NYT to Raise New Questions on McCain’s Health

One of the stories bubbling just over the surface is the issue of John McCain’s health. While the story of his frequent bouts with cancer have been well documented, and he did allow reporters to see his records in a very controlled setting, many have demanded a more thorough accounting of his various medical issue. The New York Times will be shedding some additional light on this issue.

Story:

The New York Times will break new ground on the health of the presidential candidates and their running mates in a major expose set to be published in Monday’s print edition.

Lawrence Altman — the veteran Times reporter, George Polk Award winner, and one of the few medical doctors working as a full-time journalist — has spent weeks working with the campaigns and medical professionals on the piece, sources say.

Much of the speculation centers on new questions about the status of John McCain’s cancer raised by the story. The Washington Post reported last week that a growing number of doctors believe that McCain’s melanoma is “more advanced than his physicians concluded and that the chance of recurrence is consequently higher.”

But another peculiar facet of the Times story involves the McCain campaign’s refusal, as of this weekend, to turn over Sarah Palin’s medical information.

Who is Barack Obama?

Since the Republicans can’t seem to answer the question:

Biden Wins: Zinger of the Day

I’m learning to love Joe Biden. He’s the best VP candidate we’ve had since Gore (not that it’s a tough comparison). But just listen to this:

“Sarah Palin says, you know, ‘I was in second grade when Joe Biden was elected to the United States Senate at age 29.’ That’s true, but she was in sixth grade the last time John had a new idea.”

The GOP just got served.

My Take On VP Debate: Biden Was Trained at Obama School

I generally agree with Turner’s excellent take here, but wanted to add a few thoughts.

The CW is generally true: Palin improved her own standing as not seeming like a complete, dribbling idiot and as a whole the debate wasn’t a game-changer. But, if you’re John McCain and you’re behind in the polls as you are now, isn’t a game-changer exactly what you need? When the VP debate analysis focuses on whether or not your VP choice seemed less like an idiot than she did in interviews, then you’re not in a position of strength.

As for Biden, I actually thought he was generally excellent. And more than that, it was clear he was trained at Obama School. Here’s what I mean:

Quick Debate Reaction

So, the political world did not come to an end tonight. Palin was her usual “folksy” self. Clearly not a trainwreck, she however showed absolutely no depth on any of the issues that were discussed. Indeed, she declined to even answer many of the questions from the moderator, and gleefully so. She demonstrated her ability to make snide and sarcastic remarks, but her timing was way off and they fell flat.

Biden I thought was a little shaky during the middle of the debate; I’m not sure he took her all that seriously early on. But I think he righted the ship and really knocked it out of the park at the end. Clearly the moment of the night was his moving comments about his first wife and children, and how he knows the struggle of raising kids alone:

Debate Prep

Perhaps in a bid to make the debate prep seem as little as possible as the actual debate, the McCain team took Sarah Palin out by a stream and put up some podiums:

The NYTimes reports:

Advisers said she was a diligent worker and was frequently up until the small hours of the morning in her hotel room trying to cram as much information as possible before the debate.

Many caution against underestimating her. When she was on the stage debating to be Alaska’s governor, she sounded much more free-flowing and less programmed with her words. But perhaps that’s because she was discussing issues she knew about. This amusing talk on the right about “letting Palin be Palin” would be less amusing if she had a base of knowledge on national and international affairs. Then, yes, she could be herself and express her own opinions. But she doesn’t have that knowledge. Hence the all-night study sessions.

Look, I expect her to be passable on Thursday night. But as Roland Martin keeps repeating on CNN, the expectations game is ridiculous and the bar should not be low. It should be extremely high given the position Palin is seeking, and it should be the same height for both her and Joe Biden.

The Cynicism of ‘VP Replacement’ Rumors

It seems like every four years we get rumors that a VP candidate will be replaced on the ticket: Quayle, Cheney, and now, simultaneously, Biden and Palin. Obviously, the first two never happened, and it’s extremely unlikely that the latter two will. But I have a pet peeve about these rumors, and it goes precisely to the reason they will never come true.

In her column urging Palin’s replacement, Kathleen Parker says:

McCain can’t repudiate his choice for running mate. He not only risks the wrath of the GOP’s unforgiving base, but he invites others to second-guess his executive decision-making ability. Barack Obama faces the same problem with Biden.

Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first.

