Permanent link to MTA daily media news

I am not a Republican, and I am not a racist.  I will be voting for Cynthia McKinney for president.  So don’t threaten me with your post-partisan, post-racial, manipulative, coercive hate mail.

Closing in: Real Clear Politics

Poll: Convention lifts McCain over Obama (USA Today)
WASHINGTON — The Republican National Convention has given John McCain and his party a significant boost, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken over the weekend shows, as running mate Sarah Palin helps close an “enthusiasm gap” that has dogged the GOP all year.  McCain leads Democrat Barack Obama by 50%-46% among registered voters, the Republican’s biggest advantage since January and a turnaround from the USA TODAY poll taken just before the convention opened in St. Paul. Then, he lagged by 7 percentage points.

The convention bounce has helped not only McCain but also attitudes toward Republican congressional candidates and the GOP in general… McCain has narrowed Obama’s wide advantage on handling the economy, by far the electorate’s top issue. Before the GOP convention, Obama was favored by 19 points; now he’s favored by 3… In the new poll, taken Friday through Sunday, McCain leads Obama by 54%-44% among those seen as most likely to vote. [Emphasis added in all cases.]

McCain Beats Obama in TV Ratings (by SusanUnPC at No Quarter)
John McCain has topped Barack Obama. “McCain TV Ratings Beat Obama in Preliminary Numbers” at TVWeek.com, via Memeorandum.com: “Across all broadcast networks Thursday, Sen. McCain’s speech ended the night with a 4.8 rating/7 share, compared to Sen. Obama’s 4.3/7 average.”
People are clearly looking for an alternative to Obama.

SurveyUSA: More Americans Think McCain Will Win
A new SurveyUSA poll shows Sen. John McCain leads Sen. Barack Obama, 49% to 44%, among respondents who were asked “if you were placing a bet today” who do you think will be elected president?
What to do, what to do?  Oh, I know, RUN TO DADDY!  See below.

Obama plans extended meeting with Bill Clinton (AP)
WASHINGTON – Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama plans to lunch with former President Clinton this week in what will be their first extended face-to-face meeting since the bitter primary season.
I hope the Big Dog reams him another one.  Oh, and what else to do?  Why, RUN TO MOMMY, TOO!  But will Mommy cooperate?

The Real ’08 Fight: Clinton v. Palin? (New York Times)
Mrs. Clinton is heading to Florida on Monday to campaign for Mr. Obama. And while his advisers expect her to serve as a counterweight to the McCain-Palin ticket, Clinton advisers are emphatic that Mrs. Clinton does not plan to attack Ms. Palin. [Emphasis added.] Whether that remains the case through the fall is an open question, especially if Ms. Palin starts doing as well with, say, women who watch “The View” as Mrs. Clinton did… How much Mrs. Clinton wants to help Mr. Obama is another matter. Some of her aides note with a hint of resentment that Mr. Obama did not pick her as his running mate; he did not even vet her fully. Plus, they add, her fall calendar also includes campaigning for Senate Democratic candidates, not just for Mr. Obama.

Hillary Campaigns in Florida for Obama, but Will She Take On Palin? (by Jake Tapper at Political Punch, ABC News)
At New York City’s annual Labor Day parade and in Staten Island Saturday, Clinton was asked about Palin. She demurred… Clinton “only mentioned Palin by name once during the day, at the labor breakfast, when she uttered a modified version of a line from her speech at the Democratic National Convention. ‘No way, no how, no McCain, no Palin,’ she said.” There are Obama supporters who feel Clinton needs to make a strong case against Palin. And they are intrigued — and troubled — by the fact that she won’t.
Go blow, troubled Obama supporters.

An odd year. (by John: south of Melrose at Liberal Rapture)
What a year. What an odd place we are in. 10 months ago I liked Obama and thought he was the future of the Democratic Party and had gotten ahead of himself. I liked Hillary and knew she was smart enough and tough enough to be a solid Democratic President. I was queasy about McCain. Having liked him years ago but by 2007 felt he’d faded in the Bush years. I did not know who Sarah Palin was. Fast forward 10 months. I am now loyal to Hillary Clinton in a way I never was to her husband… I now find Obama unbearable. Aloof, effete, and untrustworthy…

A friend told me something smart recently. Since he felt he could no longer trust his party – the Democrats – he found himself able and willing, for the first time in years, to listen to what the GOP had to say. I am too.

More than 40 million tune in to Palin’s speech (MSNBC)
Both Palin and Obama reached about the same number of viewers
Do not underestimate this woman.  Americans love a fighter.  But they love above-board fighters who stand up and duke it out with their opponents straight out, like Palin—or Hillary.

Category 5 Hurricane Sarah Makes Landfall (by Uppity Woman at No Quarter)

Palin Power: Fresh Face Now More Popular Than Obama, McCain Friday, September 05, 2008 (Rasmussen)
A week ago, most Americans had never heard of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Now, following a Vice Presidential acceptance speech viewed live by more than 40 million people, Palin is viewed favorably by 58% of American voters… Perhaps most stunning is the fact that Palin’s favorable ratings are now a point higher than either man at the top of the Presidential tickets this year. As of Friday morning, Obama and McCain are each viewed favorably by 57% of voters. Biden is viewed favorably by 48%… The Palin pick has also improved perceptions of John McCain.

SUSA Poll on VP Choices (by Anglachel)
I prefer using the SUSA polls to those done by the big media organizations because of the consistent methodology and the consistently illuminating cross tabs… The latest poll was brief and direct… Overall, Palin is viewed as a bigger asset to McCain than Biden is to Obama, people think more highly of McCain’s selection of Palin than of Obama’s selection of Biden, and a slim majority now place their bets on McCain to win. Conservatives and Republicans are more strongly behind their candidates than Liberals and Democrats are behind theirs. Hispanics are significantly undecided and so are people in the Midwest.

McCain-Palin becoming Palin-McCain?
The banners, buttons and signs say McCain-Palin, but the crowds say something else. “Sa-rah! Pa-lin!” came the chant at a Colorado Springs rally on Saturday moments before Republican nominee John McCain took the stage with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a woman who was virtually unknown to the nation just a week earlier. The day before, thousands screamed “Sa-rah! Sa-rah! Sa-rah!”

