I'd rather have a national holiday for Ronald Reagan's birthday than to see America pussy-footing around September 11. We don't take December 7th off, we don't take November 22d off, we don't take April 14th off. Let's allow Spetember 11th to join those dates in obloquy.

Thank you for testifying. My own family has undergone a similar story. Unwanted pregnancy is a universal human phenomenon. I'm as opposed to McCain as anyone on the planet, but I can't hold Bristolgate against him or Sarah Palin or her husband or the girl and boy themselves.

I think McCain should have known better. Oh yes, it's patronizing to decide that Sarah Palin doesn't have it in her to step up if he died next February (after election as president, of course). But it's legitimate to think about how his running mate will be received by the "liberal press," right?

And I think Palin should have known better. I've been approached to join the leadership of a failing enterprise--"We think you should run for the Board." My first thought was, you're looking at the bottom of the barrel; why are you so desperate? That should have been hers too. It was a bad decision for her to say yes to such a cockeyed proposition.

I think you're right. John McCain relied on the same seat-of-the-pants that caused him to wreck five Navy jets. Don't let him crash the White House too!

You keep flogging Open Salon, but it's all been tedious.

Did you have to blurt out that irritating quip and prompt dozens of spammers to show up here?

On top of Salon's narrow and rudderless coverage of the election, you're ruining the discussion space here. Or is this another ploy to get us over to the vapid "Open Salon"?

Whatever they're paying you, it's too much.

Classic Republican behavior. Don't we all remember this in Florida after the 2000 vote?

that the wire story labeled "Groups question if McCain broke 9/11 ad pledge":

http://www.salon.com/wires/ap/2008/09/12/D9357UI00_mccain/index.html

goes to a squib about a Greek government scandal.

Where does he say McCain will raise taxes? He says that he'll have to if nothing happens to cut spending.

There's nothing to this item.

I'm like Andrew in that I'm an involuntary WaMu client. Still, guess I'd better go hit the ATM.

...and no crowds are in evidence.

I agree that in an ordinary election, Palin would be meaningless, but McCain has significant odds of not surviving his term. Palin has significant odds of being sworn in at 3 a.m. in the Naval Observatory, then staggering up to the cameras and trying to make us confident in her leadership as President of the USA. It's well worth imagining that moment right now, before we vote.

If Dick Cheney, a multiple heart-attack victim, had run for President and George W. Bush has arranged to choose himself as the VP.

Nobody in that Carson City crowd had a substantive reason to vote for McCain; it was all about projection and identification with the vice-presidential candidate.

Should Obama start saying, "It's time to vote McCain off the island"?

Today McCain blames the troubles of the financial industry on greed. In other words, capitalism would be fine if only it were run by men of good character. Where have I heard that before? Oh yes, that's why we should put him in the White House--it's just a matter of getting the best people there, not the best laws and regulations.

Last I heard, Ahmadinejad is the president of Iran and has a perfect right to be at the UN along with Vladimir Putin, George Bush and a hundred worse people. Why would Hillary Clinton, and why would she who I'd rather not name, show up to shout epithets at this ceremonial president and political hack?

My parents live in Delmar now, so I've been there a few times lately. It's a real Disneyland/Pleasantville kind of place these days. But the real Pleasantville, where I went to high school [mumble] years ago, used to have an "other side of the tracks" too. So I can relate to this post, but boy, Delmar . . . there's no there there any more.

I would conclude that anything featuring John McCain is a setup, made for the cameras, with a bunch of House suits and Joe Leiberman standing behind him. The only reason for his whole "country-first" stunt is to playact at being presidential.

I've never watched her do interviews before, and she does great with Palin: no nonsense, no chatty bits, no smiles, just simple questions that shouldn't be hard for an honest person to answer. And Gov. Palin is as sweaty and nervous as a teenager caught out after curfew.

Good riddance to the "wahmoo" bank and their idiotic "Whoo Hoo!" slogan. I can just imagine their marketing department signing off on that idea. "No, it doesn't sound at all like riding a rollercoaster!"

...at least she didn't put on an African turban.

The victims are people ACCUSED of witchcraft. Just like witchcraft killed those women in Salem in the 1600s.

That is the lamest, most pitiful dodge I've heard since, um, since McCain's explanation for "suspending" his campaign.

Hello, Gwen Ifill will be facing JOE BIDEN.

He set aside enormous tracts of the North Pacific from commercial fishing. Yes, any president would have done that, I'd like to think. I'm not at all sure McCain would, though.

Oh that's right, he's computer illiterate. So must everyone else be who swallows this line.