Meanwhile, here’s a summary of Biden’s rumored exit:

So in the days after the vice presidential candidates debate in Missouri, Biden will bow out, citing “health problems” (Biden underwent surgery in 1988 to repair two brain aneurysms).

The problem with these rumors is that they assume the candidate will cite some transparently ridiculous fig leaf, which those “in the know” will recognize as BS, but which those gullible, uninformed rubes out there will accept without question.

But that’s not how it would happen at all. If a VP candidate dropped out, everyone would know exactly why it happened. Parker’s hairsplitting between McCain kicking Palin off the ticket and Palin volunteering to do it herself is meaningless. Nor would anyone buy that Biden’s health problems from 20 years ago, which were well known before he was picked, would suddenly become relevant.

The fact that these rumors miss this key detail demonstrates that they’re really nothing more than a Beltway parlor game. And it also explains why they won’t happen. If a VP candidate were dropped, and everyone recognized it as an admission of failure, it would be politically disastrous. And the assumption would be that the only reason the nominee was willing to make such a disastrous move was because sticking with their original choice would be even more disastrous.

McCain may be a crazy drama queen, but he’s not suicidal.

Biden Today: Slams McCain Hard on Foreign Policy

Joe Biden sets the stage nicely for the debate Friday night with a blistering talk on foreign policy in Cincinnati, Ohio today. The great thing about our ticket is that our VP candidate can give a speech like this with credibility and gravitas and actually knows whereof he speaks. Contrast that with Sarah Palin being set up in photo ops with foreign leaders (the first time she’s ever met a foreign head-of-state, by the way).

Not Biden, who lets McCain have it on foreign policy and national security:

“… the policies he would pursue as president would be wrong for America – nowhere more so than with our security and standing in the world.”

and

“John is more than wrong — he is dangerously wrong. On a question so basic, so fundamental, so critical to our nation’s security, we can’t afford a Commander-in Chief so divorced from reality and from America’s most basic national interests.”

Ouch. Much more below:

The Anti-Palin

Jason Zengerle lays out all of the reasons why Joe Biden may turn out to be a good pick after all, but he only briefly touches on the biggest one. In almost every sense — geographically, stylistically, experientially, gynecologically — Biden is the polar opposite of Palin. In fact, I would go so far as to say they are more different than any opposing VPs in recent memory. As such, it makes sense that their fortunes would rise and fall in inverse proportion to each other.

The reason for this effect is that one’s feelings about Palin can be perfectly mirrored in Biden. Do you feel like Palin is an exciting new force on the scene, a breath of fresh air who has come in to shake up the race? In that case, Biden will appear to be a tired, uninspired pick (as has been the conventional wisdom over the past two weeks). On the other hand, if Palin continues to lie and gaffe her way through the campaign, driving her favorables down and raising questions about her preparedness, Biden is perfectly positioned to benefit from those second thoughts. Does the thought of Palin in the Oval Office unnerve you? Biden is suddenly a steadying presence. Do you view Palin as a risky, cynical choice by McCain? Obama’s caution in picking an experienced pol like Biden becomes far more reassuring.

Of course, we’re still just talking about the VPs here, so just because Biden’s stock improves doesn’t automatically mean it will redound to Obama’s benefit (just ask Vice President Bentsen). Still, to the extent that it fits into the larger narrative (concern about the economy, McCain’s temperament and decision-making process) it certainly can help.

Regardless, I’ve been saying to Dan for the past few weeks that this race still has a few twists and turns left in it. Don’t be surprised if the resurrection of Biden is one of those.

Biden Whacks McCain: “McCain is Bush 44”

Well, for those of you who wanted to see Joey “Bloody Up Their Noses” Biden emerge with a higher profile as an attack dog, then tune in at 11 A.M. in St. Clair Shores, Michigan to see the Dem VP do what a Dem VP hasn’t done in years – wallop the GOP candidate:

If you’re ready for four more years of George Bush, John McCain is your man. Just as George Herbert Walker Bush was nicknamed “Bush 41” and his son is known as “Bush 43,” John McCain could easily become known as “Bush 44.”

Oh that’s pretty good. I know many of us are ready for them to say that McCain is going to be WORSE than Bush. From what I hear, next Monday, Biden’s going to give another attack speech focused on foreign policy in which he’ll argue exactly that point. But today’s focus is the economy and domestic issues, and Joltin’ Joe is going to bring it: