October 9, 2008 –

Number of times the word “economy” appears on National Review’s “The Corner” blog: 8

Number of times the word “Ayers” appears: 43

. . . and Keith Olbermann mispronounces “Buchanan” (as in the county):

The Governor winks; National Review’s Rich Lowry (Yorktown 1986) goes all weak in the knees, earning him Keith Olbermann’s “Worst Person in the World”:

Meanwhile, The Governor tells Fox News she was “annoyed” by the questions posed to her by Katie Couric (Yorktown 1975):

Here are some interview segments. You be the judge.

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270 to Win is a new electoral map site that also includes great historical information. The site includes state voting trends and outlines statistical probabilities of each candidate winning in each state. And if you want to see what George Washington’s electoral win looked like, here’s your site.

Today, it shows that Obama has 73 possible winning combinations to get to 270 electoral votes. McCain has 39. So if you aren’t spending enough time over at Pollster.com or Fivethirtyeight.com, 270 to Win offers another way to waste time do productive research OK, hang out on the Internet.

Fess up. On Friday night, you wanted Our Guy to strike back. You wondered why he didn’t say, “As a matter of fact, John, I do understand.” You wanted him to smack somebody upside the head.

Or maybe that was just me.

But as the polls have come in and I’ve had a chance to look at the internals, I was the one who was smacked upside the head with this realization: These folks know what they’re doing.

For a lot of us (on both sides) the election is already over. The Twelve Apostles could come canvassing at my door for John McCain and I wouldn’t change my vote. So in that debate, Barack Obama didn’t have to talk to me.

He did need to talk to the undecided voters. Who loved the fact that he wasn’t mean. Who loved it when he said he agreed with his opponent. Who want a President, in other words, who acts Presidential.

It’s always satisfying to get off a real zinger in an argument. (This is a sin with which I am not unfamiliar.) But it is not worth it if you have to spend the next few days making amends.

It is clear to me that the people who had the foresight to devote extra primary resources to the Congressional districts that elected an uneven number of Convention delegates also had the foresight to know what they needed to do on Friday night.

And then they had a candidate with the discipline to do exactly what he needed to. Even when the Other Guy was calling him names. And even when most of us would have lost our temper–and maybe, along with it, the election.

In our line of work, we get invited to lots of very nice events. But usually, they are populated by other politicos like us.

But last night, the “sparklies” were really glittery. Through a friend, a group of us wrangled an invitation to the premiere of “The Secret Life of Bees.” So there we were, partying with Dakota Fanning and Queen Latifah. (Before you ask, she looks gorgeous and the Jenny Craig thing seems to be working for her.)

As I described it to my Co-Blogger this morning, “Well, the main characters are all women, there’s kissing and crying, and nothing gets blown up.” His analysis: a decided Chick Flick.

But if you loved the book, you’ll love the movie. If you haven’t read the book, you’ll want to.

I just got back from a C-SPAN Presidential debate at West Potomac High School. What an exciting event. Students had prepared for weeks. This morning, teams representing Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain debated before the entire senior class.

Then students visited other stations. There was a Democratic “spin room” (I was there) and a Republican “spin room” (and students were free to visit both). Students could register to vote at a table set up by the Fairfax County Registrar. The C-SPAN bus was parked outside.

Students were engaged and excited about the political process. Dozens signed up to volunteer for the candidate of their choice. (I told them, “We’re in the Democratic spin room and it is our job to encourage you to sign up for Sen. Obama. But I feel so strongly about the value of participation that I want to urge you to sign up for Sen. McCain, if that’s who you’re supporting. Just don’t sit on the sidelines in this election.”)

Oh, and in the mock election? Obama won with 82 percent of the vote.

When we had that little kerfuffle about a political rally on school grounds a few weeks ago, I said that there was a real place for school activities that inform and educate young voters. This day definitely did that. Congratulations to Cox for bringing the bus, and most of all to the students and teachers at West Potomac.

Dear American:

I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.

I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 800 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.

I am working with Mr. Phil Gram, lobbyist for UBS, who will be my replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a Senator, you may know him as the leader of the American investment banking deregulation movement in the 1990s. This transactin is 100% safe.

This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred.

Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to

wallstreetbailout@treasury.gov so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction. After I receive that information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.

Yours Faithfully Minister of Treasury Paulson

On my wall, I have a quote from Pat Summit (the Tennessee women’s basketball coach) describing her theory of victory. “Here’s how I’m going to beat you,” she says. “I’m going to outwork you. That’s it.” And any team that plays Tennessee knows that’s usually what happens–they just flat get outworked on the court.

Now here is a photograph of the Obama headquarters in my district last Saturday. There is a line–out the door–of people waiting to get their canvas packages.

I have never seen people work this hard for any candidate. And, like Pat Summit, I believe all that hard work is going to pay off.

From The New York Times:

“Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation.”