I'm an Ohio resident, and I just got a robocall from the McCain campaign. I laughed. It said something to the effect of "If you vote for Barack Obama, your taxes are going to be raised. That's right, you will have to pay more income taxes so other people can get your money" and it trailed on and on.
A little misleading? You betcha!

Re: the calmness of Bill Burton in the face of that shrieking "journalist".

Lately I've been thinking that Obama's cool, calm demeanor is simply the manifestation of the Aloha Friday attitude. Mahalo very much, Hawaii. Your influence in the White House will be most welcome.

I find it hard to relate to someone who uses words like "intellectualoids."

But once again, Limbaugh, like the rest of the conservative movement, prove their disdain for education.

We can only pray that conservatives in the party follow Limbaugh's lead. If they try for a hard right return, it'll get us two terms of Obama for sure.

Of course Palin now agrees that Stevens should resign. Someone pointed out to her that, as governor, she could appoint herself to Stevens' seat after November 4. (I say someone pointed this out because she would not be able to figure it out for herself.)

I haven't seen much follow up on this:

Was that Palin look-alike who was standing right behind McCain in the rally the other day planted by the McCain campaign?

It was so bizarre, and naturally would be even more of a story if indeed they put her there, replete with thanking McCain for his praise of her and so forth...

I don't think using a non-word like "intellectoids" while high on "hillbilly heroin" should qualify Rush for your disdain, Steve.

I second Obama's Hawaiian heritage as being a welcome change in the white house.

My mother was raised in Honolulu and went to Punaho School.

The "easy-bro, cool-head main thing" is what we need right now. Not the shrill voice of a gamblin' ol' man.

* Notice how calm the Obama campaign's Bill Burton seems while Fox News' Megyn Kelly gets angry.

I guess they've got a female Bill O'Reilly now.

Am I the only one who has noticed that the hard right has gone totally off its nut as defeat looms. The right wing wackos like Megyn Kelly and Rush Limbaugh are nuttier than usual. They are totally unhinged.

Politico has a story up on media bias in the campaign. The conclusion? McCain gets more negative stories because he is losing.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14982.html

I suppose it makes me an asshole but in terms of sexual abuse in the military...

...It shouldn't be tolerated, we need to look at making reporting easier and other procedures to prevent this. And certainly in peacetime but...

...for the last 10,000 years human armies have raped when on campaign. We can surely reduce those numbers somewhat but sexual harassment/abuse of women should on some level be expected when the disparities are this high. So I guess basically some of this is inevitable.

I guess they've got a female Bill O'Reilly now.

Well, she did tell Bill Burton to "pipe down" which is remarkably close to the "shut up" often issued by Bill O'Reilly to his guests when he's losing the debate.

Was that supposed to be just the Fox News or is it a show hosted by this lunatic Megyn? Because that wasn't a news show, that was more a rightwing talk show interview.

And please tell me that she was lying about the "poll" saying Fox was most balanced. I shudder.

Was that supposed to be just the Fox News or is it a show hosted by this lunatic Megyn? Because that wasn't a news show, that was more a rightwing talk show interview.

Doesn't that characterize about 80 percent of FOX's broadcast day anyway? They don't really do all that much non-political news.

And please tell me that she was lying about the "poll" saying Fox was most balanced. I shudder. Posted by: ckelly

Well, she was citing a Rasmussen Poll, which means they were likely Republican voters, right?

Regarding ensuring the vote gets out:

I really thought Maddow made a good point yesterday when she suggested (while speaking with Biden) that the Obama/Biden campaign make an overt call to both educate and inspire all voters to

anticipate long lines
not be intimidated
know their rights--if they're in line, they get to vote, for example (even if the polls close at a designated time)
most are allowed a couple of hours off work by law to vote

I don't think surprises will be a good thing.
I think Maddow's premise that it's better to be real with folks about what may be there is a wise move. Most people like to know what to expect.

It would be good as well if Obama uses his bucks to provide things like Umbrellas, water, and even folding chairs for those who are weary, tired and so forth on voting day.

Also, I hope their ground game does include video the vote as discussed earlier.

