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First Read: The day in politics by NBC News for NBC News
---------------------------------------------------------

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/default.aspx  
  
>From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann 
  
FIRST THOUGHTS: 
*** Obama At 264: A week after Obama's poll numbers spiked in battleground 
states and after McCain's campaign announced it was retreating from Michigan, 
Obama has opened up a nearly 100-point electoral-vote lead, according to NBC's 
new map. Obama now has a 264-174 advantage over McCain, up from his 212-174 
edge last week. The changes are all in Obama's direction: We've moved Michigan, 
New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin from Toss-up to Lean Obama. Also, 
every single Toss-up state is now a red state, and we are close to moving 
another red state -- Missouri -- to the Toss-up column. But let's remember: 
This is where the RACE IS RIGHT NOW, not where we expect the race to be in a 
month. And we move a state into lean when we believe there's significant 
evidence based on our reporting and a few of the public polls (we trust) that a 
candidate has a lead of five points or more.
Likely Obama: CA, CT, DE, DC, HI, IL, ME, MD, MA, NY, RI, VT (157 electoral 
votes) 
Lean Obama: IA, MI, MN, NH, NJ, NM, OR, PA, WA, WI (107 votes) 
Toss-up: CO, FL, IN, NV, NC, OH, VA (100 votes) 
Lean McCain: MO, MT (14 votes) 
Likely McCain: AL, AK, AZ, AR, GA, ID, KS, KY, LA, MS, NE, ND, OK, SC, SD, TN, 
TX, UT, WV, WY (160 votes) 
*** The Path To Winning: To reach 270, Obama has to hold on to the Kerry map -- 
winning New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin -- and pick up just one more 
state other than Nevada (which would get him to 269 and send the election to 
the House). Here's McCain's challenge, per our map: If he's unable to turn a 
blue state red, then he has to win EVERY SINGLE Toss-up to get to 270. It's 
doable, but it's also the poker equivalent of drawing an inside straight. Also, 
not only does McCain share Vietnam veteran status with the last two Democratic 
nominees for president (Gore and Kerry); he also shares the need for a similar 
Electoral College strategy. At this point in the campaign in both 2000 and 
2004, Gore and Kerry seemed to have limited room to maneuver in the states. 
Gore pulled out of Ohio (about this time) to focus on Florida, and Kerry pulled 
out of Missouri to focus on Ohio. McCain's pullout of Michigan has the same 
feel to it -- meaning it's not a bad strategy given the circumstances. The fact 
is, like Gore and Kerry, McCain's got a narrow path to 270, which explains why 
Sarah Palin was in Omaha yesterday and why there is more money being thrown 
into Maine. McCain's campaign is not playing for a big win, just any win. And 
while both Kerry and Gore did end up losing, it was VERY close. When the 
environment is against you, it's not a bad strategy.
*** Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania: If there is one blue state the 
McCain campaign may never give up on, it's the Keystone State. Of all the Kerry 
blue states, it's the most competitive -- even right now at a time that appears 
to be Obama's high-water mark. Of the remaining blue states in play, 
Pennsylvania may be the most culturally sensitive and may explain why the 
McCain folks want to shift the debate a bit to character (see below). Shifting 
the campaign to character isn't about changing the national narrative; it's 
about keeping the undecided column larger in Pennsylvania. Now, the character 
strategy could backfire in a Florida or even a Nevada or Colorado. But 
Pennsylvania, by the numbers, is worth it to McCain. Speaking of state-by-state 
strategies, anyone remember the last time Obama was in Ohio?
*** To Ayers Is Human: The good news for the McCain campaign is that by using 
Palin to conduct the attack, the Ayers hit on Obama got an airing over the 
weekend that it hasn't received in months. (And she'll do it again today, per 
remarks released by the McCain campaign.) But by unleashing a principal to 
conduct the attack, the campaign is being about as transparent as it could be: 
This could be their last shot to change the contours of the race. What if Ayers 
had been a part of the character attack the McCain camp was conducting a few 
months ago? (Remember Paris and Britney?). So is this the only choice McCain 
has right now, given the circumstances of this race? Is creating character 
questions the only way -- or do voters already have some questions about Obama 
and they want more from McCain? By the way, while Palin's Ayers line got all 
the attention this weekend, wasn't this line the tougher attack: "This is not a 
man who sees America as you see it and as I see America"? 
*** Tipping Your Hand: Also, who in McCain Land keeps saying these things on 
background? "It's a dangerous road, but we have no choice," a top McCain 
strategist told the Daily News. "If we keep talking about the economic crisis, 
we're going to lose." These lines have been gold for the Obama talking-point 
memos. This is the big criticism the McCain camp has received this weekend -- 
why are they telegraphing their attacks and telegraphing their state-by-state 
decisions? Of course, Michigan Republicans could have been the ones to 
initially leak the McCain pullout rumor, hoping they could guilt the McCain 
campaign from actually doing it. Oops. 
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/10/05/2008-10-05_insults_fly_as_barack_obama__john_mccain.html?print=1&page=all

