Three Up; Three Down

THREE UP
His campaign once on the verge of extinction, John McCain awakens less than two months from election day with a lead over fading Democratic messiah Barack Obama in the polls. Never mind that he’s the second most popular candidate on the Republican ticket, McCain has been reborn, having cast aside the sins of the Bush administration and positioned himself as a reform-minded agent of change.
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Todd Patrick arrives as Waynesboro’s new city attorney with, of all things, a background in municipal law. He won universal backing from both factions of the council and universal praise from former employers. Welcome aboard.
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The woman who would have been president, Hillary Clinton has been pushed by the Obama campaign to attack McCain running mate Sarah Palin. With an eye on 2012, Clinton said no thanks. Now even Obama mate Joe Biden admits his boss might have made the wrong choice.

THREE DOWN
Pigs don’t receive this much attention at the breakfast table. Barack Obama, taking what some perceived as a jab at Sarah Palin, declared a cliche: “You can put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig.” Palin cited lipstick as the difference between pit bulls and hockey moms. Out came the cries of sexism. So what happens if you put lipstick on shameless politicking and mock indignation?
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While the feds anted up a fat bailout for ailing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, politicos such as Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Sen. Christopher Todd, D-Conn., hid in the background. By restraining regulation and feeding off Fan and Fred profits in good times, Beltway lawmakers helped produce the crisis that has wobbled the government-sponsored enterprises. Nice job, gang.
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Pundits took a pounding last week at MSNBC, finally. Execs summarily booted Keith Olbermann (right) and Chris Matthews, whose rants and raves are legend, from anchoring election coverage. Imagine that. The idea of commentators and their oozing bias serving as anchors backfired. Go figure.