Willie Brown on Palin (by Anglachel)
Willie Brown is one of the most experienced politicians in the country, though he may not be well known outside of California. He is why we have term limits . His political sense is second to none. This is what he said in his San Francisco Chronicle post … about Gov. Palin: “The Democrats are in trouble. Sarah Palin has totally changed the dynamics of this campaign. Period… Suddenly, Palin and John McCain are the mavericks and Barack Obama and Joe Biden are the status quo, in a year when you don’t want to be seen as defending the status quo… Palin … is going to be very, very effective on the campaign trail… If she can answer questions like she handled herself at the convention, Palin will turn out to be the most interesting person in all of politics, and the press will treat her like they treated Obama when he was first discovered.”

So, Attacking Palin Makes Sense? (by Larry Johnson at No Quarter)
So what are my Republican friends saying…: “…The McCain bunch are, if nothing else, cool, calculating customers. Something happened over the last week that they were not expecting, and that something indicates that they need to go against their emotional and combative instincts, steel themselves and bring their unemotional objectivity to bear… [The] convention caught even the most true believing of Repub operatives totally by surprise. They were not expecting Sarah to have the effect that she apparently has had across not only Republicans, but across a broad swath of independents. Their internals are telling them that she is, by far, the most popular individual on either ticket across the board…

“They were not expecting [Thursday] night’s speech to have the effect that it had as McCain is generally considered to be a poor platform speaker. I … stopped for a cup of coffee at a McDonald’s about 70 miles south of my house in the heart of a very liberal university town… The McDonald’s had McCain on a widescreen TV, and he was just finishing his speech with the story of how he had been transformed from a swaggering Naval Aviator who cared only for himself into a man who was dedicated to his country and his fellow citizens… The entire McDonald’s–liberal students, older workers just getting off of the late shift, McDonald’s staff, and assorted other customers–were riveted in front of the TV with tears streaming down their faces…

“But there is another defining event that is going to occur Monday, Tuesday and Wed of next week, and that is O”Reilly’s one on one with Obama. Repubs have the tape, and O’Reilly wiped the floor with Obama. He comes off as petulant, whiny, and inexperienced, blaming every one else for “not listening to what I said” whenever he changed his position. O”Reilly was civil, but he made the guy look like what he is: not ready for President.

“With the nation appearing to love Sarah, and now kind of by inclusion McCain, and hating people who attack them, it would be counterproductive to launch an attack campaign until they get the polling that will not be available until at least Tuesday, at the earliest… They do have some incredible oppo dirt on Obama and Michelle. Depending on how things are going at the end of next week, if it looks like attacking might gain them support, they will start rolling some of this stuff out so that it can be used in sound bites by the candidate in the debates on an audience that has already been factually prepped with background data by the ads. The feeling is that if Obama can be provoked to melt down in a mano a mano debate, which is his weakest format, that will probably be the ball game.

“Here is the feeling of one contact of mine. ‘We have seen the worst that they can throw at us and appear to have withstood it relatively unscathed. We have a whole arsenal to throw at Obama, and they don’t have a clue to what we may or may not have. All they know is that they have a bottomless pit of revelations to worry about.’”

Gunning to Lose (by Arthur Silber at The Power of Narrative)
Last evening, I listened to a local radio talk show here in Los Angeles. The show has a conservative orientation, but it’s not what I would call “hard” right, like Limbaugh or Hannity. It’s moderately conservative, and the commentary falls well within the boundaries of sanity most of the time (perhaps generous boundaries at moments, but it is not cringe-inducing as a rule). The show offers views that I almost always disagree with, but they are views well within accepted and acceptable American political opinion.

The cohosts (a man and a woman) were discussing Sarah Palin, the major topic on every such show these days, right and left. The woman said she hadn’t been certain she was going to vote in November; neither candidate excited her that much. But, she continued, after seeing and hearing how many Democrats and liberals treated Palin, she was now determined to vote. I didn’t take down exactly what she said, but it went pretty much like this: “After hearing these awful people go after Sarah Palin, I am definitely voting in November. I’m going to vote against Keith Olbermann.”
Click through for thorough takedowns of Erica Jong and Joan Walsh for their snobbish commentary on Palin.

Readers See Bias in Us Weekly’s Take on Sarah Palin
When Us Weekly featured a cover story about Sarah Palin titled “Babies, Lies & Scandal,” it accomplished its mission of attracting attention at the supermarket checkout, but it came with a backlash.

Democrats must learn some respect (by Clive Crook, Financial Times)
This article is not the first to note the cultural contradiction in American liberalism, but just now the point bears restating. The election may turn on it. Democrats speak up for the less prosperous; they have well-intentioned policies to help them; they are disturbed by inequality, and want to do something about it. Their concern is real and admirable. The trouble is, they lack respect for the objects of their solicitude. Their sympathy comes mixed with disdain, and even contempt. Democrats regard their policies as self-evidently in the interests of the US working and middle classes. Yet those wide segments of US society keep helping to elect Republican presidents. How is one to account for this? Are those people idiots? Frankly, yes – or so many liberals are driven to conclude…

If only the Democrats could contain … their consequent distaste for wide swathes of the US electorate, they might gain the unshakeable grip on power they feel they deserve.

Todd Palin expected at snowmobile event (Hot off the Trail, McClatchy)
The Republican National Convention may be over, the delegates and media may have hit the road. But the excitement in Minnesota continues Saturday as Todd Palin, husband of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is expected to attend a big snowmobling event there. Palin, famous in his own right among snowmobilers as the four-time winner of the 2,000-mile Tosoro Iron Dog race, is scheduled to attend Hay Days Grass Drags event. Sponsors expect 30,000 people at what they called “the largest snowmobile event in the world.” And just to answer the cynics: no, there’s no snow in Minnesota yet. Participants will drag race across late summer grass.
This may be even better, image and perception-wise, than participating in a NASCAR race.  And it’s for real, not a put on.

Obama Promises a Fight (Political Wire)
At a fundraiser hosted by singer Jon Bon Jovi…, Sen. Barack Obama “vowed to fight Republican attacks on his character and background more fiercely than John Kerry did in his losing campaign four years ago,” the Newark Star Ledger reports. Said Obama: “We’re not going to be bullied, we’re not going to be smeared, we’re not going to be lied about. I don’t believe in coming in second.”
So how does he fight?  The same low-down dirty way he fought Hillary.

He goes after her faith:
Campaign saying little about Sarah Palin’s religious faith (McClatchy)
ANCHORAGE — In June, long before she was selected as the Republican nominee for vice president, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin attended a religious gathering at the Wasilla Assembly of God, her former church.

