Barack Obama’s national lead in the polls has tightened up in the last day, with Rasmussen Reports and Gallup both showing Obama’s advantage at three percentage points. Wednesday was the first day in over a month of daily trackings that Rasmussen showed McCain within three points of Obama. Could this indicate anything specific? Could it perhaps be a slight shift of very tentative Obama supporters who finally decide they aren’t going to vote for a liberal after all? Maybe, and maybe the McCain campaign has won a couple populist points back for emphasizing the economy more, even though most independent analysts conclude that Obama’s tax plan would be more generous to the middle class. Nevertheless, Obama still has sizeable leads in several key swing states, and nearly all the pollsters are confidently projecting he will win 270+. The Cook Political Report is

Sen. Ted Stevens, the most senior Republican in the U.S. Senate, was convicted today on charges of corruption stemming from his failure to list over $250,000 in gifts from a wealthy oil businessman. Well, if Justice Michael Gableman can’t go to jail, Ted Stevens is equally worthy. Not only is Stevens a poignant demonstration of the corrupt political culture which has wrought havoc on this country for years, but his power in Senate is a depressing display of how such unqualified individuals are given positions of such influence in an institution that prizes seniority and partisanship above competence. Stevens, whose understanding of technology matches what would be expected of most octogenarians, was ironically put in charge of the Senate Committee on Commerce and Science and Technology by the Republican leadership before the Democrats took control in 2007. He produced this explanation of the internet when defending the reasoning behind voting against “Net Neutrality.” In case you don’t care to watch the eight second video, Stevens asserts that the internet is “not a dumptruck, it’s a series of tubes.”

Apparently Wisconsin lawmakers are raking in more dough than the average state legislators in the U.S., according to the Appleton Post Crescent. This is largely due to the fact that Wisconsin has a much higher proportion of professional politicians than most states, meaning that most state legislators don’t have other steady sources of income (at least not legitimate ones).

In her newest campaign piece for McCain fever, Katie Nix writes that Barack Obama has too many radical associations to be trusted. Oh boy. Here’s the best part: **Alinsky’s method of agitation used churches in the Chicago area as sources of supporters and goods, even though he himself was an atheist. This deceitful tactic was adopted by Barack Obama and was how he came to find himself in church — the church of Jeremiah Wright. It had nothing to do with being a Christian. I think we all know enough about Wright to conclude he is a nut who breeds hatred, and that Obama clearly had no problem with Wright’s perspective before he ran for president. * * What a beautiful blend of zealotry and conspiracy theorism. The best part is that Nix considers it deceitful for an atheist to work with churches. Imagine what she’d think of diplomacy, when various representatives of different countries, cultures and yes, religions, try to find common solutions to common problems. The assertion that Obama is not a Christian is also amusing. While I too find it hard to believe that every U.S. presidential candidate is as religious as they say, it’s curious that Nix feels so comfortable asserting that Obama would never join a church based on any type of spiritual belief.

Great article in the Herald today about the College Republicans “getting local” as the election nears. Obviously, when discussing the GOP, “local” must be used in a pretty broad sense, as Republicans have practically no opportunity to influence city politics, but the surrounding area provides a ripe political landscape for the two-party system. Right now the Republicans hold the state assembly by five seats, a margin that could easily vanish in a presidential election year heavily favoring the Democrats. The assembly is truly the thorn in Gov. Jim Doyle’s attempts to push through ambitious health care and education initiatives, so it’s smart for the CRs to concentrate on keeping the majority. However, it’s unlikely there’s much to do to stem the tide of Obamania. In another year Republicans might be able to exploit the state’s anticipated $3 billion deficit but with the economy the way it is, voters are looking favorably towards Democrats in almost all instances.

The declining health of Barack Obama’s grandmother has caused the senator to fly to Hawaii, skipping some heartland campaign stops on the way. Of course, according to Ben Patterson, a trip to Madison by the candidate may just have been useless anyway. Of course, what Obama can do that John Kerry can’t is motivate people from outside of this close-minded liberal haven (as Ben White describes) to visit their state capital for a political speech.

