Today's Links (9/17)

[Italicized comments are my own and not from the referenced article.]

McCain Laboring to Hit Right Note on the Economy
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/17/us/politics/17mccain.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

McCain has already admitted that he doesn't really understand the economy ...

Mr. McCain and the Economy
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/17/opinion/17wed1.html?th&emc=th

Hey, but at least he invented the Black Berry ...

Holding Mr. Rove in Contempt
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/17/opinion/17wed2.html?th&emc=th

I'm not 100% sure that Karl will end up in prison someday, but I'm almost that sure that he's going to Hell.

From moose whacker to McCain's meal ticket
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-rutten17-2008sep17,0,4732430.column?track=ntothtml

It should worry McCain and the GOP that they had to pull a stunt like the Palin selection just to get within a couple of points of Obama. And it should worry the rest of the country that Palin would be one spot away from the White House should McCain actually win.

True Whoppers
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/16/AR2008091602874.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

McCain and Palin have demonstrated a remarkable (and frightening) willingness to lie to the American people, and there's absolutely no reason to expect that it would be any different should they win in November. Haven't we had enough lying over the last eight years?

Pakistan Is the Problem -- And Barack Obama seems to be the only candidate willing to face it
http://www.slate.com/id/2200134

The title pretty much covers it, I think.

Even GOP says McCain must accept earmarks
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13525.html

Most presidential candidates find that, upon actually becoming president, many of the things they talked about on the campaign trail and either impractical or impossible to implement -- usually due to bureaucratic resistance or Congress having other ideas.

GOP group behind negative Obama poll
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13516.html

This type of polling is, unfortunately, pretty common. Just ask McCain about what Bush's surrogates did to him in 2000.

Dems hit McCain on access
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13527.html

Well, McCain has lied about so many things lately -- why should we expect this situation to be any different?

John McCain: No Reformer
http://www.dnc.org/a/2008/09/no_reformer.php

The Democratic National Committee has released a "65-page report on John McCain's 26 years in Washington, cozy relationships with his lobbyist campaign advisors and fundraisers and the backroom deals he's been involved with" ...

McCain and Palin are laughing at the press -- and it's the press' fault
http://mediamatters.org/columns/200809160015

The press simply has to be more vigilant. Duh. But I'm not exactly going to hold my breath waiting for that to happen.

Barack Obama Uses Google to Combat Vicious Rumors
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/campaign-2008/2008/09/17/barack-obama-uses-google-to-combat-vicious-rumors.html?s_cid=et-0917

It's smart to fight back -- as opposed to sitting back and doing nothing, which is pretty much what the Kerry campaign did for most of the '04 campaign.

Palin staff won't testify in trooper probe, AG says
http://us.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/17/palin.investigation/index.html

If there's nothing to hide, what's the $#@! problem?!

Barack-Seat Drivers
http://www.slate.com/id/2200229?wpisrc=newsletter

Barack should follow his instincts and do what got him here rather than take a ton of advance from multiple people. The "too many cooks in the kitchen" theory is definitely a concern.

Palin Calling for an End to Investigation She Requested
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5827023&page=1

To paraphrase something Jon Stewart recently asked, did this woman win a freakin' contest or something?! How did she get here?! Is this the best they could come up with -- a lunatic flip-flopping liar of a governor?!