Morning Roundup

McCain continues to draw mobs of angry people. This can't end anywhere good. As Andrew Sullivan says today:

"To some, a president Obama is simply unimaginable. From a McCain supporter in Wisconsin yesterday:

"We're all wondering why Obama is where he's at. How he got here. Everybody in this room is stunned we're in this position."

There was always going to be a point of revolt and panic for a core group of Americans who believe that Obama simply cannot be president - because he's black or liberal or young or relatively new. This is that point. As the polls suggest a strong victory, the Hannity-Limbaugh-Steyn-O'Reilly base are going into shock and extreme rage. McCain and Palin have decided to stoke this rage, to foment it, to encourage paranoid notions that somehow Obama is a "secret" terrorist or Islamist or foreigner. These are base emotions in both sense of the word.

But they are also very very dangerous. This is a moment of maximal physical danger for the young Democratic nominee. And McCain is playing with fire. If he really wants to put country first, he will attack Obama on his policies - not on these inflammatory, personal, creepy grounds. This is getting close to the atmosphere stoked by the Israeli far right before the assassination of Rabin.

For God's sake, McCain, stop it. For once in this campaign, put your country first."

And wouldn't you know, O'Reilly showed his true colors last night (also from Sullivan):

A pretty staggering exchange on O'Reilly just now. O'Reilly had African-American Temple University professor Marc Lamont Hill on the show. O'Reilly went into Colbert mode at one point, saying that when he thinks about a metaphorical "Joe Six-Pack", he has no race in mind: "The immediate image that comes to my mind is a guy of no color," O'Reilly said. Try that for a second: imagine a man of no color. Then this staggering quote from O'Reilly to a black professor:

"Man, I'm glad I didn't have you in school, boy. I would have gotten a D."

Boy? Did O'Reilly just call a black professor a "boy" on cable television?

Nate thinks Obama hasn't peaked yet. This would be cool if it wasn't starting to be scary.

Repbug poll shows Obama gains:
A new pair of polls from Strategic Vision (R) gives Barack Obama the lead in both Florida and Ohio. In Florida: Obama 52%, McCain 44%, outside of the ±3% margin of error. In Ohio: Obama 48%, McCain 46%, within the ±3% margin of error.


also, don't forget, alaska publishes a report on trooper-gate today. something to look forward to while the dow plummets! (oh, but wait, palin's already been exonerated. by mccain!)