The Herald runs a story today about the resignation of Jeremi Suri, the faculty-appointee on the UW Athletic Board who resigned last month, alleging the board was not fulfilling its role as a check on Athletic Department, and further accusing some board members of stifling voices of dissent on the committee through intimidation. The Wisconsin State Journal also covered the letter. Although the article doesn’t mention it, the actual letter seems to rather strongly imply that racism and sexism played a role in his decision to resign. Suri referred to two occasions in which female board members called him in tears after having been verbally abused by groups of male colleagues. Later in the letter, describing the obsession with stamping out dissent, Suri says that “people of color” are often the targets of the board’s ire. I will try to get a link to the letter up soon. Chairman of the Athletic Board, Walter Dickey, said he “disagrees with everything” in the letter. I can’t say who I believe — I am predisposed to give Suri the benefit of the doubt — he may very well be the best professor I’ve ever had in my time here. Although he was an extremely objective historian, he was never shied away from discussing morals and ethics in very frank terms. Unless he was in an uncontrollable fit of rage, it doesn’t seem like him to exaggerate as grossly as Dickey seems to believe, or at least suggest.

For all of you opposed to the United Nations, here’s a new reason to support it — maybe we could get some of that clean water that’s supposed to be the goal of third world countries. According to the Wisconsin State Journal Madison’s wells are host to a variety of human viruses, including gastrointestinal related viruses and a few respiratory ones to boot. Luckily for us, Madison treats its drinking water with chlorine, meaning the health risks are relatively low. The bad news is that many communities in Wisconsin do not treat their water, meaning that similar presence of viruses in drinking reserves could pose serious threats to health. The most sobering aspect of the analysis was the conclusion that the viruses likely came from leakage from the city’s sewer system.

James Sonneman wrote an articulate piece today about Robert Spencer, the College Republicans’ guest speaker tonight. Spencer is most famous for his book “The Truth about Muhammed,” which, according to Sonneman depicts Islam as an inherently violent religion based on a over-arching dedication to “Jihad.” I haven’t adequately researched Spencer to make a judgment on him, however, I look forward to the College Republicans inviting Christopher Hitchens, the author of a scathing review of Mother Theresa, “The Missionary Position: Mother Theresa in Theory and Practice.” I assume the anti-Islamic author is just part of an ongoing series of theological criticism, right?

A new Quinnipiac poll shows Barack Obama ahead of John McCain by 17 points in our state, making me wonder if those pollsters in New Jersey know who to call in the Sconz to get an accurate election-day profile. There doesn’t seem to be any way Obama, even in a landslide situation, will carry Wisconsin by such a high margin. Double-digits a lone seems like a stretch, although conservative Times columnist David Brooks did predict McCain would lose the election by 9 points nationwide. I don’t know why I inherently trust Brooks, but he seems so sober-minded and disillusioned these days that I think he may just be speaking the truth.

Michael Gableman, the sitting Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice who won election to the bench last April running against, er, criminals, is having some trouble with ethics law. The state judicial commission filed a complaint against Gableman for “misrepresenting facts about his opponent” during his campaign last spring. Gableman and his allies at the Wisconsin Manufacturers Committee ran a number of alarmingly lowbrow ads against former justice, Louis Butler. The WMC accused Butler, who used to be a defense attorney, of putting dangerous criminals on the street. Moreover, WMC alleged Butler frequently cited “loopholes” in the law to set murderers and such free. Thankfully, Gableman didn’t tell us how his legal philosophy would somehow ignore the law and put the bad guys behind bars. It will just happen. A three judge panel has been appointed to hear the judicial commission’s case. The panel does have the right to recommend removal from office, although that outcome seems highly unlikely. Nevertheless, it would be a beautiful exercise of the separation of powers if he were.

A committee made up of 10 Republicans and four Democrats found Gov. Sarah Palin abused her power in trying to fire her brother-in-law. Is this going to matter? Right now it’s the second or third story on most respectable news sites. I’ll definitely have to check out the print version of the New York Times tomorrow to see what kind of ink they give the story. What this case illustrates is not necessarily that Palin did anything that bad, but that McCain’s made a comically stupid decision in picking her. My guess? This may be the final nail in the coffin for McCain, but I can’t imagine this could lead to significantly greater electoral losses. Is Obama going to win Louisiana now?