But HIS faith is off limits.  He’s playing the “they’ll call me a Muslim” card again:
Obama Says McCain Campaign Comment on this Being an Election Not About Issues Means False Attacks on Him (by  Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller at Political Punch, ABC News)
DURYEA, Pa. — “I know that I’m not your typical presidential candidate,” Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., told executives and employees of the Schott glass company Friday afternoon, “and I just want to be honest with you. I know that.” “And I know that the temptation is to say, ‘You know what? …The guy hasn’t been there that long in Washington.,’ You know, ‘he’s got funny name,’ You know, ‘we’re not sure about him,’” Obama continued. “And that’s what the Republicans, when they say, ‘This isn’t about issues, it’s about personalities,’ what they’re really saying is, ‘We’re going to try to scare people about Barack. So we’re going to say that you know, maybe he’s got Muslim connections or we’re going to say that, you know, he hangs out with radicals or he’s not patriotic.’”

And then he undermines his own argument:
Tired, Stressed or Distracted? (by Larry Johnson at No Quarter)
I am sure that John McCain, Joe Biden, and Sarah Palin will have their share of misstatements and verbal faux pas. And there is no denying Barack Obama has had more than his share–i.e., his comment about having visited 57 states with one to go comes to mind. But what the hell was he thinking today during his interview with George Stephanopolus?… [W]hy does he refer to his muslim faith and why does Stephanopolus have to remind him, “you mean your Christian faith.” The rightwing is going to have a field day with this. I think he was stressed and his mind wandered. He is not a muslim by virtue of confession or practice, but the matter sure seems to weigh on him.
Click through to watch the video.

McCain fights back:
McCain Camp Accuses Obama of Cynical Attempt to Play Victim (by Jake Tapper at Political Punch, ABC News)
“Barack Obama’s suggestion that the McCain campaign is somehow trying to paint him with ‘Muslim connections’ is false, and a cynical attempt to play the victim,” Rick Davis, Sen. John McCain’s campaign manager, said today. “We’ve seen Barack Obama use these tactics before — and they’re just as offensive and wrong as they were the last time.”

He tries to compare Palin to a DEMOCRATIC VP nominee who was forced to quit:
Obama Surrogates Urged To Mention Eagleton (by Marc Ambinder, The Atlantic)
Barack Obama has forbidden his campaign from referencing Gov. Sarah Palin’s family and has said he’d fire any staffer who violates the rule. But plenty, it seems, its fair game. In memos, e-mails and phone calls this week, Obama campaign officials have urged surrogates and allies to mention Republicans who are “nervous” about the Palin pick and to link those worries to George McGovern’s aborted vice presidential pick of Thomas Eagleton in 1972, according to three Democratic surrogates. That year, McGovern rescinded the pick after learning that Eagleton had been treated for depression.
See the comparison?  No?  Me, either.  This is a just plain stupid idea.

The Eagleton argument’s a loser (comment by Valhalla at Corrente)
Eagleton = McGovern, a name which scares both Republicans and Democrats to death, although for different reasons. Taunting the enemy with your own failure?

They go after her parenting:
Obama Campaign National Finance Committee Member Criticizes Palin’s Parenting (by Jake Tapper at Political Punch, ABC News)
On the Laura Ingraham Radio show, Friday, attorney Howard Gutman — an original member of the national finance committee for Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. — very directly criticized the parenting of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin… “[T]his wasn’t a working mother issue, this was a parent issue…The proper attack is not that a woman shouldn’t run for vice president with five kids, it’s that a parent, when they have a family in need, a Down’s baby who needs them — mother or father.” Obama spokesman Bill Burton, asked to respond to Gutman’s remarks, said “Obviously these comments do not reflect our frequently stated views that families of the candidates should be off limits.”

They complain about GOP “viciousness”, as though it’s a complete surprise.
The GOP’s cheerful viciousness (by Glenn Greenwald at Unclaimed Territory, Salon)
[T]he idea that Americans instinctively recoil from negativity or that there will be some sort of backlash against Republicans generally and Palin specifically because of how “negative” their convention speeches were is pure fantasy. Cultural tribalism and personality attacks of those sort work, especially when they’re not aggressively engaged. These “character” issues end up mattering largely because Democrats, in election after election, allow wars over “character” to be waged in a largely one-sided fashion.

Every four years, the GOP unleashes unrestrained personality attacks on Democrats and exploits cultural resentments. And every four years, Democrats seems shocked and paralyzed by all of this and desperately delude themselves into believing that mean-spirited “negativity” and nastiness will alienate voters, while the media swoons at the potency of these attacks. Every four years, Democrats tell themselves that such attacks don’t work and are counter-productive. And every four years, that belief is disproven.

And as though they weren’t vicious to Hillary.
“Mockery”. “Sarcasm”. “Bullying”. “Sniping”. (by Uppity Woman at No Quarter)
CNN’s own Mr. Magoo, Bill Scheider, said that there was “mockery” and “bullying” [at the Republican convention]. The Babbling heads there have used the word “sarcasm” to describe Sarah’s speech. “Over the top”! Oh and let us not forget “She took a snipe at him”. I’ll tell you what is sarcasm, CNN, Mr. Magoo, et al:

Sarcasm is referring to Hillary’s “Periodic” moods.
Sarcasm is playing “99 Problems But A Bitch Isn’t One of Them” at a rally.
Sarcasm is telling Hillary “You’re likeable enough”.
Sarcasm is brushing The Woman off your shoulders, or whatever that infantile non-song suggests.

What she said (by Joseph Cannon at Cannonfire)
On the Confluence a couple of days ago, a reader-commenter named Janis contributed a remarkably insightful message… She skewers …  this preposterous charge, constantly repeated, that Hillary’s primary campaign was a total shambles, a complete disaster, and that Obama out maneuvered her with his “brilliant” scorched-earth attack campaign. That attack campaign is what’s dooming him now, you stupid fucking Obots. There is a reason that primaries are historically softball — and must be. If you come out guns blazing in the primaries, you lose the general. More to the point, your party loses the general. A scorched-earth PRIMARY campaign leaves half the dead bodies on the field wearing your uniform.

