Will Block Palin's Path - M. Medved, Townhall.com
Ray of Hope - John Hinderaker, Power Line
GOP's Synaptic Breakdown - Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
In McCain's Uphill Battle, Winning Is An Option - New York Times
Polls Point to Struggle for McCain - Washington Post
Obama Assists Down-Ticket Democrats - Wall Street Journal
Greenspan Says He Was Wrong on Regulation - Washington Post

The leaked Republican "death list" of GOP House members likely to fail in re-election races shows that Republicans are bowing down to reality, according to blogging pundits. But the National Republican Congressional Committee's (NRCC) decision to pull money from Rep. Michele Bachmann's (Minn.) race angers conservative activists. And even though the latest interview featuring Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) has yet to air, it's already providing fodder for liberal bloggers who see her as a drag on the GOP ticket.

According to the internal GOP tally of House races, Republicans expect a net loss of 34 House seats, which would be worse than most analysts's predictions, reports Washington Whispers' Paul Bedard. The NRCC's decision to take away money pegged for the races of Bachmann, Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo.) and Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.) is further evidence that Republicans are coming to grips with dire circumstances and are just trying to limit losses, writes The Fix's Chris Cillizza.

Rep. Tom Cole (Okla.), the head of the NRCC, should be fired for deciding to ditch Bachmann's winnable race after providing earlier support for Reps. Don Young (Alaska) and Rick Renzi (Arizona), both of whom face ethics questions, writes RedState's Erick Erickson. Conservative activists should donate directly to Bachmann's campaign, which has been hurt by Chris Matthews's spin of her remarks about "anti-American" liberals, writes Townhall's Amanda Carpenter.

NBC pundit Chuck Todd and news anchor Brian Williams implied that the yet-to-be aired interview with Palin and McCain didn't go well and may contain more gaffes, notes MyDD's Todd Beeton. Todd made it seem that the wheels are coming off the McCain campaign, as he noted that there was no chemistry between the ticket mates and even speculated that McCain may be blaming Palin for his poor position in the presidential race, writes TalkingPointsMemo's Josh Marshall.

FROM THE BLOGS:
GOP 'Death List' Predicts Blowout - P. Bedard, Wash. Whispers
House Republicans Bow to Political Reality - Chris Cillizza, The Fix
NRCC Yanks Funding From Bachmann - Erick Erickson, RedState
Bachmann's Fighting Alone Now - Amanda Carpenter, Townhall
GOP Pulls $ From Bachmann, Musgrave - J. Aravosis, AMERICAblog
Off The Rails - Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
Inauspicious Roll-Out of NBC Interview - Todd Beeton, MyDD
McCain and Palin: The Thrill is Gone - Jeralyn, TalkLeft

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Rivals Split on U.S. Power, But Defy Easy Labels - NY Times
Plans to Aid Borrowers Gain Steam - Wall Street Journal
McCain Tries to Push Past Palin Backlash - Washington Post
Jurors Can't Reach Stevens Verdict on Day 1 - The Hill

Barack Obama has opened up a big lead in two respected national polls, liberal bloggers eagerly note. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's performance as the GOP vice presidential nominee has hurt John McCain, and the news that Republican National Committee spent $150,000 on her convention wardrobe isn't helping, bloggers note. Palin, however, could be a formidable candidate for president in 2012, according to two political blogging pundits.

Obama leads 52 percent to 38 percent in the Pew Research Center's survey of registered voters and 52 percent to 42 percent in the NBC/Wall Street Journal survey. Obama is getting more support that is solid and positive than McCain, whose judgment and temperament is being questioned by voters, who are disappointed with his choice of Palin as a running mate, writes Democratic Strategist Ed Kilgore. Obama's lead is similar to the ones held by the victorious candidates in 1980 and 2004, Ronald Reagan and President Bush, respectively, notes MyDD's Todd Beeton. The good news for McCain is that Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) is nervous enough about his state that he has asked Obama to campaign there, writes The Corner's Kathryn Jean Lopez.