Last night’s debate fell short in many ways of the expected mud-slinging some of us anticipated McCain would resort to in response to Obama’s growing lead in the polls. What happened was quite different. McCain, instead of going for the jugular, went for a mix of humor, sincerity and condescension. Rather than attack Obama, he tried to turn Obama’s candidacy into a joke, asking the audience if Obama would ever tell them the cost of the fines on families who don’t buy their children healthcare, or alleging that hair implants would be required in government-sponsored health care plans. In my humble opinion, the strategy fell largely flat. While McCain’s presentation of himself as a candidate was articulate — albeit vague — his task was to tear down Barack Obama, and on that front he failed. If anything, Obama was emboldened by some of McCain’s attacks. On the issue of health care and taxes, McCain attempted to paint him as a big government liberal, supporting high taxes and government-mandated health care. On both occasions, Obama responded forcefully, yet earnestly, making it clear to undecided voters that he could integrate compassion and intellectualism in his policy. Obama responded to his opponent — always a risky move in politics — but also more clearly presented his plan in the process. Ironically, Obama did even better on foreign policy. McCain, perhaps feeling over-zealous about what should be his strength, attacked Obama for calling for the invasion of Pakistan. Obama responded strongly, citing McCain’s own irresponsible comments about “Bomb Iran,” and “Next Stop Baghdad!.” But more importantly, he clarified his statement on Pakistan, and further used the opportunity to discuss the importance of “catching Bin Laden,” a perceived failure of the Bush administration. What is surprising is that no social issues were discussed. Obviously that plays to the benefit of the Democrats, who are looking to run on nothing else but the economic downturn.

Poll after poll is showing Barack Obama pulling away in crucial swing states, as well as traditionally Republican states that John McCain’s chances for victory are reliant on. Two separate polls have now shown Obama with crushing leads in New Hampshire, a state won barely by Kerry and lost by just as close a margin by Gore in 2000. McCain has been popular in the state since 2000, when he handily beat George W. Bush in the primary running as a moderate, traditional conservative. SurveyUSA’s most recent poll shows Obama leading McCain 53% to 40%, reminiscent of course of the enormous lead Obama had over Hillary Clinton in the primary there before he lost in a stunning upset. Nevertheless, the Obama campaign seems to have opened even deeper wounds in the McCain campaign by threatening to take North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia. Two polls have shown Obama with six and seven point leads in the Buckeye state, which of course could have swung the election to Kerry four years ago. A poll from North Carolina signals an alarming shift toward Obama’s favor, with the Illinois senator ahead of McCain by six points. But perhaps the most shocking development is the lopsided results coming out of Virginia. Two polls show Obama with double-digit leads in a state that has not voted Democratic in a presidential election since 1964. These polls could indicate relatively superficial mood swings based on recent events surrounding the bailout, and I find it hard to believe that whites will vote as enthusiastically for Obama as they poll for him, however, some of these leads seem to indicate a coalition too hard to break. Moreover, the American people have likely already made up their judgment on Barack Obama. Support for him in the polls, after he was temporarily down several weeks ago, does not seem to indicate the Obamania of the primaries, but rather, a turn against McCain.

Apparently there is a budding movement to replace one of the simplest and most innocuous road names with a sophisticated and apparently slightly ornery one. Math professor Anatole Beck submitted a motion to change the major thoroughfare’s name to Karl Link Drive, after the scientist who discovered Warfarin, a blood thinner that helps patients with clotting disorders. I don’t generally spend a lot of time on Campus Dr., however, my blood tends to feel uncomfortably thick when I am there.

I know this is a little clich�, but hey, I think it is rightfully the conventional view: Last night’s debate, if anything, slightly improved the image of Gov. Sarah Palin. She did not present points in a particularly convincing way, and she did not succeed in painting Obama as negatively as a more skilled politician would have, however, she spoke somewhat articulately and presented the Republican Party platform without embarrassing herself — which is essentially what a vice-presidential candidate is expected to do. What is relevant is that Palin is not fulfilling the attack-dog role the campaign seems to have planned for her before the convention; she attacked Obama but not very aggressively, and she stayed away from the character assassination tactics she employed in her nomination speech. Nothing about San Francisco, or religion, or “Scranton.” I guess Joe Biden beat her to that subject.

Welcome to the live blog for the Palin-Biden debate. Scroll down for the live blog window.

and so we try this again…hopefully the conversation will be a little more civil this time…

U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) voted against the bailout package the U.S. Senate approved today, citing his disapproval of serious “flaws” in the legislation. Feingold joined 10 other Democrats in opposing the measure, as well as 16 Republicans. From the language Feingold used to justify his vote, it seems relatively clear he was not attempting to capitalize off of the populist sentiments against the bill throughout America. While House Republicans, and many House Democrats, opposed the bill based on a vague concept of sticking it to Wall St and standing up for capitalism, at least Feingold conceded that the bill was well-intentioned and that he was disappointed it didn’t include more provisions to address the fundamental flaws in the financial sector’s regulation.