Desperation

Shorter GOP staffer: "That morally-bankrupt, thieving Democrat erased the tape from the bug we illicitly planted on his podium to catch any off-the-record gaffes he might make during a debate! Arrest him, officer!"

"Last week, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) squared off in a debate with Democratic challenger Bruce Lunsford. But on Lunsford's podium a GOP operative had placed a small voice recorder, presumably to pick up some off-mic comments Lunsford might make -- apparently a violation of the debate rules.

(The recorder itself -- sans recording -- was eventually returned.)" [...]

"And now St. Onge and the chairman of McConnell's campaign have filed a criminal complaint against Lunsford for petty larceny and destruction of property -- because of the erasure." (emphasis smirkingly mine)

Isn't this a little like calling the cops to report that someone ripped off your drug stash?

And Mitch McConnell... Mitch McConnell... hmmm... Oh yes, that fine upstanding example of GOP values.

Spin, for the unobservant

What the -- !?? There's an excited discussion at FD this morning, precipitated by a CBS poll that indicates McCain and Obama are tied:

SHRIEEEK! McCain closed the gap!!?? The excitement spiraled into arguments about the comparative merits of polls, Kerry/Bush polls from 2004, McCain's stellar performance in this week's debate, and the JoeThePlumber Effect. Hope... Yes! we! can! Except...

She went there

Flop sweat:

"Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin expanded her attack on Democrat Barack Obama's character Monday to include his relationship with an incendiary former pastor as well as his ties to 1960s-era radical Bill Ayers.

In the process, Palin toned down her description of the Obama-Ayers relationship after her weekend remarks were criticized as exaggerated, but at the same time she embarked on a discussion of Obama's relationship with his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., which Republican presidential candidate John McCain had signaled he did not want to be a part of his campaign."

With the addition of the Ayers non-story to their political narrative, the McCain campaign has sunk to a new nadir in the final frenetic weeks leading up to the election. Trying to forge a connection between Obama and Ayers' past radicalism is pure theatre of the absurd. And hey -- does Palin really want to talk about "terrorism" given her own much more substantial link to an Alaska secessionist party, that being considered, well, you know, uh... treason? Well, okay.

As for Reverend Wright, HAHAHAHAHA! Bring it the fuck on, SaWah. Because while you're doing that, the polls are doing this.

(Illustration by Victor Juhasz, Rolling Stone)

105 MPs disagree

I'm shocked, I tell you! According to the results of a survey done by Campaign Fetus Coalition and released yesterday, 105 MPs say they disagree with the Morgentaler Order of Canada!

105 out of, what, 308? That's, what, about 1/3? Nice to see our parliamentary representatives reflect the Canadian public's views so precisely.