The Fed's intervention in the economy appears to have saved us from 1930s-type crisis for now. But don't cork up that bathtub gin just yet. You'll probably need a few healthy swigs now that the dust is settling and the candidates' lack of substance is exposed. So, drink up! Today's buzz: McCain is digging himself into a hole and Obama is jumping in after him.
- The Wall Street Journal is fed up with McCain and editorializes that the candidate is on par with Obama in terms of economic knowledge but McCain was brutally unfair to SEC chairman Christopher Cox, whom he used as a scapegoat. Take-away: "Wow."
- McCain's cheerless, on-message performances is evidence of a retooled version of the presidential candidate and an effort by his team, Adam Nagourney writes in the NYT with a sense of nostalgia for the old maverick. Take-away: "McCain's once easy-going if irreverent campaign presence ... has been put out to pasture."
- So McCain doesn't have a firm grasp on economics -- big deal! He wins on healthcare, immigration and other important issues, writes Steven Landsburg in The Atlantic. Take-away: "I support John McCain. With trepidation."
- McCain is getting a raw deal. The Washington Post editorializes today that Obama is giving some of McCain's remarks misleading spin. Take-away: "[T]he full quotation from Mr. McCain's March interview with the Journal's editorial board belies Mr. Obama's one-sided rendition."
- Out with the shock-appeal, in with the substance. It appears that the "Palin effect" is over and the initial boost in polls was simply a knee-jerk reaction, writes the Telegraph. Take-away: "After an initial burst of support among white women the shock choice for Republican vice-presidential nominee... has not so far attracted new women voters in significant numbers."
- As the Obama climbed in the polls amid the financial crisis many felt he should have cranked up the heat instead of waiting for the GOP to self-destruct, writes Howard Fineman in Newsweek. Take-away: "In politics as in baseball, fans -- voters -- focus on what happens in the ninth inning, not the first."
- It's no secret that both candidates lack deep knowledge of economics. But just who are Obama's and McCain's respective economic advisers? USA Today takes a look at the teams behind the candidates.