Republicans have e-mailed Marc Ambinder about their disgust with the RNC's decision to spend $150,000 to outfit Palin during the convention. They can't understand how their party could do "something this stupid" in the middle of the financial collapse, Ambinder writes. Palin, however, was treated unfairly by CNN when a correspondent took a National Review quote out of context to suggest that conservatives had called Palin "incompetent" and "stupid," writes The Corner's Rich Lowry.

Palin has hinted that she'll be a presidential candidate in 2012 by going on "Saturday Night Live" and by noting her disagreements with McCain over a same-sex marriage amendment and attacks on Obama, writes The Fix's Chris Cillizza. If Obama wins, the GOP primaries in 2012 will be all about catering to the conservative base, which already loves Palin, writes Ambinder.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Two Big Polls Show Big Obama Lead - Ed Kilgore, Dem Strategist
Four Years Ago - Todd Beeton, MyDD
Pennsylvania Might Just Be in Play - joe24pack, RedState
The Good News Is... - Kathryn Jean Lopez, The Corner
Republicans Disgusted By RNC Spending on Palin - Marc Ambinder
Clothes Spending Has Republicans Livid - Sam Stein, Huffington Post
CNN's Rank Dishonesty - Rich Lowry, The Corner
Palin 2012 Contender or Pretender? - Chris Cillizza, The Fix
Thinking About 2012 - Marc Ambinder
Conservatives Don't Need to Endure Obama - M. Medved, Townhall

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Early Voting a Boost for Dems - USA Today
Obama Opens Double-Digit Lead - Wall Street Journal
Big Donors Drive Obama's Money Edge - Washington Post
Sen. Stevens's Fate Now Rests in Jury's Hands - The Hill

Despite the analysis by CNN

The suggestion by a few prominent conservatives that former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama because of his race has liberal bloggers pushing back, while conservatives debate the substance and efficacy of John McCain

A Gallup poll showing a close race between Barack Obama and John McCain headlines the Drudge Report on Friday morning and gives conservative bloggers reason to hope. But the poll model isn't Gallup's most credible and yields results that don't mesh with other surveys, notes one political prognosticator on the left. The Washington Post has endorsed Obama for president "without ambivalence," pleasing most liberal bloggers. Though there's less than three weeks left in the campaign, McCain and Obama took a break Thursday to yuk it up, bloggers note.

The Gallup poll of likely voters shows Obama leading McCain 49 percent to 47 percent, a difference that is within the margin of error. The closeness of the race once again reinforces the notion that the election is all about which side will be able to turn out voters, writes Townhall's Jonathan Garthwaite, who admits that Obama could have the advantage because of new voters. The Drudge Report, however, seems to be cherry-picking its results, as every other poll shows larger Obama leads, including the Gallup survey that uses an updated likely voter model, writes FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver.

The Washington Post's endorsementof Obama, based largely on the Democrat's appeal, reinforced the argument that an Obama victory this year wouldn't be a result of Republican faults, writes MyDD Todd Beeton. But it's unclear to TalkLeft's Jeralyn whether the Post editorial board members, who criticized Obama's Iraq position and the idea that McCain represents another term for President Bush, would have backed Obama if McCain didn't choose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) as a running mate.

At the Al Smith charity dinner in New York Thursday, McCain and Obama graciously roasted each other, notes The Swamp. It was inspiring, especially after a debate that underwhelmed, writes The Corner's Mike Potemra. But it was "more than off-putting" for The Corner's Kathryn Jean Lopez to see Cardinal Edward Egan, head of the New York Archdiocese, ham it up with Obama, whom Lopez sees as a "threat" to the "dignity of human life."