*** And Here Comes Keating: Remember the M.A.D. (mutually assured destruction) 
nuclear policy with the Soviets? Well, the Obama camp is indicating they'll "go 
there" if McCain wants to "go there." Today, it's launching a multimedia 
campaign to resurrect McCain's involvement with the Keating Five 
saving-and-loan scandal. The question we've got: Whom will the voters punish 
for the negativity? The Obama camp is gambling that McCain will get blamed for 
starting this fight. We'll see. Obama's brand could be just as tarnished if 
he's seen as being too negative, and we've seen what the negative campaign has 
done to McCain's image lately.  
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=CF9D90EE-18FE-70B2-A8B605018720EBCD
*** Health Care Returns: Ayres and Keating haven't been the only attacks. Over 
the weekend, Team Obama went after McCain on the topic of health care, charging 
that McCain's plan amounts to a tax increase on employees who get coverage from 
employers. As a tactic, this has been a fairly artful hit on McCain. Of course, 
as fact-checkers have pointed out, the attack is more false than truth.  But as 
for the tactic, the Obama campaign has been pushing pivoting to health care for 
a week, hoping to be seen as the candidate of the middle ground on the issue. 
First, he started running an ad about health care that emphasized he was in the 
middle on the issue; now, the campaign is unleashing this attack on McCain's 
plan that attempts to paint his health care philosophy as "radical." He's put 
McCain on the defensive on the issue and it's an issue that was already 
breaking toward the Democrats.
*** License And Registration: Today is a big day in battleground state land. 
It's the final day to register to vote in many important states. This is Part 
One of the Obama strategy of changing the electorates in places like Florida, 
North Carolina, and Virginia. It appears the Obama effort to add more Dem 
voters to the rolls has worked. Part Two of his plan is to figure out how to 
get these new voters to vote.
*** Biden Off The Campaign Trail: Per NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli, Biden has canceled 
his schedule through at least Tuesday following the death of his mother in law, 
Bonny Jean Jacobs, after a long illness. Joe and Jill Biden remain in Delaware. 
"Other details will follow," said spokesman David Wade, "but we appreciate 
everyone's respect for the family's privacy during this difficult time." Palin 
spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt released this statement: "Gov. Palin sends her 
condolences to Jill and Joe Biden and their entire family following the passing 
of Jill's mother, Bonnie Jacobs. Her thoughts and prayers are with the Bidens' 
during this sad time."
*** On The Trail: McCain holds a rally in Albuquerque, NM. Obama continues his 
debate prep in Asheville, NC. Palin, in Florida, has rallies in Clearwater and 
Estero before hitting a fundraiser in Boca Raton.