They belittle Palin’s experience the way they belittled Hillary’s experience:
GOP strategist: Palin’s foreign policy experience stems from ‘fishing issues’ with Russia. (Think Progress)
Ever since Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) announced Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) as his running mate, conservatives have rushed to rebut criticism that Palin has no foreign policy experience by claiming that Alaska is near Russia. Fox News’s Steve Doocy appears to be one of the first to make this claim and even McCain and his wife Cindy have uttered the absurd talking point. But today on Fox News, a “Republican strategist” laid out the specifics of this Russia/Alaska rivalry — fishing: “…She worked with permitting issues and with fishing issues dealing with the sea fishing industry there in Alaska.”
Mocking Palin’s lack of foreign policy experience only highlights Obama’s lack of foreign policy experience.  He hasn’t even done THIS much.  Click through to watch the video.

They tried to say her experience commanding the National Guard meant nothing:
Longtime Alaskan National Guard Commander Lauds Sarah Palin’s Performance [Updates x2] (by SusanUnPC at No Quarter)
Major General Campbell provides a vivid description of what is truly entailed in a governor’s job as head of a statewide national guard unit… I confess I thought the “head of the National Guard” argument was a weak one in defense of Sarah Palin. But this is actually a fairly illuminating interview [link goes to the video above] which explains what she did and how she did it. You actually learn something about Palin and how she operates.
Click through to watch the video.

No stone is unturned to belittle the woman.
Why Does Obama hate Women? (by John: south of Melrose at Liberal Rapture)
I’ll hand it to the PODS -when they get their Talking Points from Mount Olympus they memorize them and MARCH. They are like worker ants. Someone got the word out that “Palin didn’t write her speech.”… This is too easy.
1. No politician on that level writes their own words. Obama never has.
2. Both Obama and Biden are proven plagiarists. Attacking Palin for having a speech writer is so deeply cynical it boggles the mind.
Actually, I had thought that Obama did write some of his speeches, but I haven’t known John: south of Melrose to be wrong.

Not Your Sweetie

He goes after her pork record, forgetting that his own is twice as bad.
The Pork Wars (by Jake Tapper at Political Punch, ABC News)
In Indiana [Saturday], a state known for its pork cutlets, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, attacked the GOP ticket as less than sincere about combatting wasteful pork barrel projects… Obama was referring quite factually to the fact that despite her self-styled anti-pork image, Palin was quite active in seeking pork in the past. In two years as governor, Palin sought 83 federal earmarks at a cost of $453 million, according to the Anchorage Daily News… As the mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired lobbyist Steve Silver, a former aide to Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, to secure earmarks for the town… When it comes to pork, Obama, it should be noted, is hardly kosher. Since joining the Senate in January 2005 he has requested 330 projects totaling $931.3 million, according to his Senate website where he discloses all his requests.
Obama’s requests “included $1 million for a hospital where Mr. Obama’s wife works, money for several projects linked to campaign donors and support for more than 200 towns, civic institutions and universities in Illinois.”  And that hospital that he requested big bucks for more than doubled his wife’s salary when he was elected senator.  Nothing to see there folks, move along.  Move along.

He tries to make her sound corrupt.
Palin used state funds for trip to speak at her former church (McClatchy)
ANCHORAGE — Gov. Sarah Palin used state funds in June when she traveled from Juneau to Wasilla to speak to graduating evangelical students and urge them to fan out through Alaska “to make sure God’s will be done here.”… Palin’s spokeswoman Leighow defended the use of state money by Palin to travel to Wasilla and participate in the event. Attending religious events is common for elected officials, she said… Leighow compared Palin’s urging on of the young evangelical students to her attending the 2007 installation of Rabbi Michael Oblath at Congregation Beth Sholom in Anchorage. “What’s the difference?” Leighow said.

He tries the “McCain’s crazy” approach that worked so well for Bush in South Carolina in 2000:
McCain’s history of hot temper raises concerns
WASHINGTON — John McCain made a quick stop at the Capitol one day last spring to sit in on Senate negotiations on the big immigration bill, and John Cornyn was not pleased.

He tries to pretend that abortion is THE issue.
Let The Battle Begin (by digby)
This is it. The Obama campaign is going on the offensive with a flat out liberal appeal on a culture war issue. No more mushy post partisan nonsense. I am very, very impressed: “Barack Obama has launched a broadside against John McCain’s opposition to abortion rights and moved one of the most divisive issues in modern American politics to the airwaves on a large scale for the first time in this presidential campaign.”
You can be enthralled if you want to, Digby, but I think this is a weak move.  Laura Bush successfully neutralized this issue in 2000, and Cindy McCain is performing the same service now.  She not only disagrees with Palin on abortion in cases of rape and incest as well as on sex education, she also has said she believes Roe v. Wade should not be overturned.

And nobody is explaining why in six years with total control of the national levers of power, the Republicans didn’t do away with Roe v. Wade.  Hint: It’s as big a fundraiser and a vote getter for the Republicans as it is for the Democrats.

He regrets his flippant answer on abortion at the Saddleback Forum.
Obama says he was too flip on abortion question (AP)
WASHINGTON – Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama acknowledged Sunday that he was probably too flip when he said it was “above my pay grade” to answer a question about when is a baby entitled to human rights.

He gets help from a feminist:
Steinem: Sarah Palin “Shares Nothing But A Chromosome” With Hillary (by Logan Murphy at Crooks and Liars)
LA Times: “… To vote in protest for McCain/Palin would be like saying, ‘Somebody stole my shoes, so I’ll amputate my legs.’…”John McCain chose party over country by selecting Palin, a move that eerily reflects George Bush’s reckless style of governing. The McCain camp may think they can fool women voters, but Steinem does a fantastic job of shredding the idea that Hillary Clinton supporters would automatically be wooed into voting for a woman who is her polar opposite and unfit to serve. Quite simply put, Palin isn’t qualified to carry HRC’s briefcase, let alone be considered her political equal.
Obama isn’t qualified to carry HRC’s briefcase, either.

But another feminist isn’t buying it:
A Feminist’s Argument for McCain’s VP (by Tammy Bruce,  a Fox News political contributor and  a former president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization for Women . A registered Democrat her entire adult life until February, she now is registered as a decline-to-state voter.)
There is a point where all of our issues, including abortion rights, are made safer not only if the people we vote for agree with us – but when those people and our society embrace a respect for women and promote policies that increase our personal wealth, power and political influence. Make no mistake – the Democratic Party and its nominee have created the powerhouse that is Sarah Palin, and the party’s increased attacks on her (and even on her daughter) reflect that panic.

The party has moved from taking the female vote for granted to outright contempt for women. That’s why Palin represents the most serious conservative threat ever to the modern liberal claim on issues of cultural and social superiority. Why? Because men and women who never before would have considered voting for a Republican have either decided, or are seriously considering, doing so.

