• After the Imperial Presidency– Jonathan Mahler
• Payday Lenders, Check Cashers – Redeemed?– Douglas McGray
• Deprogramming Jihadists– Katherine Zoepf

New York Times

• Obama team weighs what to take on first
• Harsh words about Obama? Never mind
• Citing workload public lawyers refuse new cases
• How Merrill fell
• Pelosi, Reid want aid for U.S. automakers
• Op-Ed, Frank Rich: It still felt good morning after
• Op-Ed, Al Gore: The climate for change
• Op-Ed, Thomas Friedman: Show me the money
• Op-Ed, Nicholas Kristof: Obama and the War on Brains
• Rice visits West Bank
• U.S. electricity project in Afghanistan
• Back home, Palin finds landscape changed
• After push for Obama, Unions seek new rules

Washington Post

• Preparing for the Obama era
• Reid, Pelosi urge Treasury to extend aid to automakers
• Self-sufficiency evades Iraqi security forces
• Obama positioned to reverse Bush actions
• Medvedev calls Obama; Kremlin describes call
• Congressional Democrats say economy first priority
• Op-Ed, Rich Lowry: The right needs to get centered
• Op-Ed, Joseph Stiglitz: More pain to come even if he’s perfect
• Op-Ed, Ron Suskind: U.S. has power – it could use authority
• Op-Ed, David Broder: Governors know best
• Op-Ed, George Will: Democratic ironies and Republican Afflictions

Los Angeles Times

• Democrats set sights on Texas
• Public works on the table once again
• Obama relies on a close-knit inner circle
• Op-Ed, Norman Ornstein: The GOP’s deep hole
• Op-Ed, James Rainey: Right-wing media feeds its post-election anger
• Political blogger be nimble, be quick
• Election leaves gay couple feeling isolated

• Biden makes one last plea to Ohioans - Toledo Blade
• Coal becomes burning issue at end of campaign - Columbus Dispatch
• Final Ohio Poll puts Obama as likely winner - The Plain Dealer
• Hundreds endure long lines at Lucas County voting center - Toledo Blade
• Early voters nearly a third of expected total: Officials - Akron Beacon Journal
• Palin starts final day of campaigning in Lakewood – The Plain Dealer
• Long waits during final day of early voting - Dayton Daily News
• Officials confident we won’t see goofs like in ’04 - Columbus Dispatch
• What local bloggers are saying about the election - The Plain Dealer
• Potential pitfalls on election day - Columbus Dispatch
• Dems feel good heading into Tuesday – Columbus Dispatch
• Final list of Ohio House targeted races - Columbus Dispatch

• Crowds flock to Obama – Columbus Dispatch
• McCain: Momentum “Here” – Columbus Dispatch

• New Voters: Blue Tint – Columbus Dispatch
• Late night for early voters – Columbus Dispatch
• Kilroy, Stivers still sprinting - Columbus Dispatch
• Joe the Plumber sign of the times – Toledo Blade

Click for Full Graphic

• Candidates can’t seem to stay out of Ohio
• Election Day lines should move faster
• Voter Guide: Nation Awaits Ohio’s Choice
• Obama draws 60,000 to Statehouse on Sunday
• Biden blasts McCain for name calling
• Op-Ed, Jonathan Riskind: Traditional GOP Ground Not Looking as Stable
• Op-Ed, Joe Hallett: Checks on ‘Joe the Plumber’ Out of Bounds

The Plain Dealer

• Obama and The Boss after Browns Game; Palin draws fewer in Canton
• Palin to Ohio: Do You Share Our Commitment?
• Endorsing faith – Not politcians
• Ohio’s out-of-state absentee voters could affect election
• Op-Ed, Connie Schultz: Intimidation can’t silence the voice of the people
• Op-Ed, Thomas Suddes: Ohioans mustn’t fall for payday lenders stealth campaign

Dayton Daily News

• Ohio still the political heartland
• Obama adviser visits rural areas
• McCain makes two day trip to Ohio
• Obama stirs crowd of 60k in Columbus