McCain gets more negative stories because he is a douchebag.

Fixed it.

Just maybe, McCain gets more negative stories because he has been a bumbling, flopping, liar and his campaign has been a colossal trainwreck...just saying.

oh--meant to say Maddow was speaking with Howard Dean (not Biden) re: preparing the potentially disenfranchised voters a bit more for what it is ahead of them.

I'm guessing Obama will address this in his 30 minute piece tomorrow somewhat, but I think everyone needs to be prepared for this.

* I find it hard to relate to someone who uses words like "intellectualoids."

To which I offer, gentle reader, THE LEGEND OF RUSH LIMBAUGH'S GENETIC CREATION.

"Intellectualoids" is a term used only by one, distinct species---the dreadfully-obnoxious Fascisaurus Wrex.

Fascisaurus Wrex was originally bred by the now-extinct Knuckles-in-the-Water branch of an ancient xenophobic right-wing fishing community, when the planet was still warm enough for tropical fish to swim in the rivers of what are now the US states of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky. This fishing community demonstrated an unusually high mortality rate---probably due in no small part to the rivers of the region, at that time, supporting a very robust ancestor to what we now know as the Pihrana.

Because of the untimely demise of these ancient fishing-folk---long before written language was developed, and in conjunction with Fascisaurus Wrex's uncanny talent for revising history, we have no record as to why the woefully-insane creatures were invented in the first place. One of the more popular theories is that given the excruciatingly-loud whine emitted by Fascisaurus Wrex, coupled with the propensity of tornadic activity in that region of the continent, the creature may have been an ancient, biological forerunner of the modern-day tornado warning siren....

"For the last 10,000 years human armies have raped when on campaign.... So I guess basically some of this is inevitable."

Boys will be boys, right?

Rhetorical question: Can Joe Biden STFU?

deFoxification

She literally inspired me...
Watch that my friends, and then go buy yourselves $25 worth of detoxification treatment here: www.barackobama.com

Thanks Megyn...
Keep up the good work.

It would be good as well if Obama uses his bucks to provide things like Umbrellas, water, and even folding chairs for those who are weary, tired and so forth on voting day. Posted by: Katie, I'd like a lifeline

I think what would be best is if the Dems ran national prime time television and drive time radio spots highlighting voters' rights in the states where they suspect voter suppression efforts will be made.

Again, and I will harp on this until it changes, presidential and congressional elections are national and need to be run by the same rules in all fifty states. If you want to mess with local elections, have at it. But how people vote for president in Indiana and Ohio has an affect on my life. Therefore, I have a right to fair elections in all states. The only way to assure this is to make everyone vote the same way, not fifty different ways that seem to change every two to four years in various states. I know of no other Western democracy that permits local control of how people vote for national offices.

Oh, I just heard a spokesperson for the NAACP in VA suggest folks bring their patience and comfortable shoes! That's what I'm talking about.
****************************************
The great news here of course is we are even expecting such huge turnout. Folks should be proud to stand in line. Perhaps we might suggest they bring coats snacks and cell phones and just support one another as they essentially do their patriotic duty, remind them all they make a difference and perhaps even realize they are
MAKING HISTORY!!!
*******************************************

It's hard to know just how long lines will be and what will transpire, but my guess in some areas there will be HUGE LINES and confusion. So anything that can be done to make it more sane will help--especially those who are young, old and/or have never voted before and are a bit unsure or even intimidated by the whole process, including reading and touching and dialing screens on a computer.

It's hardly a piece of cake to vote if you aren't used to it. For someone like me who is used to voting, I still have to take my time to make sure I'm clicking and pointing the right stuff...

A minor point, but Mathias was a Senator for most of his career, not a Representative (which he was for a minor smaller portion of his political career).

Rhetorical question: Can Joe Biden STFU? Posted by: Econobuzz

Care to elaborate? He took that rightwing harpie in Florida to the clearners yesterday in much the same fashion that Burton shot down Megyn ("I can't spell my name correctly") Kelly on FOX.

Are we missing something from today?

