That Other Failed War

Gitmo Watch

Del Quentin Wilber writes in The Washington Post: "A federal appeals court last night temporarily blocked a judge's order that the government must release 17 Chinese Muslims held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, into the United States.

"The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued the 'administrative stay' at the request of the Justice Department. . . .

"On Tuesday, [U.S. District Judge Ricardo M.] Urbina ruled that the government could no longer detain the men in Cuba because it offered no proof they were enemy combatants or security risks. He ordered the government to deliver the men, all known as Uighurs, to his courtroom by 10 a.m. tomorrow to be transferred into the custody of Uighur families in the Washington area."

William Glaberson writes in the New York Times: "The detainees' lawyers accused the government of resorting to 'scare tactics in the form of innuendo and unsubstantiated, exaggerated and false rhetoric' and said the government's request for appeals court intervention was an attempt to win years of new delays in the men's cases."

Bush and the Campaign

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin spoke with Greta Van Susteren of Fox News yesterday.

Van Susteren: "Are you then critical of the President Bush administration because the government has grown under President Bush and the deficit has grown under President Bush? Do you completely divorce yourself from that administration or do you embrace any part of it?"

Palin: "I think that there have been some mistakes in the administration, but Congress is to blame also and -- "

Van Susteren: "What mistakes of the administration?"

Palin: "Well, I think that they have allowed government growth to just be too rampant, too aggressive, and certainly, that's contributing to where we are today with this deficit. Handing this to our kids, that's unfair. We're going to stop that. And that, though, has to be a commitment to reining in government growth. And we have to have that spending freeze that John McCain is going to plug in also."

Here's Palin in Bethlehem, Pa., yesterday, via CNN: "So last night Senator McCain talked about real and pragmatic solutions, and Barack Obama talked about why he'd rather run against George Bush. (Laughter.) And that's a strategy that is starting to wear pretty darn thin. John McCain didn't just come out of nowhere. The American people know John McCain. They know that he is the maverick, and that's what our opponents are afraid of most."

Foon Rhee blogs for the Boston Globe: "In his first post-debate speech, Barack Obama sought today to continue tying John McCain to the unpopular presidency of George W. Bush and to the economic meltdown. . . .

"'I can take four more weeks of John McCain's attacks, but the American people can't take four more years of John McCain's Bush policies,' Obama said."

The Dallas Morning News editorial board writes: "President Bush has become America's No. 1 whipping boy. Angry about the bailout? Blame Mr. Bush. Economy's in the toilet? Blame Mr. Bush. Upset about Iraq? Blame Mr. Bush.

"That focus is to be expected from Democrats, eager for victory on Nov. 4. But what's surprising is the vigor with which Republicans -- including John McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin -- are piling on and looking backward. . . .

"To hear the candidates talk, this election is a referendum on Mr. Bush.

"As satisfying as it might be to cast your ballot with those thoughts in mind, think twice. This is not a vote to punish Mr. Bush and those Republicans and, yes, Democrats who once supported him. This is about America's future and the best candidate to lead us through the extremely tough challenges ahead."

Transition Watch

Bush this morning issued an executive order outlining plans for the presidential transition.

Mike Allen writes for Politico: "The White House announced plans Thursday for the first post-9/11 presidential transition, which will begin before Election Day for the first time in the nation's history.

"President Bush announced a Presidential Transition Coordinating Council that will meet next Wednesday, with representatives of the White House and both presidential campaigns. . . .

"For the first time, the government will also conduct background checks on potential transition officials before there is a presidential election.

"White House press secretary Dana Perino told Politico this is 'an unprecedented effort based on changes we have had in our country,' including the creation of a Department of Homeland Security and the provisions of the Intelligence Reform Act of 2004."

Sam Stein writes for Huffingtonpost.com: "Sen. Barack Obama has organized an elaborate well-staffed network to prepare for his possible ascension to the White House, while Sen. John McCain has all but put off such work until after the election.

"The Democratic nominee has enlisted the assistance of dozens of individuals -- divided into working groups for particular federal agencies -- to produce policy agendas and lists of recommended appointees. . . .

"The Arizona Senator has instructed his team to not spend time on the transition effort, according to the source, both out of a desire to have complete focus on winning the election as well as a superstitious belief that the campaign shouldn't put the cart before the horse.

"Virtually every modern non-incumbent presidential candidate has organized, during the course of the campaign, a transition effort to prepare for the early months of a potential administration. These teams help build lists and vet individuals who could serve in key government posts. They hammer out proposals to facilitate policy making from day one. And they work closely with outgoing administration officials to better understand the true lay of the political land.

"Governance scholars consider the process invaluable, particularly as the nation struggles with a major economic crisis, two active wars, and a range of domestic security threats."

Bailout Watch

Edmund L. Andrews and Mark Landler write in the New York Times: "Having tried without success to unlock frozen credit markets, the Treasury Department is considering taking ownership stakes in many United States banks to try to restore confidence in the financial system, according to government officials."

Mark Mooney writes for ABC News: "President Bush has tried to reassure Americans and the stock market that the U.S. economy will be all right, but the certainty of his words has steadily eroded in recent days and have had little impact -- at least any positive impact. . . .

"'He's winding down and he's battered down,' said Stu Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Report, which chronicles Washington politics and government."

Ali Frick writes for Thinkprogress.org: "White House press secretary Dana Perino suggested the Bush administration would oppose any effort to extend jobless benefits -- a stance the White House has taken before. She explained their position by saying, 'we want people to be able to return to the workplace as soon as possible.' The suggestion was that extending benefits somehow prevents people from returning to work.

"She concluded by saying that 'the best way to help' the economy and unemployed people is for unemployed people to simply 'get back to work.'"

Movie Watch

Richard L. Berke writes for the New York Times: "The surprise about 'W.' is that its left-wing creator made a movie that is not so much operatic or hysterical as utterly plausible. . . .

"Yes, there are soapy oversimplifications and embellishments (and some hallucinatory camera work involving baseball stadiums and showdowns in the Oval Office) that Bush loyalists will seize on as reprehensible distortions. But all in all, the straightforwardness of 'W.' suggests that Stone set out to make a critical biography but was somehow spooked. . . .

"Asked to explain what audiences will learn about the president in 'W.,' [Oliver] Stone was more vague than provocative. 'I think you understand George Bush much better when you see the movie,' he said. 'After two hours you walk in his path. You understand his worldview and how he got there and how he became the man he was.'"

Patt Morrison writes in her Los Angeles Times column: "Oliver Stone's latest film, 'W,' is a chancy three-bank shot: a movie about a living president, who is still in office, opening two weeks before the election to replace him. Is a man who'd be toxic at the ballot box going to be poison at the box office? If we're sick of him after eight years in the White House, will we want to spend another two hours with a version of him in a movie house? . . .

"I saw 'W' this week. It spends its time on the Iraq war and on Bush's formative years, and insofar as I could detach myself from my dislike of the man, I found myself feeling fleetingly sorry for him, but a whole lot sorrier for us. 'W' pulled punches that I desperately wanted to connect, and if comedy equals tragedy plus time, 'W' shows it's too soon to laugh and too late to do anything but endure the tragedy of this administration."

Chris Ayres writes for the Times of London that the movie "might have been better off on cable television as a mini-series."

Cartoon Watch

Signe Wilkinson on the naked emperor and Pat Bagley on Sarah Palin, Bush pilot.