• Long lines – yes; longer hours – maybe
  
• GOP gets earful for answers on survey
  
• Mailers are making the TV ads look lame
  
• Boehner demands monitors at polls
  
• GOP volunteers steer up votes
  
• Paper ballot must be offered if poll is busy
  
• Biden, Clinton visit Southern Ohio
  
• Governator stumps for McCain
  
• Worker who checked on ‘Joe’ speaks
  

The Plain Dealer

• McCain predicts comeback victory; Obama advisers skeptical
  
• Multiple absentee ballots sent to some Ohio voters
  
• Op-Ed, Joe Frolik: Election Day Primer
  
• Op-Ed, Kevin O’Brien: Obama a Socialist
  

(Editor’s Note: Op-Ed, Pelikan: Kevin O’Brien is a douche bag)

Youngstown Vindicator

• Most at YSU couldn’t see or hear McCain
  

Dayton Daily News

• Biden derides McCain in Kettering
  
• Boehner’s name-calling desperate: Obama Aide
  
• McCain keeps up attacks on Obama
  

Akron Beacon Journal

• Race to finish in search of votes
• Voters make up minds to try something new
• Editorial: Plumbing for Answers
• Editorial: Lying about his record
• Op-Ed, Steve Hoffman: Why wait for Tuesday? Here’s the deal …

Cincinnati Enquirer

• CT man voted here
  
• Political fliers at churches slammed
  
• Down to the wire, Obama, Palin coming
  

Toledo Blade

• MI woman heads south to door knock
  
• Bus tour rolls into Bowling Green
  
• Boehner appears in Perrysburg
  
• ‘Terminator’ Rallies McCain Faithful
  
• Biden denounces Bush legacy in Lima
  
• Op-Ed, Reg Henry: We’re all runners in this race

• Clinton boosts Obama with Ohio appearances
  
• Obama dips but still has comfortable lead
  
• Down in polls, McCain tells Ohio crowd he’s coming back

• Feds won’t make Brunner reveal voter mismatches
• Schwarzenegger says McCain in uphill battle
• Palin revs up Chillicothe
• Local pastors emphasize duty to vote
• Agency head defends ‘Joe’ searches
  

Recent Coverage by Cleveland Plain Dealer

• Day of the Plumber
  
• FAQ on Casino question
  
• ‘Joe the Plumber’ joins McCain roadshow in Sandusky
  
• Secy State cancels cross-checking of Ohio’s voters
  
• McCain in Defiance, Ohio reverts to name calling
  

Recent Coverage by Toledo Blade

• McCain tells Defiance crowd he’ll cut taxes
  
• Rush Limbaugh blasts Kaptur
  
• Palin joins ‘Joe’ in Bowling Green
  
• Ohio elections chief: Scrap voter database
  

Recent Coverage by Dayton Daily News

• Ben Stiller ‘Rocks the Vote’ at UD
• Judge to rule Friday on Ohio man’s attempt to kick Obama off Ohio ballot
• Payday Lending pays over $3 million for signatures
• Joe the Plumber hires Nashville publicity team

• Early Vote very Democratic
• McCain asking Ohioans for help

I know something about Lancaster and Fairfield County. If John McCain is spending an evening with the Republican faithful there, this close to the election, his campaign either sucks or he’s in trouble. You shouldn’t have to excite people who would vote for Atilla the Hun if he had an “R” after his name.

• Palin returning to Ohio on Wednesday

Cleveland Plain Dealer

• Ohio candidates build up war chests
• Cuyahoga County vote counting likely to be slow
• Obama outspending McCain 2 to 1 on Tube
• Over 203,000 have voted early in NE Ohio
• Editorial: Election Day Etiquette

Palin’s rise captivates us but nation needs a steady hand

Alaska enters its 50th-anniversary year in the glow of an improbable and highly memorable event: the nomination of Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate. For the first time ever, an Alaskan is making a serious bid for national office, and in doing so she brings broad attention and recognition not only to herself, but also to the state she leads.

Alaska’s founders were optimistic people, but even the most farsighted might have been stretched to imagine this scenario. No matter the outcome in November, this election will mark a signal moment in the history of the 49th state. Many Alaskans are proud to see their governor, and their state, so prominent on the national stage. Gov. Palin’s nomination clearly alters the landscape for Alaskans as we survey this race for the presidency — but it does not overwhelm all other judgment. The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation.

Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand. The same cannot be said of Sen. McCain

Since his early acknowledgement that economic policy is not his strong suit, Sen. McCain has stumbled and fumbled badly in dealing with the accelerating crisis as it emerged. He declared that “the fundamentals of our economy are strong” at 9 a.m. one day and by 11 a.m. was describing an economy in crisis. He is both a longtime advocate of less market regulation and a supporter of the huge taxpayer-funded Wall Street bailout. His behavior in this crisis — erratic is a kind description — shows him to be ill-equipped to lead the essential effort of reining in a runaway financial system and setting an anxious nation on course to economic recovery.

Sen. Obama warned regulators and the nation 19 months ago that the subprime lending crisis was a disaster in the making. Sen. McCain backed tighter rules for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but didn’t do much to advance that legislation. Of the two candidates, Sen. Obama better understands the mortgage meltdown’s root causes and has the judgment and intelligence to shape a solution, as well as the leadership to rally the country behind it. It is easy to look at Sen. Obama and see a return to the smart, bipartisan economic policies of the last Democratic administration in Washington, which left the country with the momentum of growth and a budget surplus that President George Bush has squandered.

On the most important issue of the day, Sen. Obama is a clear choice.

Sen. McCain describes himself as a maverick, by which he seems to mean that he spent 25 years trying unsuccessfully to persuade his own party to follow his bipartisan, centrist lead. Sadly, maverick John McCain didn’t show up for the campaign. Instead we have candidate McCain, who embraces the extreme Republican orthodoxy he once resisted and cynically asks Americans to buy for another four years.

It is Sen. Obama who truly promises fundamental change in Washington. You need look no further than the guilt-by-association lies and sound-bite distortions of the degenerating McCain campaign to see how readily he embraces the divisive, fear-mongering tactics of Karl Rove. And while Sen. McCain points to the fragile success of the troop surge in stabilizing conditions in Iraq, it is also plain that he was fundamentally wrong about the more crucial early decisions. Contrary to his assurances, we were not greeted as liberators; it was not a short, easy war; and Americans — not Iraqi oil — have had to pay for it. It was Sen. Obama who more clearly saw the danger ahead.

The unqualified endorsement of Sen. Obama by a seasoned, respected soldier and diplomat like Gen. Colin Powell, a Republican icon, should reassure all Americans that the Democratic candidate will pass muster as commander in chief.

On a matter of parochial interest, Sen. Obama opposes the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but so does Sen. McCain. We think both are wrong, and hope a President Obama can be convinced to support environmentally responsible development of that resource.

Gov. Palin has shown the country why she has been so successful in her young political career. Passionate, charismatic and indefatigable, she draws huge crowds and sows excitement in her wake. She has made it clear she’s a force to be reckoned with, and you can be sure politicians and political professionals across the country have taken note. Her future, in Alaska and on the national stage, seems certain to be played out in the limelight.

Yet despite her formidable gifts, few who have worked closely with the governor would argue she is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth. To step in and juggle the demands of an economic meltdown, two deadly wars and a deteriorating climate crisis would stretch the governor beyond her range. Like picking Sen. McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time.

Anchorage Daily News Recent Coverage

• Palin to testify on Troopergate
• Palin calls herself frugal shopper when at home
• Governor to give deposition on Friday
• State funded Palin kids’ travel
• Palin office defends charging state for children’s travel
• AK’s black leaders feel snubbed by Palin
• Op-Ed, Andrew Halcro – A costly personal, vindictive Palin vendetta? You betcha
  
• Op-Ed, Steve Haycox – Palin is wrong woman at wrong time
  
• Editorial: Too Much Secrecy
  
• Editorial: Palin Vindicated?
  

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Recent Coverage

• Ferrell’s Bush meets Fey’s Palin
• Palin disappointed in endangered listing for Beluga whales
• Palin addresses Alaska natives’ convention
• Op-Ed, Elstun Lauesen –
  McCain camp occupies Alaska
• Palin says she considers herself intellectual

Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman (Wasilla) Recent Coverage

• State legislator calls for Troopergate witness tampering investigation
• Troopergate doesn’t faze Palin approval rating
• Editorial: November 4 a date with history