I'm delighted to hear Crist extended the early voting hours to 12 per day, and 12 total for the weekends. The "current Florida law" regarding early voting was just changed this year by the Republican controlled state legislature and reduced the number of polls substantially, as well as reducing the hours. In 2006, there were about 12 early voting polling sites in my county; this year: 4. Good for him!

But Larry King is so life-like

If voters understood the ramifications of McCain's health, the election would be over.
Check out:
www.IgnoranceDestroysDemocracy.com

If you agree copy and paste the following into an email and share with anyone you can.

subject: McCain's medical cover-up
Repetitive head injuries, as McCain has a history of, may result in neurological and functional deficits that could explain his: problems with anger management, risk taking, impulsiveness, emotional lability, his decision making style (instinct over reasoned consideration of facts and consequences), impaired judgment and his unfocused, disorganized campaign. PTSD may be a contributing factor as well.
McCain appears to have cognitively declined compared with his function during the presidential run in 2000. It provokes more concern because his risk factors for Alzheimer's disease are high.
There is further cause for unease about McCain's health. Questions abound regarding his selective disclosure of health records: conspicuous absence of brain MRIs or any brain imaging report; conflicting data on the stage of his melanoma; no neurological or cognitive assessments; no psychiatric evaluation in the past eight years and inadequate information prior to that.
More info at:
www.IgnoranceDestroysDemocracy.com
If you don’t want a cognitively impaired, impulsive, emotionally labile president pass this along.

If voters understood the ramifications of McCain's health, the election would be over.
Check out:
www.IgnoranceDestroysDemocracy.com

If you agree copy and paste the following into an email and share with anyone you can.

subject: McCain's medical cover-up
Repetitive head injuries, as McCain has a history of, may result in neurological and functional deficits that could explain his: problems with anger management, risk taking, impulsiveness, emotional lability, his decision making style (instinct over reasoned consideration of facts and consequences), impaired judgment and his unfocused, disorganized campaign. PTSD may be a contributing factor as well.
McCain appears to have cognitively declined compared with his function during the presidential run in 2000. It provokes more concern because his risk factors for Alzheimer's disease are high.
There is further cause for unease about McCain's health. Questions abound regarding his selective disclosure of health records: conspicuous absence of brain MRIs or any brain imaging report; conflicting data on the stage of his melanoma; no neurological or cognitive assessments; no psychiatric evaluation in the past eight years and inadequate information prior to that.
More info at:
www.IgnoranceDestroysDemocracy.com
If you don’t want a cognitively impaired, impulsive, emotionally labile president pass this along.

If voters understood the ramifications of McCain's health, the election would be over.
Check out:
www.IgnoranceDestroysDemocracy.com

If you agree copy and paste the following into an email and share with anyone you can.

subject: McCain's medical cover-up
Repetitive head injuries, as McCain has a history of, may result in neurological and functional deficits that could explain his: problems with anger management, risk taking, impulsiveness, emotional lability, his decision making style (instinct over reasoned consideration of facts and consequences), impaired judgment and his unfocused, disorganized campaign. PTSD may be a contributing factor as well.
McCain appears to have cognitively declined compared with his function during the presidential run in 2000. It provokes more concern because his risk factors for Alzheimer's disease are high.
There is further cause for unease about McCain's health. Questions abound regarding his selective disclosure of health records: conspicuous absence of brain MRIs or any brain imaging report; conflicting data on the stage of his melanoma; no neurological or cognitive assessments; no psychiatric evaluation in the past eight years and inadequate information prior to that.
More info at:
www.IgnoranceDestroysDemocracy.com
If you don’t want a cognitively impaired, impulsive, emotionally labile president pass this along.

In the: Anything to add? mode.

Vis that fake Electoral board mailer which went out to Hampton Roads black community, telling them that Dems should vote on Nov 5th (mentioned in the mid-day report).

Today, I received a mailer (actually, it was addressed to my son, who no longer lives here; I expect to receive my own copy soon) -- paid for by DNC and authorized by Obama for America -- which should, I think, take care of any potential confusion.

