Today's Links (10/1)

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

Washington to New York: Drop Dead
http://www.slate.com/default.aspx?id=2201175

The "bailout" bill was far from perfect (and actually stunk in a lot of ways) ... but the GOP members of Congress who voted against it have made life pretty rotten for their colleagues.

Labeled as a Bailout, Plan Was Hard to Sell to a Skeptical Public
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/business/01capital.html

Calling it a "rescue" or "economic enhancement" might have sounded better, but it wouldn't have changed the substance of the bill. Instead of calls to congressional offices running 9-to-1 against the plan, it might have improved all the way to 7-to-1 against ... ;-)

A Test of Leadership
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/30/AR2008093001790.html

Agreed. If a person is asking us to let them lead the country, they should step up now and lead their parties.

Investigating a Scandal
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/opinion/01wed1.html

Does anybody actually believe that Karl Rove will cooperate with an investigation? Didn't think so.

Report Implicates White House
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/30/AR2008093002623.html

These folks have never met a law they wouldn't break. Repeatedly.

So You Think You're a Swing Voter?
http://www.slate.com/id/2201071

Here in North Carolina, our votes are actually important. If we lived somewhere like New York or California, they wouldn't matter nearly as much.

Underestimate Palin at your own risk, former rivals say
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-palindebate1-2008oct01,0,7290508.story

My guess is that Palin will perform better than people expect, but that's not saying much. And I think that she's been so stuffed with information and over-programmed by the McCain people that it's going to be difficult for her to relax on Thursday.

Commentary: 10 rules for winning a debate
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/01/begala.debate/index.html

Expectations are so low for Palin right now that it's ridiculous.

In Runup to Debate, Sarah Palin Turns Up Anger
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/campaign-2008/2008/09/30/in-runup-to-debate-sarah-palin-turns-up-anger.html

Anger isn't going to help her.

To some evangelicals, Palin's career violates biblical teachings
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-evangelical1-2008oct01,0,3525229.story

Good grief. You have got to be kidding me ...

Palin Had Another Private E-Mail Account, Company Says
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/30/AR2008093002699.html

Uhhhhhhhh ... I'm pretty sure that it's against Alaska law for an elected official to conduct state business on any e-mail system other than the state's server. And this is the second time that's Palin has been caught violating that law.

Commentary: Time for Palin to put up or shut up
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/01/martin.palin/index.html

I think she should shut up. :-)

The Poetry of Sarah Palin
http://www.slate.com/id/2201342

Deeeeeeeeeeep stuff ... ;-)

Palin Gives Beliefs, Demurs on Policies
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/30/AR2008093002993.html

Palin is an unqualified hack. That's about as simply as I can state it. So simple, in fact, that even she could (probably) understand it.