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The Hardball Briefing On MSNBC
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First up: the Hunt for Red October!
With the final presidential debate behind them, Sens. John McCain and Barack
Obama hit the campaign trail hard today, each focusing their efforts on those
crucial swing states and some states that might surprise you!
McCain campaigned in Florida today, while his running mate, Sarah Palin, was in
Ohio and Indiana. Obama was in Virginia, while Joe Biden campaigned out west in
New Mexico and Nevada. What do all these states have in common? They're all red
states that President Bush won in 2004. With both tickets battling over these
votes, John McCain has moved on the defensive. Will Obama take the lead in
states that historically vote Republican? Or is the race still too close to
call? MSNBC'S Pat Buchanan and Air America's Mark Green will show us the latest
numbers and the increasing odds against John McCain.
And with just 18 days left until Election Day, has the race taken a new
direction? Obama urges his supporters against overconfidence while McCain
rallies as the underdog. We'll find out what the candidates and saying and the
latest news from McCain supporter Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) and Obama
campaign senior adviser Stephanie Cutter.
For more on the state of the race:
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/10/17/1560313.aspx
And, today the U.S. Supreme Court sided with Ohio's top elections official in a
dispute with the state Republican Party over voter registrations. But
Republicans are still going nuts over ACORN and now the FBI is now
investigating. We'll dig into the allegations with ACORN spokesman Scott
Levenson and Former FEC Commissioner Hans Von Spakovskyn to see how much impact
the voter registration issue will have on the presidential campaign.
For the latest on ACORN:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hSQRQM34d7S1eOAiEdP7GAxlwf_QD93RPFPG0
And move over, Leno and Letterman! Last night at the Alfred E Smith memorial
dinner, the presidential candidates had the crowd in stitches as they poked fun
at themselves-and each other. Find out who drew the biggest laughs on the
Hardball Sideshow.
Then, former Sec. of State Colin Powell will appear on "Meet the Press" this
Sunday. Will he endorse Barack Obama or John McCain? Today the Washington Post
and the Chicago Tribune endorsed Obama and the Los Angeles Times will follow
suit on Sunday. But do endorsements really matter? We'll take at look at this
and more on the Politics Fix with Politico's Jonathan Martin and Lynn Sweet
from the Chicago Sun Times.
For the latest on all of today's political news, go to the best political
website www.politics.msnbc.com, powered by NBC News and the National Journal.
And, don't forget to check out NBC's "First Read" and MSNBC.com's Hardblogger.
Katie Corotto wrote the "Hardball Briefing" from Washington, D.C.
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