FROM THE BLOGS:
Likely Voters: Obama 49, McCain 47 - Gallup
Today's Polls - Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight
Refocusing The Fight - Michael Medved, Townhall.com
Re: Gallup - Jonathan Garthwaite, Townhall.com
The Washington Post Endorsement - Todd Beeton, MyDD
WaPo Endorses Obama, Criticizes Palin - Jeralyn, TalkLeft
A 'No-Brainer' - Lowell, Raising Kaine
McCain and Obama Triumph - Mike Potemra, The Corner
Sorry to Be a Buzzkill - Kathryn Jean Lopez, The Corner
Obama, McCain Share Laughs at Dinner - The Swamp

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Surveys Split on Who Has The Lead - Wall Street Journal
Polls Cause Campaign to Change Itineraries - New York Times
Real Deal on 'Joe the Plumber' Reveals New Slant - New York Times
Stevens Takes Stand, Denies Charges - The Hill

With the final debate in the books, bloggers on both sides agree that John McCain didn't do enough to change the race. On Wednesday, Barack Obama used his cool to deflect attacks by McCain, who didn't help himself with his body language, according to liberal bloggers. McCain may have won the debate by putting Obama on the defensive, but he failed to follow up his attacks with a knockout blow, according to conservative bloggers. The star of the debate wasn't Obama or McCain but "Joe the Plumber," bloggers write.

While McCain was seen grimacing, grunting and rolling his eyes at the debate, Obama kept his cool and didn't get rattled by attacks, writes Daily Kos's Trapper John. McCain came across as condescending, just like Vice President Al Gore did during a presidential debate in 2000, writes MyDD's Jonathan Singer. McCain's "contemptuous" body language and his attacks on Obama for ties to Weather Underground member William Ayers and ACORN was just more of the same failed strategy he and President Bush have stubbornly followed, writes The Huffington Post's Arianna Huffington. There's already evidence that Obama won the debate; snap polls from CBS and CNN and a Fox News focus group went for Obama, just like they had in previous debates, notes Political Animal's Steve Benen.

McCain won Tuesday by putting Obama on the defensive, but he didn't follow up attacks on Obama for not repudiating the remarks of Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and for suggesting that Ayers was just an educator, writes Townhall's Matt Lewis. McCain was good, but he lacked the killer instinct and the contempt for Obama that would have allowed him to really go after the Democrat, writes The Corner's Mark Steyn. According to Contentions' Jennifer Rubin, McCain is handicapped in debates because he relies more on emotion than on marshalling evidence. At least one conservative blogger, RedState's Erick Erickson, thinks that McCain "mopped the floor" Obama. Erickson wrote that Obama looked annoyed Tuesday and could be in danger of losing his lead in polls just like President Jimmy Carter did in the final days of the 1980 election.

McCain tried to use "Joe the Plumber," an Ohio voter that Obama spoke to this week, to show that Obama's proposal to repeal tax cuts for Americans making more than $250,000 a year would hurt regular Americans. McCain did better by talking about Joe than Obama did by talking about mega-investor Warren Buffett, writes Townhall's Amanda Carpenter. But it's not clear whether Joe would see a tax increase because he may not make more than $250,000, a salary higher than most Americans', writes The Plank's Jonathan Cohn. Joe the Plumber, whose real name is Joe Wurzelbacher, told ABC News that Obama's tax plan "infuriates" him and made clear that he doesn't like a progressive tax code of any kind.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Obama Cool - Trapper John, Daily Kos
McCain's Eye Rolls - Jed L, Daily Kos
McCain Like Gore in 2000 - Jonathan Singer, MyDD
Debate Polls - Steve Benen, Political Animal
McCain's Losing Strategy - Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post
Just Surly And Contemptuous - Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
McCain Won, But Didn't Do Enough - Matt Lewis, Townhall.com
I Guess Barry Decided He Already Won - Erick Erickson, RedState
The Good Old Days - Mark Steyn, The Corner
Handicaps Himself As Salesman - J. Rubin, Contentions
What Joe Doesn't Know - Stanley Kurtz, The Corner
Joe The Plumber Same As Joe Six-Pack? - Jonathan Cohn, The Plank
Joe: Obama Tax Plan 'Infuriates Me' - Teddy Davis, Political Radar
Go Joe! (And John) - Amanda Carpenter, Townhall.com

