In a another sign of the depth of mismanagement and trouble in the financial sector, the American International Group announced on Friday that they had already used $61 billion of the $85 billion emergency loan they received from the Federal Reserve only two weeks ago.  The company, which claimed it needed the money in order to buy time while they sold off assets, has not yet begun to dispose of those assets.

A.I.G.’s chief executive, Edward M. Liddy, said in a conference call on Friday that he expected the company would also participate in the $700 billion bailout the president signed this week.  He said the additional capital might help to ease the company's financial burdens.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/business/04insure.html

We all saw Sarah Palin glancing down at her podium repeatedly during the debate.  Here's why:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/03/sarah-palin-debate-flowch_n_131607.html

I'm just wondering how she managed to sneak them in.  This could be really big if it turns out to be true.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aj-bockelman/what-i-saw-inside-the-deb_b_131494.html

Palin came off far better than she has in her recent interviews.  She didn't screw up, and she didn't ramble like an idiot, so it's probably going to be a net positive for her.  Biden came off as knowledgeable, trustworthy, sober and experienced.  It was probably the best debate he's ever done.  So my guess is most of the pundits will call it a net gain for Palin.  But was it a net gain for McCain-Palin?  I don't think so.  I think America has already reached the conclusion that Obama is qualified.  And Biden only provided more reassurance.  This is it.  From here on out, it's Obama v. McCain.

So what do you think?

From what I gathered from CNN's live dial polling, women liked Biden, and men liked Palin.

One of the dubious advantages of living in a battleground state is that you get to see all of the political ads, including this bit of conflicted tripe from MoveOn.org:

Click here to watch "An Idiot's Guide To Economics"

Starts off OK, I guess.  Ties McCain to the current crisis, mentions Phil Gramm and Rick Davis' lobbying.  But what's the conclusion?  "Screw the bailout.  We shouldn't have to pay for this."  WTF?  Has MoveOn gone Libertarian on us?  Do they have a CLUE what's going on?  Have they read Page One of the latest proposal?  Who the hell decided that this message--of all possible messages--was the one that was worth spending money on?

The same clueless nit who decided the Patraeus/Betray Us ad was a winner, I guess.  MoveOn should be licensed and then someone should take their license away.

"Sen. Obama and his allies in Congress infused unnecessary partisanship into the process," McCain said. "Now is not the time to fix the blame; it's time to fix the problem."

What a big, fat pussy.  First he tosses the rock, then he hollers "Truce!".  What a coward.  What a goddamn coward.

I've read Pelosi's speech. I want to know--specifically--which statements were so offensively partisan that Republicans decided to put America's economy at risk. The press needs to ask Boehner to cite the precise statements that caused Republicans to bail on the bailout.

I'm watching This Week With George Stephanopoulos, and McCain has said--twice so far--"I'm a Teddy Roosevelt Republican".  Are they developing this as a new campaign slogan?

One thing that's really clear as I watch this is that McCain is an angry, angry man.  Any time he's challenged, he responds with venom.  I think Obama needs to spend more time pushing McCain's buttons.  The angry side of John McCain is definitely not pretty.

Oh man, he just mentioned Teddy Roosevelt again.  How is McCain completely unlike Teddy Roosevelt?  Let me count the ways...