BlogJunkies

ThinkFast: October 9, 2008

October 9, 2008 on 8:59 pm |

A draft version of the new National Intelligence Estimate “concludes that Afghanistan is in a ‘downward spiral’ and casts serious doubt on the ability of the Afghan government to stem the rise in the Taliban’s influence there.” The CIA has documented the worsening violence for nearly 2 years and “some in the agency say they believe that it has taken the White House too long to respond to the warnings.”

“Negotiations with some members of the Taliban could provide a way to reduce violence in sections of Afghanistan gripped by an intensifying insurgency,” Gen. David Petreaus said yesterday. He noted how Britain had helped reduce violence in Iraq through negotiations, remarking, “They’ve sat down with thugs throughout their history, including us in our early days.”

“Todd Palin talked with over a dozen state officials, many of them repeatedly, in his crusade to get a state trooper fired whom he considered to be a bad cop, a dishonest person and a threat to the Palin family, according to his sworn statement given Wednesday to a legislative investigator.” Andrew Halcro has a thorough analysis of Palin’s deposition here.

63.2 million: Number of U.S. viewers who watched the second presidential debate, easily surpassing the audience of the first debate (52.4 million). Forty-two percent of households in the top U.S. television markets tuned in to Tuesday’s match-up.

On the trail today: Barack Obama stops in the Ohio cities of Dayton, Cincinnati, and Portsmouth. Joe Biden campaigns in the Missouri cities of St. Joseph, Liberty, and Jefferson City. John McCain and Sarah Palin hold a town hall meeting in Waukesha, WI. McCain later holds an event in Mosinee, WI, while Palin talks to voters in Wilmington, OH. (more…)