"We just wanted to choose a really large number."

-A Treasury spokesman explaining to Forbes that the $700,000,000,000 the administration is asking for is “not based on any particular data point."

From Rolling Stone

Have you ever had a conversation with a three-year-old? Somewhere along the line, the narrative just gets muddled up with bits that happened in a dream, something the neighbor kid said, some dialogue from Dora the Explorer, and maybe a garbled version of something overheard when Dad was on the phone. It becomes clear very quickly that the kid just doesn't know what's real and what's made-up. And that's okay, because the kid is three, and he hasn't figured out what it means to tell the truth yet. Sadly, it seems the McCain campaign hasn't figured it out yet either.

From Salon:

The assignment is simple: We are going to write letters to the editor and we are allowed to make up whatever we want -- as long as it adds to the campaign. After today we are supposed to use our free moments at home to create a flow of fictional fan mail for McCain. "Your letters," says Phil Tuchman, "will be sent to our campaign offices in battle states. Ohio. Pennsylvania. Virginia. New Hampshire. There we'll place them in local newspapers."

Who's running Alaska with Palin on stump?

By MATT VOLZ
Palin spokesman Bill McAllister, who largely vanished from the public eye the first half of September, emerged this week and denied that Palin had disengaged.

"The fact of the matter is the McCain campaign is not running state government. We want to talk to the press but we want to do so in a way that separates state government from national politics," he said. "We're going to try to walk a fine line."

Even Palin's lieutenant governor, Sean Parnell, said keeping in touch has been difficult. And since hackers broke into Palin's Yahoo e-mail account last week, he said, it has dropped off entirely.

Parnell, meanwhile, said he has taken over giving many of Palin's speeches and has taken a more active interest in Alaska's budget and the governor's legislative agenda.

"I'm speaking several more times a week — like, for instance, I'm about to go meet the president of Iceland," Parnell said.

Something is strange about all these denials.. I'm just saying

David Letterman is not happy. Seems Senator McCain blew him off.

Al Jazeera heads to Mississippi to find out what people there think about tonights debate.

I didn't watch it, but reading the transcript, methinks Governor Palin and Katie Couric won't be meeting for lattes this afternoon.

The obligatory Johnny Depp reference: What could be better than Tim Burton directing Alice in Wonderland? Johnny Depp playing the Mad Hatter!

Got this from the group:

Please, no more attention on the Board. It is very dangerous and will hurt Troy's chances. Please take down any links on the various websites calling for action against the Board.

Instead focus on demanding that the Georgia Attorney General's Office to conduct and INDEPENDENT investigation into the allegations of police and prosecutorial misconduct in Troy’s case.

See the letter you can mail or fax to the AG's office

See the YouTube video.

As a reminder, here's how to reach out to the AG:

Thurbert Baker
Office of the Attorney General
40 Capitol Square, SW
Atlanta, Ga 30334
Phone: (404) 656-3300
Fax: (404) 657-8733
tbaker@law.ga.gov

when you cancel on David Letterman at the last minute.

P.S. Rumor has it he didn't really have to go back to D.C., he was actually across the street getting ready for an interview with Katie Couric at CBS.

Join our US Senate candidate, Jim Martin, in Carrollton, tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 27:

Town Hall with Jim Martin

Saturday, Sept. 27

1:00 PM to 2:00 PM

University of West Georgia (Carrollton)
Pafford Hall, Room 102

The University is located at 1601 Maple Street in Carrollton, GA.

This event is free and open to the public- so please bring as many family and friends as you'd like.

Please let folks know to RSVP at either (678) 278 - 2116 or by email at rsvp@martinforsenate.com so we'll know how many people to expect.

** seriously, RSVP for the event **

CNN is now reporting on the teevee that McCain is going to the Mississippi debate. PUNK!!

Letterman speaks for me.

Folks, I'm running out of ways to say this, but the McCain campaign just can't tell the truth. Seriously. Now they have declared victory in the debate. You know, the one that's happening tonight, several hours from now.

From the WaPo:

Although the fate of tonight's presidential debate in Mississippi remains very much up in the air, John McCain has apparently already won it -- if you believe an Internet ad an astute reader spotted next to this piece in the online edition of the Wall Street Journal this morning.

Screen shot here.

For those staying in, the live chat tonight will be at Tondee's Tavern, hosted by Ed. Anyone can chime in, there are no accounts to set up or anything. After your first comment, there may be a delay until the moderator (Ed) notices you, so don't think it's not working.

Back by popular demand, the BfD button store is now open for business.

Caption (in case it's too small to read): "As Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace of the United States of America, where do they go? It's Alaska." - Sarah Palin

You read that bizarre headline right. Some folks had their Obama yard sign stolen a couple of times, and they decided to use ustream.tv to monitor a camera they trained on the third iteration of the sign. Little did they realize that people would spontaneously start watching what is essentially a still shot of an Obama yard sign with the occasional squirrel. Literally hundreds of people are now watching the sign around the clock, and people across the world were watching when two girls actually made an appearance on camera and stole a lawn gnome that had been placed next to the sign. Words just cannot describe how cool this concept is - the world is watching this sign, and the people who put it up. You can watch too, and chat with the community of people who have answered the call to protect the Obama sign!

McCain aide and Fox News dweeb argue that the deck will be unfairly stacked against Palin if the moderators ask more than 50% foreign policy questions. Riiight.

Breaking news here.

WASHINGTON - The House on Monday defeated a $700 billion emergency rescue package, ignoring urgent pleas from President Bush and bipartisan congressional leaders to quickly bail out the staggering financial industry.

Stocks plummeted on Wall Street even before the 228-205 vote to reject the bill was announced on the House floor.

More lipstick, please!

Sarah Palin is all the chatter around the tubes and Googles.

Judith Warner blinks and finds favorite blond, Elle Woods, in Governor Palin.

Tim Dickinson at Rolling Stone gives us some truthiness.

Salon's Rebecca Traister just says NO to the Palin Pity Party.

Connie Schultz wonders, To Palin Supporters: Where's Your Outrage?, and then finds her own.

Even National Review darling, Kathleen Parker, jumps in:

Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first.

But, by far, the best piece I've seen about Governor Palin is the not-yet-posted blistering attack from Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi. As soon as it's posted, we'll get a linky up here. It's a joy to read.

Political Insider reports:

The day before, Sunday, at a caucus of Georgia Democrats, [Jim] Marshall was adamant that he and other Democrats should support the [bailout] measure. "I am willing to give up my seat over this," he told his colleagues. It was that important, he thought, to the national economy and national security.

For those keeping score at home:

$700 billion bailout = Marshall willing to lose his seat
torture = eh, not so much

Newt is an assclown.

Sam Olens knows politics and might have a few good ideas.

The RNC played politics with the bailout bill, purchasing ads before the vote.

Check where your food comes from, some might be poisoned.

Recent polls show Jim Martin within two points of Saxby. Gasp. Is it possible? Please discuss.

Edited to add:

The same poll now says incumbent Saxby Chambliss, a Republican, leads Martin, a Democrat, by two points, 46 percent to 44 percent.

Thirteen days ago, Chambliss led the challenger by 17 points, 53 percent to 36 percent. Chambliss lost seven points in the latest polling and Martin picked up eight points.

Because the margin of error for both polls is 3.8 percent, the poll shows that Georgia's U.S. Senate race is effectively tied. (emphasis added)

Link

If this makes sense to anyone, please do explain it in the comments.