and people on off from the campaign.

Even Bush wasn't stupid enough to level such directly. He allowed others to do it for him and then bemoaned how 'ugly' elections have become. That John McCain would launch such a blantant attack himeself shows just how desperate his campaign has become.

He's destroying his own self-created image as a man who can 'bring people together' and 'work across the aisle'.

At this point McCain and Palin are speaking only to their base. They are not even trying to reach out to the middle (except in the most superficial ways). The goal is to excite the base and turn them out in force and hope that by going relentlessly negative they can drive down turnout for independents and new voters (who overwhelmingly support Obama).

His goal is to keep Obama's margin of vitory small enough that a little jury-rigging in the right states can steal him the election. Its the only strategy he has left.

He is becoming a sad old caricature of himself.

The dollar is holding even/slightly up against the Euro but it is tanking against Asian currencies (down nearly %5 against the Yen just today).

Asia is where we now get the majority of our manufactured goods. A serious decline against the Yen and other Asian currencies will translate into inflation in the US. I know, working in a Japanese owned company (that gets a lot of manaufatured goods from China) we are very sensitive to exchange rates. Over the last week we have watched the Yen jump and our costs jump at the same time. Costs that will eventualy reach the customer.

We are more likely looking a stagflation with the government pumping money into a leaky boat increasing debts and continueing to drive down the value of the dollar.

Anyway you look at it, its going to get ugly out there.

It will go a long way to healing some of the wounds from the primary. I really do believe that she will make a far more effective leader than Harry Reid has been.

Seriously, someone is calling Reid 'scrappy' and a 'fighter'. The man has no backbone. He gave away the store on Iraq war funding before it even started by annoucing the compromise he'd agree to three weeks BEFORE the compromise was reached. Cutting the legs out of the debate. He always buys into the Bush/Republican frame for every issue (even more than Pelosi).

He had ample opportunity to kill of bury the FISA vote but stomped all over Chris Dodd's proposals (stabbing his own party member in the back) and pushing the REPUBLICAN version of the bill to a floor vote.

On issue after issue he has either capitulated or failed to offer any meaningful opposition.

Mitch McConnell has been running rings around him for two years now.

The sooner Reid goes the better.

I think we can guess what is going to be on the top of the list of concerns for attendees at tonight's Town Hall debate

Yes, but if there are 90 questions about the economy and one question about Ayers which question do you think Brokaw will pick to ask?

For being one of the few media outlets to correctly point out that:

a - Republican's controlled the the Congressin 2005 when this legislation was unable to pass. If they wanted it so badly they could easily have passed it (as they did lots of other legislation).

b - The White House (not congressional Democrats) killed the bill. Even Republicans at the time noted that White House opposition was a key factor in the death of the bill.

These are largely undisputed facts easy to learn facts that the MSN has utterly failed to report to the public.

Rate cuts are designed to spur DEMAND for loans by decreasing the price of those loans making them available to more people. The problem is not a lack of demand - EVERYBODY is screaming for cash right now.

The problem is nobody wants to LEND. In other words its supply. Banks and other institutions veiw lending as too risky. Cutting rates means cutting their potential return in risky times with inflation looming around the corner (the collapse in comodity prices will be offset by the collapse of the dollar).

The Fed and other centeral banks should be RAISING RATES. Make loans a little more expensive. Give banks a better feeling about lending money. Yes it will cause some short term pain when certain businesses that over-rely on loans are not able to afford the new rates but it will encourage more long term lending and force businesses and individuals to better manage their money.

In the long term such a move also improves savings. Right now basic savings do not even keep up with inflation.

Its past time we stopped borrowing our way to an illusion of prosperity and moved back to a more sound financial structure.

Thank god Bush has spent so much time over the last eight years builing up our alliances and good will with the rest of the world. That will make it so much easier for US to take a leading position in this global effort.

We are so lucky we have a President who understands that we live in a global community and takes a great interest in that community. Who listens objectively to our allies and takes their opinions seriously, who resorts first to diplomancy.

Yes I'm being sarcastic.