The bigger part of it (slightly less than 2/3) has, on one side: Vote for Change; vote Tuesday Nov 4th (in really large letters), large picture of Obama, a couple of small pictures of Obama with voters, and a quote (This election will be decided by voters like you, etc). On the obverse, there's a picture of a little girl with an Obama sign, words "She's counting on voters like you. VOTE TUESDAY NOV.4" (the last in *really large* letters). And: "For questions about voting or a ride to the polls: telephone number and a website address".

The smaller, detachable, part seems to cover just about everything. Reminder to vote on Nov 4th, schedule (time of day you plan to vote), the same telephone number and website address for questions and rides and the address of your poling place. On the obverse, in large letters: Don't forget to bing your ID. Then: the hours the polls are open, instruction to stay and vote if 7PM closing catches you in line, who needs to bring what kind of ID and, again, the phone number and website address for questions and rides.

Very nice, very professional, very reassuring. I'm not in Hampton Roads; I'm in south-western Virginia. But, if Hampton Roads gets the same mailing, it should go a long way towards unscrambling the damage the other mailer might have caused. Keeping fingers crossed, Virginia will help in chasing the Moose Tart's tail back to where she came from.

Are we missing something from today?

McCain has some traction in ONE area -- taxes, mainly because he is lying about whose taxes will rise under BHO's plan.

Biden helped him out by implying that taxes should be cut for those under $150,000 -- not under $250,000. The CBS and NBC news featured the gaffe.

Please, put a muzzle on the guy or just fucking shoot me.

"Someone pointed out to her that, as governor, she could appoint herself to Stevens' seat after November 4."

That's not correct. Alaska law was changed a few years ago such that a resignation requires a special election. The governor cannot appoint a replacement.

Under the radar:

Obama's lead in the national daily tracking polls (Gallup, Zogby, Hotline & Rasmussen) is shrinking. His (simple) average margin over the past four days has been 8.13%, 7.58%, 6.95% and 6.08%, using the numbers in Nate Silver's www.fivethirtyeight.com. He posts the higher likely voter results in Gallup - if I used the lower numbers, the above numbers would be reduced by about a point.

Cause for concern? These polls are leading indicators. It'll take another day or so to see if the state polls are tracking a possible trend.

So I'd say these four polls bear close scrutiny, and if the trend continues tomorrow, yes, there is cause for concern. And if for two more days, then . . .

What could possibly explain an eleventh hour trend in McCain's favor? In my opinion, it's the socialist charge, the redistribution of wealth issue. The media is pounding away on this (you think all those rich pundits will stand idly by while their taxes are raised? The hell they will).

Something to watch closely. This thing is not over.

Well considering the national polls don't mean a damn thing I have to disagree.

This is a great link, with self-explanatory URL: http://www.chris-floyd.com/component/content/article/3/1627-the-god-that-failed-the-30-year-lie-of-the-market-cult.html.

BTW, anyone have comments on the latest "breaking" from Mr. break sludge himself, about Gallup supposedly now showing Obama only up 2%? I've been told not to stress over such things - the right advice?

Be that as it may, hark, but I think the 'making history' contingent will add an unexpected couple of percent to Obama's total.

Of course, I just pulled that notion from my, err...my ear.

ABC news tonight also reported that in the category of the economy, Barack's lead has gone from +29 to - 7 or 8 or something similar. but the electoral count is overwhelming barack. i hope the obama camapaign has a strong counter to all this economy b.s.

Plus, Grampy Redscare and Bible Spice haven't gotten any less ridiculous.

Considering that the election day voting problems don't seem to be going away, it seems to me that we simply need a national holiday on Nov. 4 so everyone can devote the day to voting.

Regarding sexual harassment in the military, I'd be shocked if those numbers are even close to accurate--I bet the real numbers are even higher. How many other cases simply aren't being reported? I think we should have strict standards of conduct in the military, just as we should in the domestic workplace. I would be surprised, however, if an army dominated by men and trained to kill had anything other than the worst sexual harassment statistics.

