A Day To Remember

• What I'm Watching/Listening To/Reading:
• I'd say that House is on fire this season, but it's always very good, of course. The new P.I. character is great and they're doing a solid job of weaving House's personal problems with the medical mystery. Still one of the best two or three shows on TV.
• I love the new 90210. I think I've mentioned that. The whole part where Dixon thinks he's about to score with Silver and realizes that he's just given away the lone condom he had carried in his wallet for four years was classic. Anybody who's been an eighteen-year-old guy gets the joke. Best lines of the night: "My mom gave me an after-school special talk about sex." "What's an after-school special?" "Google it!"
• I hope you saw Letterman tonight. Dear God... If you didn't, you'll be reading about it everywhere on Thursday. I actually started to feel a little bad for McCain during the Top Ten list, but then it kept getting worse and worse. I think it's safe to say that there is one guest who will never go on Dave again.
• You know, it wasn't such a bad speech from the Prez. I don't quite get why he kept rubbing against the microphone and maybe it was a little technical for the lesser-educated of us, but it was effective and blessedly non-partisan.
• Random Thoughts/Links:
• This is where I comment on what happened in the world of politics today. But, I'm suspending my comments because Congress needs me there to help. Well, they certainly need me as much as they need McCain.
• No, really, too much happened. This may be the best day of the campaign yet. Hence...
• Your List Sucks!: The 11 Worst Things That Happened To The McCain Campaign on 9/24/08.
• With a quick note that most of things are interconnected and have very obvious causal relationships...
• 11. Rick Davis -- The Times and Newsweek both confirmed that Davis' firm had been receiving $15,000 a month up fom Freddie Mac until last month. Also that Davis had met with execs in 2006. That would be one year later than 2005, which was when McCain insisted yesterday that the relationship was severed. This led to the first moment of extreme awkwardness in Palin's embarrassing interview with Katie Couric (#3).
• 10. The Media Backlash -- So the campaign attacks the press and says that they are out to get McCain and they don't expect the media to call BS when McCain pulls a questionable gimmick? You have to wonder if anyone plans anything a day in advance in this campaign or if they're running around panicking like the scene in Airplane 2 when they find out they've run out of coffee. Yes, I made an Airplane 2 reference.
• 9. The President -- Oh, wait, he's still in charge? And to which party does he belong again?
• 8. The Obama Response -- Here's some of the text. "Presidents are going to have to deal with more than one thing at a time." Ouch.
• 7. The Joint Statement Fiasco -- Obama called McCain privately and then waited. McCain eventually called him back and supposedly agreed to a joint non-partisan statement. Two minutes later, McCain came out with his big announcement. So which is worse, that McCain stole Obama's idea and tried to one-up it politically? Or that when McCain aides said he was in deep conversation all morning with advisors, they were lying?
• 6. Palin's U.N. Visits -- One of my co-workers made me double over in laughter today when she referred to it as "speed-dating the world leaders".
• 5. Letterman -- I can find some of a transcript, but it doesn't do it all justice. I could try to find a YouTube link, but the vitriol lasted as much as two-thirds of the show, so it wouldn't be long enough. Letterman absolutely tore McCain a new one tonight.
• 4. Polling -- Do you want the ABC/Post one that has Obama +9? The Fox News one with Obama +6? More importantly, +9 in CO, +9 in PA, +6 in NH? The campaign had to hold a press conference with their pollster to fight against the results. This was the real cause of everything -- with the economy at the forefront and the numbers getting out of hand, McCain needed a huge gamble to get the headlines back. Unfortunately, see #10.
• 3. The Couric/Palin Interview -- There are two cringe-worthy moments here: the awkward pause and uncomfortable repetition of the talking points at the very beginning, and the cluelessness at the very end. Also, saying we might go into a Great Depression wasn't real smart.

• 2. Delaying the Debate -- I think the afternoon SurveyUSA poll about this was bogus, but it's not hard to figure out that people have been waiting for the debates. I know that McCain can't afford to legitimize Obama while the polls are going the way they are. Tough luck.
• 1. Suspending the Campaign -- What can you say? Presidents can't quit. Presidents have to multi-task. I know he's losing, but does the McCain campaign have to keep pulling gimmick (Palin) after gimmick (lies) after gimmick (today's crap)? Does anyone actually think he'd make a good President if he has to resort to this crap every other day?