He tries to become a Republican on Iraq:
Surge Protectors: Obama Embraces Bush-McCain Spin on Iraq (by Chris Floyd at Empire Burlesque)
On the very night that John McCain was putting the “success” of the surge at the center of his campaign, Obama was openly, cravenly laying down one of his chief weapons at the feet of Bill O’Reilly. Obama’s cheerleading for the surge — “beyond our wildest dreams!”… This stance too validates the “success” of the entire war… This bears repeating: the Democrats’ position on Iraq fully accepts — and even celebrates — the Bush Administration’s fundamental claims for the war. The war has established a legitimate, democratic government in Iraq, Bush and the Democrats both say… Where then is the actual difference — the evidence for genuine “change” — between these two positions?

He tries to become a Republican on tax issues:
Obama: Recession could delay rescinding tax cuts (AP)
WASHINGTON – Democrat Barack Obama says he would delay rescinding President Bush’s tax cuts on wealthy Americans if he becomes the next president and the economy is in a recession, suggesting such an increase would further hurt the economy.

It is so ridiculous for anyone to criticize McCain for Palin’s so-called inexperience:
Obama also didn’t pick the most experienced woman… (by masslib at Alegre’s Corner)
I keep hearing what an insult McCain selecting Palin as his running mate is because she is not the most experienced woman McCain could have picked.  I honestly do not understand that sort of criticism in a year in which the Democrats selected the least qualified candidate to ever run for President… But the complaints that he could have picked a more experienced woman, and that not to do so is some sort of sexist insult, rings hollow to me for one simple reason:  Obama overlooked the most qualified candidate for VP, Hillary Clinton, and chose to run with a less qualified man… [W]e could have been nearly assured 16 years of Democratic rule.  Those assurances are gone because our Party, the Party outraged at the Palin pick, turned down the most qualified candidate, man or woman,…TWICE…

Swiftboat Redux? (by Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy at No Quarter)
I cannot stand to see the Democrats engaging in such sleazy politics. And I am furious at the way they are treating women. What does it say when the RNC and McCain come out guns BLAZING about the sexist treatment of Sarah Palin, when Obama ENGAGED in sexist treatment of Clinton, and the DNC supported it, said nothing, and its leaders engaged in it. Now they are turning it on Palin. That is simply unacceptable to me. Completely, and utterly unacceptable. I will not condone that kind of treatment of women. And let me say this – if this is how Obama is treating Clinton and Palin now, you cannot claim he will watch out for women if president. If he treats women like this, over half the population, what hope do members of the GLBT community have? And so it goes down the line. How incredibly, disturbingly, sad…

Update on the Palin smears — and one NON-smear (by Joseph Cannon at Cannonfire)
I cannot believe that people I once considered politically sympatico are resorting to such disgusting smear tactics. The photo [of Sarah Palin in a bikini sporting a rifle] is a hoax which some on the left have circulated as true. The original of this image, and the full story of how it came to be, is here… Bill Maher accused Palin of running up a $22 million dollar deficit during her tenure as Mayor of Wasilla. The City’s documents are here. I just took a look at the numbers for 2003 (the first year after Palin left office), and the balance sheet speaks of a surplus. Either the newly-elected Mayor Dianne Keller worked an amazing feat of financial magic, or Maher was misinformed.

The Obots have put together a number of fake web sites designed to promote anti-Palin memes… [They] have painted Palin as intolerant of gays, even though her position on gay marriage exactly mirrors Barack Obama’s most recent stance. I’ve seen no evidence that she has tried to implement Dominionist theology during her time in the governor’s chair. At any rate, dare an Obama supporter critique Palin’s choice of pastors? The Huffington Post is now posting hate diatribes against Piper Palin, who is all of six… [But] a widely-circulated letter criticizing Sarah Palin is real, even though many people pegged it as a fake. Some of her criticisms strike me as fair — for example, I think that it has been well-established (thank you, Bob Somerby; you’ve made your point) that Palin opposed the “bridge to nowhere” only after she heard the entire nation laughing at it. Some of Kilkenny’s critiques seem to arise from a simple clash of personalities.
Click through for more.

CNBC host praises Palin for ‘putting a skirt on’: ‘I want her laying next to me in bed.’ (Think Progress)
Donny Deutsch, host of CNBC’s Big Idea, praised Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) as the “new creation” of the “feminist ideal” yesterday on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street. “Women want to be her, men want to mate with her. It’s as simple as that,” he said, adding that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) failed because “she didn’t put a skirt on!”:
Very good, Think Progress.  We need to fight sexism, no matter who it’s directed against.  Click through to watch the video.  Now, please progress toward fighting sexism, no matter who it is COMING FROM.  See below.

The New Agenda demands apology from Sen. Harry Reid
Sept. 5, 2008 – The New Agenda has written and delivered an open letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his press secretary demanding an apology and recantation of remarks made by Manley in retort to Sarah Palin’s RNCC acceptance speech. On September 3, Manley, speaking to CNN, referred to Palin’s speech as “Shrill and sarcastic political attacks.”

For a more objective view of Palin:
A Palin reader: Links to McClatchy stories about Sarah Palin
McClatchy owns the Anchorage Daily News and so we’ve kept a closer eye on Gov. Sarah Palin than most news organizations. These are links to 61 stories involving Palin, from a story on earmarks in which Alaska’s Washington delegation criticize her, to Friday’s developments in ‘troopergate.’ If you’re interested in Palin, this is a good way to track her.

Maybe? Maybe we drank the Kool-Aid (by NewHampster at Alegre’s Corner)
Maybe we’ve been had. I mean it.  Maybe for the last X years we’ve been drinking kool-aid. Maybe, just maybe we’ve been listening to the wrong people… We just had our first Tweety Awards and gave a deserving Maureen Dowd the honor of being the first. Think for a minute about all our nominees and the nominees we’ll be tearing apart next week.  Tweety, Markos, Dowd, Cafferty, Jeralyn, Sally Quinn, Andrew Sullivan, Campbell Brown.  A few others were suggested but the point is. Find me a [right] winger in the list.  Find me a Fox news commentator.  Find an O’Reilly, Gibson, Novak, Kristol or Will. Sexism, Misogyny, whatever you call it seems to be coming from the left not the right.