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
McCain Deals No Lethal Blows in Final Debate - Los Angeles Times
Aggressive Underdog v. Cool Counterpuncher - Washington Post
McCain Attacks, But Obama Stays Steady - New York Times
Debate Sees An Aggressive McCain And A Cool Obama - The Hill

With Barack Obama way ahead of John McCain in the latest CBS/New York Times and Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg national polls, liberal bloggers declare that McCain's strategy of attacking Obama's character has backfired. One conservative blogger urges McCain to stay on the offensive, while another questions whether McCain is being all that negative. The Tory victory in Canada gives conservative bloggers something to crow about.

Obama leads 53 percent to 39 percent in the CBS/New York Times poll and 50 percent to 41 percent in the Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg survey. Those results echo others that show Obama with a majority of support, and they suggest red states such as Georgia, Montana and North Dakota could vote Democratic this year, writes kos. The polls show that McCain, who unleashed guilt-by-association attacks in recent weeks, is losing on character issues, as he has a favorability rating of just 41 percent in the CBS survey, writes Poltical Animal's Steve Benen. Obama's also winning when it comes to issues; more voters believe that McCain, not Obama, would raise taxes, notes TPM Election Central's Eric Kleefeld.

But the only way for McCain to win this year is by making the election about Obama, so the Republican either needs to find a new line of attack or find a new way to communicate his attacks, writes Townhall's Matt Lewis. The tone of the campaign isn't as negative as conventional wisdom suggests, as most voters polled by CBS and The New York Times think this year's race is just as negative as the 2004 campaign, writes The Corner's Byron York.

The victory by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party in Canada shows the world understands the war on jihadists is real and the best response to the economic crisis is low taxes and a slimmed-down public sector, writes Townhall's Hugh Hewitt. Conservative governments are rising in Britain and Israel and already in place in Canada, Italy and Germany, notes The Corner's Mark Steyn, making America the exception.

FROM THE BLOGS:
The Dam Is Bursting - kos, Daily Kos
Poll Shows McCain Strategy Backfiring - S. Benen, Political Animal
Voters Think McCain Would Raise Taxes - E. Kleefeld, TPM EC
Campaign Really More Negative? - Byron York, The Corner
McCain Hurt By His Attacks? - Matt Lewis, Townhall.com
Voter Fraud Alert - Michelle Malkin
The Other Election - Mark Steyn, The Corner
Conservatives Win In Canada - Hugh Hewitt, Townhall.com
Not-So-Worthwhile Canadian Electoral System - Matthew Yglesias

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Poll Says McCain Hurt His Bid By Using Attacks - New York Times
Poll: Obama Leads 50 Percent to 41 Percent - Los Angeles Times
McCain Puts New Tax Cuts on the Table - Wall Street Journal
Obama's First 100 Days Start Early - The Hill

The Treasury Department's plan to buy stakes in the country's largest banks is receiving plaudits from blogging economists. Political bloggers like the plan but worry about its long-term consequences. With John McCain seeking a comeback in the presidential race, conservative bloggers offer different lines of attack the Republican can use on Barack Obama.

Secretary Henry Paulson's offer of billions to nine large U.S. banks is something they can't refuse, writes liberal economist Brad DeLong, who has been calling for a similar move for weeks. Members of both parties, including House Financial Services ranking member Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), had advised Paulson to recapitalize banks earlier, instead of proposing his mortgage-security-purchasing plan, writes Justin Fox, Time's Curious Capitalist.

Paulson's old bailout plan was like attacking the crisis by "going through the back door," while his new plan goes "through the front door," writes RedState's blackhedd. While the conservative blogger supports the measure, he insists it must be unwound as soon as the crisis abates. The plan is a step in the right direction, but it doesn't distinguish solvent banks from shaky ones and it fails to force banks to write-down their bad assets, which would have been good things to do, according to Political Animal's Hilzoy. With both the United States and Europe stepping up efforts to tackle the crisis, it's now clear that the next administration will have no choice but to eschew the unilateralism of President Bush, writes The Huffington Post's Thomas B. Edsall.

