Fresh from tonight’s debate a new ad from the McCain campaign. The ad is a 30 second spot.

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Polls over the last two weeks have all pointed to Senator McCain leading in Florida (link to US Census demographic data) but with his lead narrowing. The latest poll from Rasmussen Reports shows McCain clinging to a one point lead, 48% to 47%. Effectively, the race is a dead heat.

The race for Florida’s Electoral College votes is closer now than it was just a few days ago. Consistent with a pattern found in national polls and in several other state polls, John McCain has lost ground in the Sunshine State, but support for Barack Obama hasn’t increased.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds McCain on top 48% to 47%.

The previous poll, conducted Sunday night, showed McCain on top 51% to 46%.

Both candidates are now viewed favorably by 55% of Florida voters. That’s unchanged for McCain but a five-point improvement for Obama.

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Polls in the Commonwealth of Virginia continue to show wide swings. Today’s Rasmussen Reports poll from Virginia catapults Senator Obama to his largest lead yet there. Senator Obama leads Senator McCain 50% to 45%.

Matching a trend seen in national polling, Barack Obama has pulled ahead of John McCain in Virginia over the past week as the Wall Street financial crunch has put economic concerns front and center.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds Obama with 50% of the vote while McCain earns 45%. Last Sunday, McCain was up two points. The week before, the candidates were tied.

The current poll marks the first time that either candidate has had more than a two-point advantage in Virginia since May. George W. Bush won Virginia by eight percentage points in 2000 and 2004, but Democrats have focused on Virginia this year as a red state they hope to peel away from Republicans.

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There is very little talk, if by talk you mean dialogue, left at Talk Left.  Making fun of the descent into madness of that once exceptional website has become something of an internet parlor game.  It’s so easy I feel a bit guilty but I have to jump in.  It is becoming easier to see why it was so important for Jeralyn to purge the site of people who were capable of thinking for themselves, which she has done with considerable aplomb.  If you are going to put up posts with titles like this: Season of the Witch, Palin Would Turn Back Time, Top Ten Reasons TrooperGate Is A Fair Investivation and Debate Rules Modified To Benefit Palin (to name only a few) it’s pretty clear rational voices will not be welcome or tolerated.  But until recently Big Tent Democrat had attempted to cling to the remaining shreds of his dignity, until recently.  The “bail out” seems to have claimed many rational minds in its black hole of hysteria and hyperbole.  Recently we got these gems from BTD:  John McCain:Thinking Of Himself First, Last And Always, Why The GOP Blew Up The Deal: McCain’s Political Stunt, McCain’s Stunt Stalls Bailout Negotiations and The Great Photo Op to be joined by Jeralyns McCain’s Desperate Gamble.  Now, putting aside for a moment the fact that a few days ago we got this from BTD:  Say No To The Bailout – Democrats must say no to the proposed bailout as announced today  It is simply unacceptable,  and putting aside the fact that the race is essentially tied and no one except the Obama koolaid swillers has any reason to be “desperate” – this is some pretty crappy analysis IMHO.

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Here are nine articles from both the US and international media about the US Presidential race. Highlights of each article provided with a link to the full article.

McCain Leaps Into a Thicket
By Adam Nagourney and Elisabeth Bumiller in the New York Times.

Senator John McCain had intended to ride back into Washington on Thursday as a leader who had put aside presidential politics to help broker a solution to the financial crisis. Instead he found himself in the midst of a remarkable partisan showdown, lacking a clear public message for how to bring it to an end.

John McCain and Barack Obama Try to Hide Ambition behind Patriotism
By Tom Baldwin in the Times of London.

When John McCain and Barack Obama took their places at opposite ends of the White House cabinet table yesterday, the stakes included not only the fate of a stricken world economy but also that of their battle to succeed the man seated in the middle.

In the build-up to their talks with President Bush, both candidates were trying on the mantle of bi-partisan patriotism even while aides busily plotted a maze of mutual suspicion and political point-scoring.

Republicans, ACORN Feud over Suspicious Voter Cards in Florida
By Marc Caputo in the Miami Herald.

ACORN’s voter-registration drives have come under fire from Republicans for being sloppy and allegedly fraudulent in North Carolina, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico and Colorado, said Republican National Committee chief legal counsel Scott Cairncross.

Cairncross noted that ACORN in Washington state had to file an agreement with prosecutors to improve procedures after seven workers were charged with criminal voter-registration fraud.

”This organization is not new to this game. They are a quasi-criminal Democrat-affiliated organization that harms the elections process,” Cairncross said.

ACORN’s Florida coordinator, Brian Kettenring, said the organization is non-partisan. He dismissed the attacks saying the Republicans are trying to “reduce the size of the electorate.”

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Here is the Friday, September 26th, 2008 edition of what’s making news and interesting reads from around the world. Also please note that off to the left there are two widgets with updates on news from Asia and the world in a separate page: Around Asia & Around the World New Feeds.

White House Talks Fail to Materialize a Bailout Deal
After White House talks collapse, further negotiations falter amid partisan wrangling. Sunday is seen as a crucial deadline. The story from Los Angeles Times.

Zimbabwe Power-Sharing Deal Near Collapse
Zimbabwe’s power-sharing deal is close to collapse after only 12 days because Robert Mugabe and his generals are determined to thwart it, Western diplomats said yesterday. More from the Times of London.

Israel Considered Bombing Iran
Israel gave serious thought this spring to launching a military strike on Iran’s nuclear sites but was told by President George W Bush that he would not support it and did not expect to revise that view for the rest of his presidency. The story in the UK Guardian.

$3 Billion US to Tackle Malaria
About US$3 billion was committed today by world leaders gathered at 2008 Millennium Development Goals Malaria Summit as an endorsement for an ambitious new Global Malaria Action Plan aimed at reducing number of malaria deaths to near zero by 2015. More from Afrol News and from Euro News.

Chávez in Russia (Again)
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez is in Russia again to sign a number of deals and, says Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the pair are ready to co-operate in the nuclear field, too. Last year trade between Venezuela and Russia doubled to over a billion euros. Washington has been annoyed at Chávez’s purchases of assault rifles, tanks, helicopters and fighter-bombers, and threats to end oil supplies to America. This is Chávez’s second visit to Russia this year. The story from Euro News.

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