Saturday: Getting down to business (by riverdaughter at The Confluence)
The direction is clear.  We are voting for Downticket Democrats (double D’s?) this year.  Our goal is clear: no matter who ends up president, we need representatives with strong progressive values who will stand up to the Blue Dog Democrats, the financial interests, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.   In my humble opinion, that’s the best way for us to honor Hillary Clinton’s request without us violating our consciences. It is up to us to save the Democratic party from itself.
Click through for information on participating in Riverdaughter’s new ActBlue page for promoting progressive candidates.  Electing more progressives will help to fight the corrupt party leaders, and someday replace them.

Most passing strange (by Joseph Cannon at Cannonfire)
This morning, I’ve deleted a number of messages denouncing the PUMA movement. Apparently, that movement is doing things to this nation that are simply terrible. Gosh. Not long ago, Obots were telling me that the PUMAs numbered in the dozens, that their numbers are so tiny as to be insignificant. Why, then, the obsession with that movement? I mean, it’s not as though the scientists of the world feel compelled to write to the Flat Earth Society every damned day in order to tell ‘em “You’re wrong, wrong, horribly wrong!”

Hillary’s Supporters Don’t Dislike Obama (by campskunk at Alegre’s Corner)
Buried in an article Gallup put out last week is the real reason Obama isn’t getting the support from Hillary’s supporters he will need to win the election. Is it because they’re all haterzzzz??? No. The haterzzzz… those would be the Obamazoids. I think it’s worth noting that the percentage of Obama primary voters nationwide who harbor negative feelings about Clinton (32%) is much higher than the percentage of Clinton primary voters who have a negative view of Obama (18%). So, what’s up with the Hillary supporters? Why won’t they vote for Obama, if they don’t dislike him?…

Does it come down to experience? Very possible. About half of Clinton primary voters (51%) say they are very or somewhat concerned that “Barack Obama lacks sufficient experience to be an effective president.” Only 23% of Obama primary voters express this view… Hillary’s voters are devoted to her, but not to the degree that they’ll believe that this one-term senator with no executive experience is ready from Day One. He isn’t. And Hillary didn’t insult their intelligence by trying to persuade them that he is. That would be Obama’s job. Of course, he never takes this “job” stuff too seriously, so we may just have to continue to wait patiently for the happy day when he does make the effort.
Some of us do, however, dislike Obama intensely.  I’m told by people who claim to know me better than I know myself that I hate him, but it’s not so.  Hating someone means that you want awful things to happen to them.  All I want is for Obama to stop infecting the Democratic Party with hate politics.  And go away.

The mighty, scary press corps (by Glenn Greenwald at Unclaimed Territory, Salon)
Criticizing the McCain campaign for refusing to allow reporters to question Sarah Palin, Time’s Jay Carney writes:  “Political operatives love to talk about circumventing the media and other co-called ‘elites’  — i.e., independent specialists, observers and thinkers. The operatives convince themselves they can take their candidate’s message directly to the people — on their terms, without all that poking and prodding and skepticism. That’s propaganda. In a democratic society, it rarely works for long.”…

Carney is right in theory that anyone running for Vice President ought to submit to questioning from the media. But the idea that her doing so will be some great blow against propaganda is wrong for numerous reasons. Who are these great, aggressive journalists who are going to question her in a meaningfully adversarial way in order to expose the falsehoods behind the image that is being created around her?…

Propaganda thrives — predominates — in our democracy for many reasons, the principal reason being that we don’t have the sort of journalist class devoted to exposing it. Anyone who wants to contest that should examine the empirical data…, or more convincingly, just look at what the Bush administration has easily gotten away with over the last eight years — the systematic deceit, the radicalism, the corruption, the crimes.

ABC News’ Gibson lands first Palin interview (AP)
NEW YORK – Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has agreed to sit down with ABC’s Charles Gibson later this week for her first television interview since John McCain chose her as his running mate more than a week ago.
Mr. Tough Guy.  Yeah, HE’ll take her down.

Looking at the Scrutiny of Sarah Palin (by Public Editor Clark Hoyt, New York Times)
Palin went from Sarah Who to conservative rock star in less than a week. In less than two months, she could be elected vice president to serve under the oldest president, at 72, ever elected to a first term. Intense, independent scrutiny by The Times and the rest of the news media of Palin’s background, character and record was inevitable and right.

CNN’s Campbell Brown Sparks a Firestorm (by Jon Friedman at Marketwatch)
“It’s surprising,” Campbell Brown said of the controversy she triggered at the GOP convention by directing pointed questions about Sarah Palin’s experience to Tucker Bounds, a spokesman for the McCain camp. “It’s what we do. I’m a journalist. My role and responsibility go beyond a job. It’s a duty, an obligation. We’re here to ask tough questions in a responsible way.”

Attacks on Democrats, of course, are A-OK, as they have been for at least 15 years:
FOX Attacks Obama Like Kerry (video by Media Channel)
FOX has been attacking Obama with the same relentless smear tactics that they used against John Kerry four years ago. Watch them use the exact same attacks.

The ‘Online Campaign’ — Election 2.008 — Rolls On (Editor & Publisher)
This is the first national campaign strongly shaped — even, at times, dominated — by the new media, from viral videos and blog reports that “go mainstream” to profoundly successful online fundraising. Just in the past week we have seen the first vetting of a candidate for vice president aided, or even led, by the Web.
What went on during this past week was not vetting, it’s been vicious attacks.

Sponsored-link ads on Internet play campaign role
Those “sponsored-link” advertisements that appear near Internet search results and on many blogs are emerging as a factor in the race for the White House.

The Associated Press goes to bat for McCain/Palin:

McCain takes on GOP and Bush along with Obama
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Barack Obama isn’t John McCain’s only opponent. Sometimes McCain sounds like he’s running almost as hard against President Bush and the Republican Party as he is against Obama, his Democratic rival for the White House.

Obama’s stump speech plays to fears, hopes
DUBLIN, Ohio – As Barack Obama paces before 15,000 people with a hand-held microphone, it’s easy to assume his 30-minute talk is more or less a free-associating string of talking points and applause lines.

Palin raises hope for parents of disabled kids
ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Polishing off his strawberry-banana yogurt, Jacob Moore races to his keyboard with a whoop, picks his way through “Pop Goes the Weasel” and gives his mom a high five. This is the average stuff of childhood, and it has not come easily to the 8-year-old with Down syndrome.

