I don't know, how about yesterday's New York Times:

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/freddie_mac/index.html?s=oldest&

As the housing market soured, both companiesreported steep losses. But the mortgage meltdown also made the companies more important. When the credit markets seized up, Fannie and Freddie regained their central role in mortgage finance after losing significant market share to investment banks during the housing boom. They issued most of mortgage securities sold in the first half of 2008, after investors lost confidence in deals put together by big investment banks.

I don't need anyone's talking points on it, though. Stop assuming everyone who comments here is a troll like you are.

After Palin's "Great Depression" remark, we're not going to be seeing her saying anything unscripted between now and November.

And we won't be worrying about her foreign trips in the future, either.

Hint: it wasn't the guy on Couric's show after ditching Letterman. Watching McCain getting his makeup on live on Letterman was hilarious. Watching Obama deftly handling the press on exactly what he's been doing on the bailout bill, what he would do if needed and how it's important to let the people see the candidates for next president in person was inspiring.

Benazir Bhutto knew far more about the world and about even U.S. domestic politics (despite being a Pakistani) than Sarah Palin does, when Ms. Bhutto was a freshman at Radcliffe. She was curious and intelligent and used all her advantages to become as well-educated, well-informed and well-connected as she could. The most significant problem with Sarah Palin is that neither her life story to date nor her actions since McCain plucked her out of the wilderness indicate any intellectual curiosity whatsoever.

What do you mean by "despite being a Pakistani?" Are you so bigoted to believe that people in Pakistan are not intelligent?

No, you blithering idiot. I meant "despite being a Pakistani, she was more knowledgeable about U.S. domestic politics." Which is exactly what my letter says.

was not to preach to the converted, or stir up the faithful. His mission was to show those who were concerned about his gravitas that he was Presidential timber. To be blunt, his mission was to let the undecided voter who was reluctant to vote for any black man believe that he could stand having him be president. Given all the scary things McCain has been saying and doing all week, accomplishing that would allow Obama to win the election.

Obama has been confounding the pundits who wanted him to be someone other than himself for a long time. He has a very strong sense of self and a very strong belief that his own judgment is good. This isn't George W. Bush, who gets his sense of accomplishment from his family status and his cheering section. This is a man who has earned his place at the table by being the smartest and most reasonable person there.

I hate to say this, but Mission Accomplished.

Repeal the Sarbanes-Oxley law which failed in every case this year

What on earth do you mean by this? Sarbanes-Oxley does a lot of things, very many of which are not just benign, but absolutely necessary to avoid the kind of fraud perpetrated by the people who brought you Enron. It requires corporate boards to exercise duties, not just reap benefits. It makes management responsible to the shareholders, instead of treating them like necessary evils. And it does this in ways you'll never see; if a company simply complies with Sarbanes-Oxley, and prospers (and companies are prospering even in this meltdown, just ask the oil companies), you don't see something that says "we are doing well because our directors are complying with their Sarbanes-Oxley duties."

So I have literally no clue what you meant by your statement. It strikes me as utter nonsense, a repeated talking point from some GOP website that you don't understand and can't support.

Obama was President of the Harvard Law Review. To join the Law Review, you either have to have among the top grades in your class or win a writing competition. No legacies, no affirmative action, no nothing. Plain merit.

To become President, you have to be elected by your peers. They reward hard work, competence and leadership. Editing the work of some of the best legal minds in the world and writing your own note, while continuing your legal education does not create an environment that suffers fools gladly.

Obama also graduated magna cum laude. This is Harvard's current examination policy:

[blockquote]Law School examinations are anonymous, and self-identification of any kind is not permitted. Students should not put their name, class, program, school, or any personal comments that might identify them anywhere on their exam materials. Self-identification may result in disallowance of the exam and a failing grade for the course. Students may not discuss individual exam arrangements with faculty members.[/blockquote]

http://www.law.harvard.edu/academics/handbook/rules-relating-to-law-school-studies/examinations.html

That was the policy when I was in law school (ten years before Obama), so I assume it was the same when he was there.

In other words, the man got where he got on merit. Period.

The Wings play in Joe Louis Arena. They used to play at the Olympia, next to Northwestern High School, which was nearly all-black when my dad graduated from it in 1943. It's the Pistons, the essentially all-black team, who play way out in the burbs. The Red Wings represent the city and Detroiters are proud of them.