Countdown to the second presidential debate: 1 day
Countdown to the third presidential debate: 9 days 
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 29 days 
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 106 days 
  
Click here to sign up for First Read emails. 
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7422971/ 
Text FIRST to 622639, to sign up for First Read alerts to your mobile phone.  
MCCAIN vs. OBAMA: The character debate
In her harshest attacks since being selected as McCain's running mate, Palin 
sharply criticized Obama over the weekend for the Illinois senator's tenuous 
ties to the '60s radical Bill Ayers. "This is not a man who sees America as you 
and I see America," she said of Obama. "We see Americas as a force for good in 
this world. We see an America of exceptionalism. Our opponent is someone who 
sees America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who target their 
own country."
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/10/04/1492729.aspx and 
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/10/05/1495110.aspx 
The AP's Daniel writes on Palin's "palling around" comment, "[T]hough she may 
have scored a political hit each time, her attack was unsubstantiated and 
carried a racially tinged subtext that John McCain himself may come to regret. 
Palin's words avoid repulsing voters with overt racism. But is there another 
subtext for creating the false image of a black presidential nominee 'palling 
around' with terrorists while assuring a predominantly white audience that he 
doesn't see their America?" 

"In a post-Sept. 11 America, terrorists are envisioned as dark-skinned radical 
Muslims, not the homegrown anarchists of Ayers' day 40 years ago. With Obama a 
relative unknown when he began his campaign, the Internet hummed with false 
e-mails about ties to radical Islam of a foreign-born candidate. Whether 
intended or not by the McCain campaign, portraying Obama as "not like us" is 
another potential appeal to racism. It suggests that the Hawaiian-born 
Christian is, at heart, un-American." 
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/10/06/analysis_palins_words_may_backfire_on_mccain/
"Obama launched a counterattack yesterday, saying his rival was more interested 
in a smear campaign than fixing the economy," Reuters writes. "But John 
McCain's supporters said they would continue to push the issue of Obama's 
character." 
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/10/06/obama_accuses_mccain_of_smear_try/
The Politico writes that the Obama campaign today "will launch a multimedia 
campaign to draw attention to the involvement of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in 
the "Keating Five" savings-and-loan scandal of 1989-91, which blemished 
McCain's public image and set him on his course as a self-styled reformer. 
Pushing back against what it calls 'guilt-by-association' tactics by McCain, 
the Obama campaign is e-mailing millions of supporters a link to a website, 
KeatingEconomics.com, that will have a 13-minute documentary on the scandal 
beginning at noon Eastern time on Monday. The overnight e-mails urge recipients 
to pass the link on to friends."
"The Obama campaign, including its surrogates appearing on radio and 
television, will argue that the deregulatory fervor that caused massive, 
cascading savings-and-loan collapses in the last '80s was pursued by McCain 
throughout his career, and helped cause the current credit crisis." 
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=CF9D90EE-18FE-70B2-A8B605018720EBCD 
McCain spokesman Brian Rogers responded, "The difference here is clear: John 
McCain has been open and honest about the Keating matter, and even the 
Democratic special counsel in charge recommended that Sen. McCain be completely 
exonerated. By contrast, Barack Obama has been fundamentally dishonest about 
his friendship and work with the unrepentant terrorist William Ayers, whose 
radical group bombed the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol. Nor has Barack Obama 
come clean on his close friendship with Tony Rezko."
Per Bloomberg's Al Hunt, McCain's "best chance for a turnaround is a national 
security crisis over the next four weeks that somehow persuades swing voters 
that his experience and credentials are essential."
The McCain campaign is up with a new TV ad that hits Obama for once saying that 
US troops in Afghanistan are "just air-raiding villages and killing civilians." 
It goes: "Who is Barack Obama? He says our troops in Afghanistan are '... just 
air-raiding villages and killing civilians.'  How dishonorable." 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjEKRIBDv6Q 
But here is what Obama said back in August: "We've got to get the job done 
there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just 
air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems 
there."
And here's the AP's Pickler's fact-check: "A check of the facts shows that 
Western forces have been killing civilians at a faster rate than the insurgents 
have been killing civilians. As of Aug. 1, the AP count shows that while 
militants killed 231 civilians in attacks in 2007, Western forces killed 286. 
Another 20 were killed in crossfire that can't be attributed to one party. 
Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed his concern about the civilian deaths 
during a meeting last week with President Bush." 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/14/AR2007081400950.html
Meanwhile, to counter the McCain camp's Ayers attack, a new DNC Web video 
recycles this 2000 quote from McCain: "Sooner or later, people are going to 
figure out if all you run is negative attack ads you don't have much of a 
vision for the future or you're not ready to articulate it." 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHW-RO1_WN0