McCain has come from behind to win races before, but his backers can't agree on how he can do it this time, reports the Los Angeles Times. If McCain makes Obama the focus of the race, voters will realize that the Democrat is for a "radical and destructive direction" for the country, according to Townhall's Michael Medved. McCain at Wednesday's debate should knock Obama for telling a plumber that he plans to "spread the wealth around," writes The Corner's Mark Steyn. Since attacks on Obama's ties to Weatherman bomber William Ayers didn't work, McCain should bring back Rev. Jeremiah Wright, someone who was undoubtedly close to Obama, writes The Daily Beast's Tucker Carlson.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Offers You Can't Refuse - Brad DeLong
An Early View of the Treasury Plan - J. Fox, Curious Capitalist
Recapitalizing - Matthew Yglesias
Going Through the Front Door - blackhedd, RedState
Bailout 2.0 - Hilzoy, Political Animal
The New Paulson Plan - Kevin Drum
Crisis Likely to Have Profound Consequences - T. Edsall, HuffPo
McCain's Choice - Mark Steyn, The Corner
Key to Victory - Michael Medved, Townhall.com
Bring Back Rev. Wright - Tucker Carlson, The Daily Beast

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
U.S. to Buy Stakes in Nation's Largest Banks - WSJ
Obama Details Plan to Aid Victims of Fiscal Crisis - NY Times
McCain Is Looking For Another Comeback - LA Times
DoJ: E-mails During Stevens Renovations Kept Secret - The Hill

With three weeks to go before the election, John McCain finds himself behind Barack Obama in every national poll, including the latest survey by The Washington Post and ABC News. Many Americans just don't like McCain anymore, so his late attempts to reshape the campaign won't work, according to liberal bloggers. But Democrats looking past the election may be getting ahead of themselves, according to conservative bloggers.

The Washington Post/ABC News poll shows Obama with a 53 percent to 43 percent lead. The survey also shows Obama as the stronger candidate when it comes to two areas where McCain needs to win: tax policy and leadership, notes TalkingPointsMemo's Josh Marshall. McCain's favorability ratings, once around 60 percent, have dropped to 52 percent because of his negative attacks, notes Firedoglake's Attaturk.

The Drudge Report's Monday morning headline asks if McCain is "ready for a comeback." But there's little evidence that McCain's campaign is on the upswing, so any comeback suggestions may be part of an effort to spin the media into giving the Republican positive coverage, writes FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver. New York Times columnist William Kristol's suggestion that McCain "junk" his campaign and run as "a cheerful, open and accessible candidate" would only feed into the notion that McCain is erratic, writes TalkLeft's TChris. And while McCain's aides have talked about new economic prescriptions, the campaign isn't ready to propose any, writes Marshall.

Democrats, however, are giving Americans cause to think again about voting for them by planning a post-election lame-duck session to consider another expensive stimulus bill, writes The Corner's Kathryn Jean Lopez. A veteran Democrat's predictions of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) as a Supreme Court justice and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) as Secretary of State in an Obama administration should also give Americans some pause, writes Townhall's Carol Platt Liebau.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Lapping Him - Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
People No Longer Like Him - Attaturk, Firedoglake
Drudge Priming McCain 'Reboot' Narrative? - N. Silver, 538
Kristol Tells McCain to Junk His Campaign - TChris, TalkLeft
Just Totally Falling Apart - Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
A View From The Ground - Karen Tumulty, Swampland
Getting Ahead of Themselves - Kathryn Jean Lopez, The Corner
Not A Pretty Picture - Carol Platt Liebau, Townhall.com
Not Even Close to Over - Carol Platt Liebau, Townhall.com

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Obama Up By 10 Points as McCain Favorability Ratings Fall - Wash. Post
Adviser Says McCain Has Tax Cuts In Mind - Wall Street Journal
No New Economic Proposal Expected from McCain - New York Times
History Suggests McCain Faces Uphill Battle - New York Times