...for the last 10,000 years human armies have raped when on campaign. We can surely reduce those numbers somewhat but sexual harassment/abuse of women should on some level be expected when the disparities are this high. So I guess basically some of this is inevitable.

Only if you assume that it's "inevitable" that soldiers and sailors look at their female counterparts as not really one of their fellow soldiers or sailors, but as outsiders who can be treated however you like. I'm pretty sure the Israeli Defense Forces (for one example) don't have sexual harassment and rape statistics anywhere close to ours, but I'd be interested to see.

hark >"...These polls are leading indicators...."

No, all polls are LAGING indicators since they have to be run, tabulated and then published. Besides they are all "in error" by some amount since they only ask a few people carefully worded statements to get a specific result desired by the organization that PAYS for the poll.

The word religion comes to mind.

"Our ignorance is not so vast as our failure to use what we know." - M. King Hubbert

I just saw a Hotline total of early voting results, and Obama is at 48% and McCain at 47%. I don't know how accurate that is.

Shout out to Shep! Thanks so much for this:

Fox's Shepard Smith Forced To Offer Disclaimer After Joe The Plumber Interview

"I just want to make this 100 percent perfectly clear -- Barack Obama has said and demonstrated repeatedly that Israel will always be a friend of the United States, no matter what happens once he becomes President of the United States. His words. The rest of it -- man...some things--it just gets frightening sometimes. We'll be right back... "

What could possibly explain an eleventh hour trend in McCain's favor?

What could possibly be responsible for a few day bounce by McCain is that Obama spent a couple days at the end of last week off the campaign trail, reducing the media coverage of his campaign, position, and appearances.

ABC news tonight also reported that in the category of the economy, Barack's lead has gone from +29 to - 7 or 8 or something similar.

I think either they messed up on the telecast or you misheard something; their website and the detailed PDF of their poll results show that Obama's gone from +18 (56-38) on the economy at his best point last week to +11 (53-42) now, which is not at all similar to going from +29 to -7.

Make SURE to tune in to Maddow on Thursday, Oct. 30.

She'll be doing a special interview with Barack Obama (our next President).

Go Rachel!!!!!!!!!!!

Steve: "And finally, my most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Dean Barnett, who died yesterday after a lengthy fight with cystic fibrosis. He was just 41 years old."

As the brother of two male siblings who succumbed to cystic fibrosis at ages 8 and 22, respectively, I also offer my condolences anddeepest sympathy to Dean Barnett's family and friends.

A few thoughts here:

* Dean Barnett's "lengthy fight with cystic fibrosis" was in fact lifelong. You don't "get" or "catch" CF; rather, its cause is genetic in origin. Victims must inherit the CF gene from both parents at the moment of conception - which in itself has a 1-in-4 change of occurrence - and it afflicts them from the moment of birth.

* CF is a disease that's almost exclusive to persons of western European ancestry, and is the most common genetic disease in these populations. Ireland has the highest instance of CF affliction in the world, with 6% of its population afflicted.

* While Mr. Barnett indeed "was just 41 years old", he lived far beyond the average lifespan of cystic fibrosis patients. When my two brothers were born forty-plus years ago, the average life span was less than 15 years; today, it is above 25 years. A fair number of CF patients live into their thirties, and drugs can occasionally extend life into the forties - which means that, in fact, Mr. Barnett was one of the lucky ones.

The Linder land swap isn't the only one that McCain's been involved in that's been reported in the press. This one happened in 2005:

McCain Pushed Land Swap That Benefits Backer

By Matthew Mosk
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 9, 2008; A01

PRESCOTT, Ariz. -- Sen. John McCain championed legislation that will let an Arizona rancher trade remote grassland and ponderosa pine forest here for acres of valuable federally owned property that is ready for development, a land swap that now stands to directly benefit one of his top presidential campaign fundraisers].

Initially reluctant to support the swap, the Arizona Republican became a key figure in pushing the deal through Congress after the rancher and his partners hired lobbyists that included McCain's 1992 Senate campaign manager, two of his former Senate staff members (one of whom has returned as his chief of staff), and an Arizona insider who was a major McCain donor and is now bundling campaign checks.