While some believe the Ayers attack is a little late, conservatives are happy 
it's finally out there. Writes Jennifer Rubin: "Was it a mistake for the McCain 
campaign to wait this late to go this route? Does it appear now to be a 
last-minute attempt to change the question?
Perhaps 'yes' on both. But regardless of whether it 'works,' it is important 
that
Obama and future candidates understand that their behavior (e.g. choosing to 
serve on
the Woods Fund which doled out money to ACORN and a host of radical groups), 
their
choice of associations (from Rezko to Ayers to Walsh) and their fundamental 
beliefs
expressed through not just speeches but deeds (e.g. supporting the philosophy 
and
goals of the Ayers-founded and led Annenberg Challenge) are open to scrutiny and
deserve a full vetting by the voters." 
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/rubin/35561

After a round of negative ads on health care, the Boston Globe compares the two 
plans: 
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/10/05/healthcare_plans/

The Globe tries to get into the weeds of McCain's health-care plan, looking at 
the pros and cons. 
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/10/05/mccain_plan_may_cost_northeast/

MCCAIN vs. Obama II: Debate prep
The Washington Post reports McCain is doing far more serious debate prep for 
Tuesday than he did for the first showdown. "In one of the most beautiful spots 
on the globe, Sen. John McCain spent much of Saturday holed up in a dark hotel 
conference room, engaged in intense debate preparation. At the end of it, the 
GOP nominee told his aides that was crazy, and so Sunday's first round of 
debate prep was held outside, near the creek by his house in the scenic Arizona 
desert."

"Other than that last-minute audible, McCain appears to be engaged in 
especially serious preparations for Tuesday's debate, one of his last 
opportunities to change the trajectory of a race that may be slipping out of 
his control. He is certainly doing more formal preparation than he did before 
last month's debate in Mississippi." 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/05/AR2008100502356.html

BATTLEGROUND: The registration edge
The Washington Post front-pages, "As the deadline for voter registration 
arrives today in many states, Sen. Barack Obama's campaign is poised to benefit 
from a wave of newcomers to the rolls in key states in numbers that far 
outweigh any gains made by Republicans. In the past year, the rolls have 
expanded by about 4 million voters in a dozen key states -- 11 Obama targets 
that were carried by George W. Bush in 2004 (Ohio, Florida, Georgia, North 
Carolina, Virginia, Indiana, Missouri, Colorado, Iowa, Nevada and New Mexico) 
plus Pennsylvania, the largest state carried by Sen. John F. Kerry that Sen. 
John McCain is targeting."
 
"In Florida, Democratic registration gains this year are more than double those 
made by Republicans; in Colorado and Nevada the ratio is 4 to 1, and in North 
Carolina it is 6 to 1. Even in states with nonpartisan registration, the trend 
is clear -- of the 310,000 new voters in Virginia, a disproportionate share 
live in Democratic strongholds. Republicans acknowledge the challenge but say 
Obama still has to prove he can get the new voters to the polls." 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/05/AR2008100502524.html?hpid=topnews
 

COLORADO: The newest numbers from Mason Dixon and the Denver Post show a dead 
heat in the Centennial State, with Obama and McCain tied at 44%-44% among 
registered voters. "Among unaffiliated voters, 49 percent favor Obama and 31 
percent favor McCain. A whopping 9 percent in this group are going for a third 
party, and 11 percent of unaffiliateds are undecided .  "One thing Coloradans 
are almost in unison on: The economy is the top concern, at 77 percent. Every 
other issue was below 6 percent." 
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_10639338

FLORIDA: The Miami Herald looks at the state's vote-rich I-4 corridor. "Nearly 
one out of five of the state's unaffiliated voters live in this swath between 
Tampa and Daytona Beach, and an even higher percentage are considered 
''persuadable'' Democrats and Republicans."  
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/713624.html

