Palin Didn't Sell Alaska Plane on EBay

Sarah Palin touted her business savvy in her acceptance speech. As an example, she said she put a jet purchased by her predecessor on EBay, leaving the impression she sold it through EBay.

The plane failed to sell on EBay. It was purchased by a private entrepreneur for $300k less than the broker's price.

And, turns out, the plane was used to transport prisoners, not just for the Governor's travels.

Update: Sen. John McCain perpetuated the misleading story today, falsely saying she sold the jet on EBay for a profit. There actually was a half-million dollar loss. [More...]

"You know what I enjoyed the most?" McCain said in Cederburg, Wisconsin, according to ABC News' Bret Hovell. "She took the luxury jet that was acquired by her predecessor and sold it on e-Bay. And made a profit!"

The jet was purchased for 2.7 million. It sold for 2.1 million to a private entrepreneur, at a loss of around half a million dollars. There was also a broker's commission. More:

After going unsold for months, the jet was put into the hands of Turbo North Aviation, an Anchorage aircraft broker, which put an asking price of $2.45 million on the nearly $2.7 million jet. It quickly sold to Alaska businessman Larry Reynolds for $2.1 million ($31,000 of which went to Turbo Aviation).

She used the jet as an example of her business acumen and her successful role as a reformer and cutter of government costs.

As I said at the outset, it was misleading. She created a false impression.

And John McCain is spinning the misleading impression into a false fact.

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TalkleftThePoliticsOfCrime/~3/384479379/2164

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Family Dirt, part 2 (Mabel and Florence)

There is summer, and there is summer. For those who live in seasons that change, that air, that scent of heat and sun, (because the sun does smell of life and air and heat and all things hot and white-yellow bright), the summer air is fleeting. Summer[...]

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Docudharma/~3/387044771/showDiary.do

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The numbers don't lie - this economy is terrible

An eye popping graphic on the Reuters front page today that highlights McCain's problem this year. He admits that he knows nothing about economics besides wanting to read Greenspan's book and what Phil Gramm (a central figure on the credit crisis) tells him. Not many people are brave enough to admit admiration for Greenspan at this point and Foreclosure Phil is not a popular fellow either since he can't stop calling voters whiners for being upset about the Republican economy. Keep in mind that the US economy needs to generate roughly 150,000 new jobs per month to keep even with incoming workers. This year is negative and 2007 only offered two piddly months above that mark and one was just barely over the top. McCain can run but he can't hide forever from this disaster.

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Americablog/~3/384640748/numbers-dont-lie-this-eco
nomy-is.html

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Despite Gains, Karrada Residents Fearful

While reports continue to filter through the news media citing improvement in the Iraqi security situation, Journeyman Pictures traveled to Baghdad's central Karrada district, a commercial area east of the Tigris, to speak with locals and their conditions.

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http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/6289

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McCain Proudly Stands in Front of Walter Reed
Middle School

BY TAYLOR MARSHTPM figured out the building earlier today, while I was dealing with tech troubles (see note below). Americans United for Change provides the video for McCain’s embarrassment. An advocacy group supporting Barack Obama is[...]

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http://www.taylormarsh.com/archives_view.php?id=28361

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A Visibly Upset Keith Olbermann Castigates RNC
9/11 Tribute Video

 Download | Play    Download | Play  (h/t Heather)There’s nothing like some exploitive and fact free propaganda to bring Republicans together in mindless cheering against a phantom and revisionist enemy.  On Thursday’s final night of the Republican National Convention, the RNC broadcast what was billed as a tribute to 9/11 victims, but by tying in the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis [...]

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http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/09/05/a-visibly-upset-keith-olbermann-castigat
es-rnc-911-tribute-video/

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WH Gets Temporary Stay for Testimony

The latest in the back and forth between Harriet Miers and the House Judiciary, from the AP:

A federal appeals court has blocked former White House counsel Harriet Miers from testifying about the firing of nine U.S. attorneys until judges decide whether they have authority to wade into a battle that pits Congress against the Bush administration.

Miers is supposed to testify at a House Judiciary Committee hearing next Thursday.