When McCain's legislation passed in November 2005, the ranch owner gave the job of building as many as 12,000 homes to SunCor Development, a firm in Tempe, Ariz., run by Steven A. Betts, a longtime McCain supporter who has raised more than $100,000 for the presumptive Republican nominee. Betts said he and McCain never discussed the deal.

The Audubon Society described the exchange as the largest in Arizona history. The swap involved more than 55,000 acres of land in all, including rare expanses of desert woodland and pronghorn antelope habitat. The deal had support from many local officials and the Arizona Republic newspaper for its expansion of the Prescott National Forest. But it brought an outcry from some Arizona environmentalists when it was proposed in 2002, partly because it went through Congress rather than a process that allowed more citizen input.

Although the bill called for the two parcels to be of equal value, a federal forestry official told a congressional committee that he was concerned that "the public would not receive fair value" for its land. A formal appraisal has not yet begun. A town official opposed to the swap said other Yavapai Ranch land sold nine years ago for about $2,000 per acre, while some of the prime commercial land near a parcel that the developers will get has brought as much as $120,000 per acre.

In an interview, Betts said there is "absolutely no" connection between his contributions to McCain's presidential bids and the deal involving rancher Fred Ruskin and the Yavapai Ranch Limited Partnership. While his company's possible involvement was discussed casually before the bill's passage, Betts said SunCor did not sign on to the project until afterward. "At no time during the consideration of this legislation was there any involvement by officials of SunCor," McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said in a written response to questions [read the campaign's full answers].

Betts is among a string of donors who have benefited from McCain-engineered land swaps. In 1994, the senator helped a lobbyist for land developer Del Webb Corp. pursue an exchange in the Las Vegas area, according to the Center for Public Integrity. McCain sponsored two bills, in 1991 and 1994, sought by donor Donald R. Diamond that yielded the developer thousands of acres in trade for national parkland.

In the late 1990s, McCain promoted a deal in Arizona's Tonto National Forest involving property part-owned by Great American Life Insurance, a company run by billionaire Carl H. Lindner Jr., a prolific contributor to national political parties and presidential candidates.

With the federal government owning vast stretches of Arizona land, and with pressure to meet increasing housing demands, McCain now views land swaps as beneficial, Rogers said. "He certainly recognizes that there have been well-documented abuses of legislative land exchanges, but every land exchange bill introduced by Senator McCain has been written with the highest regard for the public interest."

As McCain positions himself as a champion of environmental causes, observers of the Yavapai Ranch swap say it shows a paradox in the senator's positions. At times, he has fought to protect the delicate desert ecosystem. But when wildlife concerns have thwarted development, his loyalties have shifted.

"When the public trust intersects with private interests, basically, he has favored land development . . . in every case," said Rob Smith, director of the Sierra Club's Arizona affiliate.

McCain also has been critical of government's "revolving door," which allows former government officials to position themselves as influential lobbyists. Rogers said that McCain does not recall being lobbied by his former staff members on the land swap and that "no lobbyist influenced Senator McCain on this issue."

The Yavapai exchange idea surfaced a decade ago as area land values soared. Ruskin and his siblings for years have used the inherited property as a cattle operation.

Development was complicated, because the land was intertwined with federally owned forest, creating what land management officials call "the checkerboard." Ruskin's ranch and the federal property comprise alternating square-mile plots across swaths of northern Arizona.

For the U.S. Forest Service, the tangle of public and private property posed a management headache. For Ruskin and his family, it became an opportunity.

Ruskin said he spent months researching federal land exchanges, and decided the regular process used by the Forest Service would be too complicated to ever get done. The trade he wanted would involve three cities, three national forests, two counties and 15 land parcels. He persuaded then-Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) to draft a bill proposing the exchange of 35,000 acres of ranch property for 21,000 acres of federally owned Arizona land.

Ruskin set his sights on prime development property astride a major interstate, land adjacent to the Flagstaff airport and a contiguous stretch of the ranch that would allow housing development. He estimated that the ranch land, if subdivided and developed, would easily sell for more than $250 million -- and that had to be calculated into any swap.