Candidates weigh in on stabilizing Fannie, Freddie (AP)
At a rally in Colorado Springs, Col., Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin said, “They’ve gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers. The McCain-Palin administration will make them smaller and smarter and more effective for homeowners who need help.” Democratic nominee Barack Obama, speaking in Terre Haute, Ind., said, “These entities are so big and they’re so tied into the housing market that it is probably true that we have to take steps to make sure they don’t just collapse, because the housing market, which is already weakened, would be in even worse shape if we didn’t take some steps.”

House GOP finds drilling champ in Palin
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Sarah Palin’s command performance accepting the Republican vice presidential nomination gives House Republicans a fresh, high-profile champion for the drilling-based energy policies they have fought so hard to publicize all summer.

Drilling makes us more dependent on foreign oil (by knzn at Economics and…, thanks to Economist’s View)
Just thought I should point out that US oil reserves are not inexhaustible, and that most of the oil in the world is still elsewhere. If we continue to feed our addiction to oil-based energy by producing more in the US, that means, when our reserves are depleted, we will end up having to feed that addiction by buying more oil from abroad. On the other hand, if we shift to other forms of energy (which unfortunately include coal), we can hopefully break that addiction and really end our dependence on foreign oil.

Analysis: Myth That Offshore Drilling Would Lower Gas Prices Gets Boost From Major Media (Center for Economic and Policy Research)
The media has played a significant role in convincing Americans that offshore drilling for oil in the United States could significantly lower the price of gasoline, according to an analysis released today by the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
But instead of fighting against the wrong perception, Obama joined the drilling crowd.

Military Guy vs. Illinois Egghead for Prez: Amazing TV Spot — But It’s 1952! (Editor & Publisher)
NEW YORK It’s a vivid TV commercial promoting an Illinois leader against a famous military figure running to president. No, it’s not a new Obama ad. Rather it’s from back-in-the-day (1952), and hailed Gov. Adlai Stevenson of Illinois over Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower — on the grounds that the Democrat was NOT a military man (you won’t find anyone highlighting that line these days). It goes so far as call Stevenson “Civilianson,” and like now, we were then trying to wind up a war, in Korea. Of course, as we all know, the Man from Illinois with no military experience was trounced in November.

Friends Like These (Newsweek, thanks to NewHampster at Alegre’s Corner)
Long before sex, lies and texting caused Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to plead guilty to two felonies and resign on Thursday, he and Barack Obama shared a warm man-hug before a huge Motown crowd… As Kilpatrick now heads to jail for four months, for obstruction of justice, two attack ads have already appeared on the Web replaying Obama’s Kwame moment. One, produced by the conservative Freedom’s Defense Fund and soon going into heavy rotation on Detroit TV stations, shows Kilpatrick’s mug shot, as the 10 felonies he faced scroll down the screen while Obama says, “I’m grateful to call him a friend.” The ad ends ominously with the line: “You should know who Obama’s friends are.”

Rangel Failed to Report $75,000 of Income, N.Y. Times Reports
Sept. 5 (Bloomberg) — Representative Charles Rangel earned more than $75,000 in rental income since 1988 on a villa he owns in the Dominican Republic but didn’t report it on federal or state tax returns, the New York Times reported, citing Rangel’s attorney and documents from the resort
I’m very sorry to hear these things about Charlie Rangel.  I like him a lot.  I don’t know what gets into people at these high levels of government.  They seem to think they can do whatever they want.  I would like to point out, however, that none of these questions came up until after Rangel made it clear he would stick with Hillary until the last primary.

MSNBC Takes Incendiary Hosts From Anchor Seat
MSNBC tried a bold experiment this year by putting two politically incendiary hosts, Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews, in the anchor chair to lead the cable news channel’s coverage of the election. That experiment appears to be over. After months of accusations of political bias and simmering animosity between MSNBC and its parent network NBC, the channel decided over the weekend that the NBC News correspondent and MSNBC host David Gregory would anchor news coverage of the coming debates and election night. Mr. Olbermann and Mr. Matthews will remain as analysts during the coverage.

Stevens Surges in Alaska Senate Race (Political Wire)
A new Anchorage Press poll in Alaska finds Mark Begich (D) just barely edging Sen. Ted Stevens in the U.S. Senate race, 49% to 46%. Begich had a 17 point lead over Stevens just three weeks ago.
Now that’s just plain amazing.

Women are candidates at every level of N. Carolina ballot (McClatchy)
ST. PAUL, MINN. — The nomination of Sarah Palin for vice president means that voters in North Carolina this year have the chance to elect women at every level of government.

Nearly 600,000 Subject to Possible Caging in Ohio (by David Rosenfeld at Miller-McCune Magazine)
Ohio election officials are sending out a mass mailer stamped “do not forward” to all registered voters today (Sept. 5) with an absentee ballot application and other important notices for Nov. 4. What’s important here is not so much what’s going out as what’s being returned to sender. Unbeknownst to the would-be recipients, the same mailer — just 60 days before the election — has the potential to determine their eligibility to vote, challenged not by election officials but by partisan opposition. A similar mailer in March netted nondeliverable mail from almost 600,000 registered voters in just five Ohio counties who could now have their ballots thrown out for voting under the wrong address.

Virgina County Threatens Student Voters in Chilling Edict
“The Code of Virginia states that a student must declare a legal residence in order to register. A legal residence can be either a student’s permanent address from home or their current college residence. By making Montgomery County your permanent residence, you have declared your independence from your parents and can no longer be claimed as a dependent on their income tax filings — check with your tax professional. If you have a scholarship attached to your former residence, you could lose this funding. And, if you change your registration to Montgomery County, Virginia Code requires you to change your driver’s license and car registration to your present address within 30 days.”

Media Matters for America headlines

• Citing no evidence, Matthews dubbed Palin “a conservative version” of “Norma Rae”

• Brokaw falsely suggested Oprah hosted Obama as a presidential candidate [No, she just CAMPAIGNED FOR HIM.  Really, Media Matters, let’s not be so literal that it sounds silly.]