. . . The three-judge panel gave House lawyers until 4 p.m. next Wednesday to make its case on why the court should uphold an earlier ruling forcing Miers to testify. The Justice Department must submit its own argument -- why she should not -- two days earlier, on Monday.

We have the order here, full text after the jump.

Upon consideration of the motion for stay pending appeal, the opposition thereto,
and the reply; and the motion to expedite case and the response thereto, it is

ORDERED, on the court's own motion, that the district court's order of July 31,
2008, granting appellee's motion for partial summary judgment and denying appellants'
motion to dismiss, be stayed pending further order of this court. The purpose of this
administrative stay is to give the court sufficient opportunity to consider the merits of the
motion for stay, and it should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits of that motion. See D.C . Circuit Handbook of Practice and Internal Procedures 32-33 (2007).

FURTHER ORDERED that the parties submit supplemental memoranda, of no
more than 20 pages, addressing the following questions: (1) Does this court have
appellate jurisdiction over this appeal; (2) If the court does have appellate jurisdiction, will this case become moot upon expiration of the 110 Congress (see City of Los Angeles v. Lyons, 461 U.S. 95, 101-02 (1983); United States v. Munsingwear, 340 U.S. 36, 39-41(1950)); and (3) If the court does have appellate jurisdiction and were to grant the motion for stay pending appeal, what schedule for briefing the merits would the parties propose. Appellants' memorandum addressing these questions is due by 10 A.M. on Monday, September 8, 2008. Appellee's memorandum is due by 4 P.M. on Wednesday, September 10, 2008. The parties are directed to hand file and hand serve their submissions.

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TPMmuckraker/~3/2KFzK8RUR5s/wh_gets_temporary_stay
_for_tes.php

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Gov. Palin: Off Limits to Media

In an MSNBC interview yesterday, Nicole Wallace, a spokesperson from the McCain campaign told Time[...]

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http://www.everydaycitizen.com/2008/09/gov_palin_off_limits_to_media.html

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The McCain Bounce Begins Modestly

Friday polling includes the Wednesday Palin speech but not Thursday McCain snoozer. Gallup had already shown a bigger Obama bounce than McCain is seeing, but there was a convention delay due to Gustav.

Numbers are Fri (Thurs) (Wed). Compare last week, the Friday after the Dem convention.  

There was a +5 swing for Obama last week and a +3 for McCain this week if one compares day-to-day-to-day. The maximum Obama Rasmussen bounce wasn't seen until four days later (this Tuesday).

Rasmussen:

Rep Convention
Obama  48 (50) (50)
McCain 46 (45) (45)

Dem Convention
Obama  49 (47) (46)
McCain 45 (47) (47)

Gallup: By last Friday, Obama was already moving up +7 from the 45-44 the Tues prior. This week, McCain is so far +2 from the Wed prior. The maximum Gallup for Obama was 5 days later (this Wed).

Rep Convention
Obama  48 (49) (49)
McCain 44 (42) (43)

Dem Convention
Obama  49 (48) (45)
McCain 41 (42) (44)

Gallup says:

Support for Obama since just before the Democratic National Convention kicked off on Aug. 25 has ranged from 44% to 50%, while McCain's support has ranged from 41% to 46%. Whereas the race was initially tied at 45%, Obama pulled into an eight-point lead at several points over the course of his convention. It now appears the Republican National Convention may be helping McCain to recoup some of his losses, though with Obama's current four-point lead, the entire convention period to this point has still been a net plus for Obama.

What the pick says about McCain is really what matters. So far, what we are seeing is modest, not game-changing swings. The "offical" bounce is Monday after three days of post-convention polling. But the combo of the ABC poll, the trackers and the focus groups all say the same thing. Sarah Palin was a base pick, but does not play as well with everyone else, and regardless of whether people like her, she is not affecting the polling numbers at this time beyond what you'd expect to see from the conventions.

By this coming Tues or Wed, things should settle down to get an accurate read of the race. We really won't know until then what happened, but there's no data yet to say that the Republicans got an overwhelming game changer, as much as they and the talking heads would like to believe they did.

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/2vqL8_TquZQ/5415

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CPJ: Charge or Release Iraqi Cameramen

Below is full text of a statement released by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists responding to the American detention of two Iraqi cameramen in separate raids in Iraq in the last week.

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http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/6290

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