At first, the trade appeared to have broad support, but opposition soon developed. Clarkdale Mayor Doug Von Gausig, whose house overlooks the Verde River, said he feared that development would overtax an already fragile water source.

Other critics included a national taxpayer group that questioned the land values. "It was just a bad deal -- a rip-off to the public," said Janine Blaeloch, who heads the Western Lands Project, another opponent of the legislation.

McCain initially withheld support for Hayworth's bill, which failed in 2002. Ruskin saw McCain's restraint as an obstacle. He said Senate staff members warned him that the senator was wary of a swap because "he spent some political capital and got some bricks thrown at him" over the Tonto National Forest deal.

Ruskin, who is a pediatrician by training, said he realized he needed to hire lobbyists "to open communications with McCain's office."

He turned to some of McCain's closest former advisers. In 2002, he sought out Mark Buse, McCain's former staff director at the Senate commerce committee, which the senator chaired.

"I had gone to him to see if he had any advice as to how to deal with McCain," Ruskin said. "We had a couple of meetings and I paid him a little bit." Buse's federal lobbying records do not list the ranch as a client.

That year, lobbying records show, Ruskin also paid $60,000 to Michael Jimenez, another former McCain aide. Wes Gullett, who had worked in McCain's Senate office, managed his 1992 reelection bid, and served as deputy campaign manager for his 2000 presidential run, also lobbied on the bill, documents show. The watchdog group Public Citizen lists Gullett and his wife, Deborah, as bundlers who have raised more than $100,000 for McCain's White House bid. Ruskin also hired Gullett's partner, Kurt R. Davis, another McCain bundler and member of the senator's Arizona leadership team, to work with local officials and "to help with McCain if we needed help." Buse, Jimenez and Gullett did not return calls seeking comment.

Davis said that he and Gullett were not hired just to win over McCain. "Each member has issues that are more important to them. You have to be able to address their individual concerns. We had familiarity with the issues important to McCain." In this case, Davis said, "Senator McCain was very, very engaged and concerned about water issues."

In April 2003, McCain introduced his version of a land-swap bill. But he remained reluctant about the exchange, speaking to opponents and organizing meetings in towns that would be most affected.

Flagstaff Mayor Joseph C. Donaldson, a supporter of the swap, said McCain's hesitation stemmed from his "insistence that the environment be protected." But opponents were baffled by the senator's seemingly contradictory positions. Said Blaeloch: "The bizarre thing to me regarding McCain is, we spent a lot of time with his staff, and we all seemed to be on the same page about the problems with this swap. But somehow, John McCain kept pushing it forward."

Ruskin said a "crucial meeting" occurred on Aug. 4, 2004, when McCain added a provision aimed at appeasing many opponents. It created a management group that would monitor water reserves and document any danger to the Verde River.

The legislation also was revised to mandate that the parcels in the exchange be of "equal value." Forest Service officials say they can adjust the amount of property given to Ruskin to ensure that each side gets an equal share of land. Blaeloch and some other opponents remained concerned that appraisals could still be manipulated. The language helped win Senate passage on July 16, 2005.

Ruskin said he first engaged in confidential discussions with SunCor in 2003. Betts said the company was not "really interested in spending a lot of time on it until we knew if the legislation would pass."

Ruskin said SunCor officials formally expressed interest in October 2005, a month before President Bush signed the bill into law.

In Arizona, SunCor is a subsidiary of Pinnacle West, the state's largest power company. Betts, as Ruskin described him, "politically is a very powerful guy in the state."

Officials from the company and its subsidiaries have accounted for $100,000 in contributions to McCain's political campaigns over the years, records show.

SunCor is now working directly with the Forest Service to complete the swap, which has been delayed by administrative glitches.

As for McCain, some in the Verde Valley say they counted on him to broker a deal that would protect their precious river. Von Gausig now heads the water management commission that McCain added to the bill to gain community support. The Congressional Budget Office estimated it would cost $8 million over five years to fund water studies. But to date, none of that money has been budgeted.

Research editor Alice Crites contributed to this report.

View all comments that have been posted about this article.

* It's painful to think 15% of women in the Armed Services who served in Iraq or Afghanistan were victims of sexual assault or sexual harassment during their tours of duty. It's also completely unacceptable.

It's part of the culture. I dated an ex-military wife (married at 18, divorced and ran away at 19). The things that are the norm in the military "family" would send people reeling. That statistic seems really low to me. I'm sure it's much much higher if everyone came forward.

On the subject of the Obama campaign giving out chairs and umbrellas: nice idea, but I'm pretty sure that's illegal. And if it's not, it should be.

And please tell me that she was lying about the "poll" saying Fox was most balanced. I shudder.

The poll (which in itself is legitimate), says that Fox has the most balanced allocation of viewers. Something close to 1/3 each Republican, Democrat, and Independent. This has absolutely nothing to do with the balance of their coverage. But we cannot expect polling literacy from a party that is so anti-science.

The supposed McCain internals reference a tightening in RED STATES but somehow this is being percieved as a tightening in all states.

Watch that my friends, and then go buy yourselves $25 worth of detoxification treatment here: www.barackobama.com

Not to tell anyone how to spend their hard-earned clams, but Sam Wang is right: Donating to either Obama or McCain now will have zero effect on the trajectory of the presidential election. If you're still contributing (and if so, please do it fast--like, tonight), please consider throwing your bucks to one of the hotly contested Senate or House races instead.

Sexual assault and harassment in the armed forces:

That 15% figure is way low. We're talking about a male dominated power structure that promotes sticking together and sucking it up. Where it's best to keep your mouth shut, don't ask don't tell is a mantra and where women are still second class citizens. And rape is all about power.

Hell, they can't even control it in their acadamies after 20 years of complaints. You'd think that zero tolerance might work, but that's only for gays.

At the Air Force Academy, those seeking anonymous support without disciplinary action is the same as those who step forward seeking disciplinary action. There have to be those who never step forward. And that's just the assault part of it! And they have religious tolerance issues to boot!

It's a question of training, awareness, discipline and enforcement.

Air University Review, 1982 Couldn't find any actual reference to the event that blew up back then.

NewsHour 1997

CNN/US News 1997

NPR 2006, worth listening to -- about Suzanne Swift with comments by General Karpinski.

ArmyTimes 2007

msnbc 2008 - Pentagon report

MNPundit, with an attitude like that, you're right. It does. You, sorry to say, are also part of the problem.

BTW, I could not get past the first two or three words of Limbaugh - it was rather like looking through cat spew for a treasured item the cat may have swallowed (and finding only mouse guts) - but I think the term "intellectualoids" is actually pretty good. I think it might even apply to him.

And if he's trying to hurt David Frum or whoever else is on his spew list these days, I'm afraid he must be under the impression that these guys ever really liked him to begin with. I hated Rush at the same time that I felt compassion for him about the drugs, and the deafness. But now he's just becoming The Fat Kid of the Republican party, and the compassion is gone. I just want to watch Chris Buckley and Andrew Sullivan beat him up.

Oh, darn. No, the compassion is not gone yet. Maybe I should have listened to his show more to help me hate people better. Sigh.

Just wanna say: Sen. Mathias is the ONLY republican for whom I have ever voted. Just check out his anti-Vietnam war and civil rights record from the 60s and 70s -- when there used to be liberal republicans. Great guy and glad he came out for Obama.

Rokita is a major partisan hack scumbag. He would do or say anything for the party (and in fact he has). He has major delusions of grandeur and will be in the race for Gov in 2012. He was largely responsible for the voter ID law in Indiana, the "toughest voter ID law in the country". This in spite of the fact there was NO evidence EVER of voter fraud in Indiana. (BTW, nice job of the Roberts Supreme Ct on that one!). There's no doubt in my mind he would do anything to get more R's in office, including voter supression. He's also jumped on the ACORN hysteria bandwagon. Would love to see him skewered over this.

This from the very Republican Indy Star:
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081029/OPINION05/810290313/1039/OPINION05