McCain Cheapens the POW Card

Prison staff saw to prisoner's health, he says

(NEWSER) - John McCain’s claims that he was tortured while imprisoned in Vietnam are false, says the head guard at the prison where he was held. “On the contrary, we saved his life, curing him with extremely valuable medicines that at times were not available to our own wounded,” said the guard. He noted that conditions at the prison were “tough, though not inhuman,” the Guardian reports. More»

The '08 version redrew the political map and ruptured the financing system, and more

(NEWSER) - We can't be sure what kind of change the next president will bring, but we do know that presidential campaigns themselves will never be the same, writes Gerald F. Seib in the Wall Street Journal. Among this year’s innovations:

• The campaigns have redrawn the political map, making previously locked states competitive, like Virginia, and placing increasing emphasis on the Mountain West.

Senator digs into territory Bush largely carried in 2004

(NEWSER) - John McCain’s campaign map for the next few days puts him on the defensive, touring mostly states that President Bush won in 2004, Politico reports. Tomorrow’s schedule puts him in Florida, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona, all Bush states except the Keystone State. Meanwhile, Barack Obama is also sticking to red states, breaking out of traditional Democratic ground. More»

Mac's tactics have turned great brand into 'erratica'

(NEWSER) - John McCain has tried to paint Barack Obama as an unknown risk of a candidate—but these days, McCain is the unfamiliar one, Maureen Dowd writes. The Arizona senator used to be “one of the best brands in politics,” a “known and knowable quantity” that was transparent to the press. Now, his campaign has transformed him into a Bushie-backed “question mark,” she notes in the New York Times. More»

Obama leads, but both teams are playing hardball

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama has led in the last 11 Ohio polls, but the battle for the all-important state is intensifying as Republicans make a last-minute get-out-the-vote sweep. Early voting has leaned Obama’s way, but Republicans—who don't see a clear path to the White House without victory here—say that means little. Salon and the Wall Street Journal look at the battle for Ohio. More»