Both veep candidates hit the Sunshine State this week.  
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/714302.html
INDIANA: Obama visits the state Wednesday. 
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081004/NEWS0502/810040479/1008/LOCAL19

GEORGIA: Here's a pretty good explanation of the potential surge in 
African-American
voters that's coming on E-Day, at least in Georgia. "Secretary of State Karen 
Handel is on record saying that there is no giant surge of voter registration 
in Georgia - and in the largest context, she's right. Newly released figures 
from her office show that 406,379 new voters registered between Jan. 1 to Sept. 
30. Four years ago, the number was 371,932. Overall, that's a 9 percent 
increase from '04 to '08 - hardly surprising in a presidential race with no 
incumbent. Barack Obama or no Barack Obama."

"But this is far from the whole story. Those same numbers show that 164,859 of 
those new voters are African-American. And 176,570 of those new voters are 
white. That's a 27 percent increase in new voter registration for 
African-Americans over '04, and a 13.7 percent decrease in new voter 
registration for whites over '04." 
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/shared-blogs/ajc/politicalinsider/entries/2008/10/04/more_on_an_obama_surge_black_g.html

MICHIGAN: Some day, we're going to get the full story behind the leaking of the 
McCain decision to pull out of Michigan. Couldn't they have done it more 
quietly? Who decided not to keep this decision so quiet? Did some Michigan 
Republican folks believe there was a chance that by going public, they'd scare 
the campaign from pulling out? And then the snowball? This has been a near-P.R. 
disaster for the McCain campaign. What's more, will this decision cost the GOP 
one to two House seats?   
At least one Republican in Michigan is livid about McCain's pullback from the 
state. "He has given up on our State?" writes a county GOP chair in an email 
obtained by Politico's Jonathan Martin over the weekend. "What a total and 
complete crock of crap. Again, I think McCain owes the Republicans and the 
People of Michigan a HUGE APOLOGY. SOON!" 
http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/1008/Mich_GOP_county_chair_calls_McCain_move_complete_crock_of_crap.html?showall

MINNESOTA: A new Star-Tribune poll shows a commanding lead for Obama: 55%-37%. 
"That's a huge difference from the last Minnesota Poll, conducted in September, 
which showed the race dead even, with each candidate backed by 45 percent of 
likely voters."  
http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/30470234.html?elr=KArks8c7PaP3E77K_3c::D3aDhUec7PaP3E77K_0c::D3aDhUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiU

NEBRASKA: The Washington Post looks at the unlikely corner of Nebraska that's 
suddenly become the target of the presidential campaigns. "Where Republicans 
see folly, the Obama camp spots an opening. Unlike most of Nebraska, the 2nd 
District has a significant minority population, with a population that is 10 
percent black and 6 percent Hispanic -- groups that strongly back Obama." 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/05/AR2008100502174.html?hpid=topnews

NEW MEXICO: Word is that Obama's once insurmountable lead, while still 
significant,
doesn't seem so insurmountable. Plus, it's not an expensive state. McCain's 
event
there Monday may be about testing to see if some McCain presence will shrink 
Obama's
lead further. If so, look for an increased effort in the state in the following 
weeks. 
Speaking of. McCain trails Obama by five in New Mexico, according to a new 
Albuquerque Journal poll. 
http://haussamen.blogspot.com/2008/10/mccain-returns-to-abq-as-poll-puts-him.html

OHIO: A Columbus Dispatch poll has Obama up 49%-42% among likely voters. It 
"was conducted Sept. 24 to Oct. 3 by mail among 2,262 likely Ohio voters." An 
August Dispatch poll had Obama up 42%-41%. 
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/10/05/newspaper_poll_shows_obama_up_7_points_in_ohio/

Bruce Springsteen held a concert for Obama at Ohio State -- where early voting 
is underway. 
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/10/05/bruce_springsteen_rocks_for_obama_at_ohio_state/

PENNSYLVANIA: A group of students found a big advantage for Obama when they 
fanned out across the Philadelphia suburbs over the weekend to get a sense of 
the support both candidates are getting in counties like Bucks and Chester.  
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/politics/Obama_leads_in_the_suburbs.html

VIRGINIA: Politico's Martin talks to a cadre of the big players in the Virginia 
GOP, and finds some anxiety about the resources John McCain is -- and isn't -- 
putting into the state. "With Barack Obama treating the Old Dominion like a 
battleground state and reliable polls showing a margin-of-error race there, 
some are cautioning that McCain is making a critical mistake by allowing the 
Democratic nominee to outpace him in terms of visits and resources committed."  
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=CCAF5A4E-18FE-70B2-A8996BF8627EAB3E
McCain's brother called Northern Virginia "communist country." 
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/10/05/mccains_brother_says_n_va_communist_country/

MCCAIN: Here comes the backseat driving 
Does the McCain campaign need to brace itself for another round of GOP backseat
driving? It appears so, since Karl Rove kicked off the backseat driving 
yesterday on
"Fox News Sunday." http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/rubin/35581

A day after Sarah Palin accused Barack Obama of 'palling around with 
terrorists,' Obama struck back Sunday with a tough ad painting John McCain as 
'erratic.'.  One-time McCain adviser Mike Murphy told NBC's 'Meet the Press' 
he's worried because 'it's McCain's barn that is on fire. McCain is defending 
states like North Carolina, Virginia, Florida that he has to win.' 'I think 
McCain can win, but the fact is, if the election were held today, he'd lose, 
and I think he's on a losing path,' Murphy added. 'This trendline is very, very 
bad.'"
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/10/05/2008-10-05_insults_fly_as_barack_obama__john_mccain.html

In his New York Times column, Bill Kristol interviews Sarah Palin and asks her 
why Rev. Wright isn't more of an issue than Ayers.  "She didn't hesitate: 'To 
tell you the truth, Bill, I don't know why that association isn't discussed 
more, because those were appalling things that that pastor had said about our 
great country, and to have sat in the pews for 20 years and listened to that - 
with, I don't know, a sense of condoning it, I guess, because he didn't get up 
and leave - to me, that does say something about character. But, you know, I 
guess that would be a John McCain call on whether he wants to bring that up.'"

"I guess so. And I guess we'll soon know McCain's call on whether he wants to 
bring Wright up - perhaps at his debate with Obama Tuesday night." 
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/opinion/06kristol.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

OBAMA: Good Will Hunting 
Based on the Newsweek report about cash contributions that violated the 
individual donation limits, the RNC filed a formal FEC complaint against the 
Obama campaign. Is there a $200 loophole in the campaign finance system? Could 
someone, over time, funnel thousands of unaccounted for dollars to a campaign 
by simply giving $199 in cash numerous times? Also, if T-shirt sales are 
donations, how is that applied to the $2,300/individual limit? This FEC 
complaint, while having little impact on Obama this cycle, probably ought to be 
taken seriously as to close a loophole that's clearly there. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/us/politics/06donate.html 

Speaking of fundraising, here's something we ought to keep an eye on over the 
next few weeks: With the economic downturn, there might be a real problem 
raising money. Apparently, even Hollywood is feeling the economic downturn.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117993412.html?categoryid=1019&cs=1 

"His family last week told The Post they were amazed that Smith - a former 
volunteer for Obama who has donated $550 to his various campaigns - was trusted 
with the hefty state grant to build a botanic garden in his blighted South Side 
Chicago neighborhood," the NY Post writes. "Land earmarked for the plan is 
still overgrown and covered in garbage - eight years after then-state Sen. 
Obama steered the pork-barrel funds to the program. The Illinois attorney 
general last month launched an investigation to find out what the Chicago 
Better Housing Association did with the cash."
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10062008/news/politics/family_slams_o_charity_big_132273.htm
 

PALIN: The Magnificent Seven 
The AP on the latest development in the Troopergate scandal: "Seven aides to 
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin have reversed course and agreed to testify in an 
investigation into whether the Republican vice presidential nominee abused her 
powers by firing a commissioner who refused to dismiss her former 
brother-in-law." 
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/10/05/employees_will_testify_in_palin_probe/

First Read with NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd, every weekday on 
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