• For hours, Fox News reported GOP claims about American flags — which Cameron called “the Stars and Bars” — before providing Dem response

• ABC cropped Obama, falsely suggesting he “admit[ted] that he was wrong to oppose the surge”

• Levin: “It’s not the National Organization of Liberal Women. It’s the National Organization of Ugly Women”

• Minneapolis radio host said Code Pink protesters “ought to have all their tubes tied”

• Fox News’ Jarrett to Obama adviser: “I’ll shut down the microphone if you continue” to use “talking points”

• Wash. Post’s Weisman ignored actual criteria used in study finding McCain voted with Bush 90 percent of the time

• CBS’ Rodriguez allowed McCain adviser to claim unchallenged that Obama “has a plan to raise” taxes

• Two days after decrying “deep sexism that runs through our society,” Dick Morris provided more examples

• CNN’s Bennett falsely said McCain “hasn’t recanted his position on … McCain-Kennedy” immigration bill

• Mark Belling called Gloria Steinem a “grizzled old bag,” “old witch”

• Rather than noting immigration reversal, Todd claimed McCain “is not getting votes that his record deserves” from Hispanics

• In text-message poll on McCain’s speech, MSNBC offered only four positive responses

• Media uncritically repeat McCain claim that Obama “will raise” taxes

• Tipping the scales: Cable news channels dedicate more coverage to RNC’s scheduled programming during peak hours than to DNC’s

Comcast appeals FCC’s Web traffic-blocking decision
Comcast is appealing an FCC ruling that the company is improperly blocking customers’ Web traffic, triggering a legal battle that could determine the extent of the government’s authority to regulate the Internet.

China’s Hu and Wen get own “fan” website
BEIJING (Reuters) – Does Chinese President Hu Jintao give you goosebumps? Got the hots for Premier Wen Jiabao? Then Communist Party mouthpiece the People’s Daily has the answer — join their online fan club.

Lebanon: Political Tension Takes Over The Blogosphere
The political tension in Lebanon is escalating to critical levels with each passing day.

Thailand: Satellite TV Boosts Anti-Gov’t Protests
The anger that drives a protest movement to topple an elected administration has pitted it against the old media order.

Pakistan: Abducted Journalist Killed In Air Raid
A local journalist held captive by the Taliban was killed in an air strike on militant hideouts in the Swat valley in Pakistan.

Italian PM Berlusconi Loses Suit Againt The Economist
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi lost a defamation suit he brought against The Economist over a 2001 cover story that accused him of being “unfit to lead Italy,” the British news magazine said on Friday. Berlusconi, one of Italy’s richest men, was ordered to pay The Economist’s legal costs of 25,000 euros ($35,760) after a Milan court rejected his libel claims.

BBC Arabic Journalists Vote To Strike
Staff on the BBC World Service’s new London-based Arabic television channel have voted to take strike action after the National Union of Journalists claimed the corporation was trying to run the service “on the cheap”.
But isn’t that the whole purpose of outsourcing?  Running things on the cheap?

CEO Pruitt Steps Down From McClatchy Family Stock Trusts — Sparking Going-Private Speculation
Gary Pruitt, The McClatchy Co. chairman and CEO, has stepped down from four family trusts that control 80% of the voting stock in the nation’s third-largest newspaper chain, the company disclosed in a regulatory filing late Friday.

Times Plans to Combine Sections of the Paper
The New York Times will reduce the number of sections printed in the New York metropolitan area, in a move to save money on production. The Metro report will become part of the newspaper’s A section, which also contains the International and National reports, and the editorial and Op-Ed pages, on Mondays through Saturdays, and possibly on Sundays, as well.

Times Will Shut Down Its Distribution Subsidiary
The New York Times Company in January will shut down a subsidiary that distributes newspapers and magazines in the metropolitan area, eliminating the equivalent of 550 full-time jobs.

Print Journalism Squeeze Hits Campuses
Students working at college newspapers are getting a true — and bitter — taste of the “real world.” Late last month, two student newspapers announced plans to curtail print publications, citing the same drain in advertising revenues that has prompted layoffs at commercial newspapers across the country.

Esquire magazine unveils cover with electronic ink 
NEW YORK (AP) – Although readers keep shifting to the Internet, Esquire magazine’s editor is sure print isn’t dying, and he aims to prove it Monday by unveiling a 75th-anniversary issue with a cover that features electronic ink.

‘Biggest Loser’ Is Winner for a Magazine
The collaboration between Prevention magazine and NBC’s hit weight-loss show has grown beyond mutual promotion to best-selling books, specialty magazines and an online club.

HBO offshoot launches Web video series
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – HBOlab, an experimental offshoot of the cable powerhouse focused on online programming, is launching a Web video series featuring a cast of the Internet’s most popular entertainers.

How the Music Business Spent the Summer Killing Itself (by Simon Dumenco at Advertising Age)
Labels Pull Albums off iTunes, RIAA Goes After Internet Radio — When Will They Ever Learn?

RealNetworks to Introduce a DVD Copier
The digital media company will introduce RealDVD, a $30 software program for Windows computers that allows users to easily make a digital copy of an entire DVD.

How Many Reviewers Should Be in the Kitchen?
Web sites that welcome customer reviews have evolved significantly, producing work that increasingly approaches that of their professional forebears.

Google’s Chrome Browser: Making Room for More News Apps?
Just as Microsoft finally gets around to updating its Windows-only Internet Explorer browser for the first time in years, Google announced the release its own open-source browser, Chrome. The first beta version is now available for Windows — Mac and Linux editions are coming later.

Yahoo search arrives on AT&T mobile phones
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – AT&T Inc is set to begin featuring Yahoo Inc search services on the Internet menu of mobile handsets used by its base of up to 70 million U.S. customers, the companies said on Monday.

Clueless in Cleveland? Use Your Thumb
From showing you the nearest sushi bar in London to telling you how to say “Where’s the toilet?” in Cantonese, travel apps for the iPhone are proving to be a useful tool.

Advertising group opposes Yahoo-Google pact 
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A group representing big-spending national advertisers said Sunday it sent a letter to the Justice Department asserting an online ad partnership between Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc. will stifle competition and likely raise prices.

Magazines Assert Their Power to Sell
As advertising spending in magazines continues to decline, publishers are intensifying their search for revenue from marketers.

Cell phones welcome in some classrooms
Abilene Christian University will hand out Apple’s iPhone 3G smartphone to two-thirds of this year’s entering class of 950 freshmen. Students will be expected to use the devices to brainstorm ideas and get virtual handouts and podcasts during class. Instructors will use them for such tasks as monitoring attendance. “This is a new platform for learning, in the same way a laptop or a desktop was a new platform,” says William Rankin, co-director of mobile learning research at the school in Abilene, Texas.

New E-Newspaper Reader Echoes Look of the Paper
Plastic Logic will introduce publicly on Monday its version of an electronic newspaper reader: a lightweight plastic screen that mimics the look — but not the feel — of a printed newspaper.