Comment Central - Times Online - WBLG

Today's Web Grab

You might enjoy:

• Sean Collins in The Spiked Review of Books: John McCain: the myth, the maverick, the man
• Steven D. Levitt in Freakonomics: Why are Hedge Funds not blowing up all over the place?
• James Forsyth in Coffee House: Oh Darling
• Sarah Ebner in School Gate: Do the educational achievements of the next American president matter?
• Alex Barker in Westminster Blog: Lembit: “on first name terms with the nation”

The power of Sarah Palin

There's something about Sarah.

A something that may have led John McCain to pick her. Or so argues Kathleen Parker in today's Washington Post. The conservative commentator, who has made waves denouncing Palin, argues that McCain's subconscious attraction caused him to choose the Alaskan Governor.

If McCain, rightful heir to the presidency, loses to Obama, history undoubtedly will note that he was defeated at least in part by his own besotted impulse to discount the future. If he wins, he must be credited with having correctly calculated nature's power to befuddle.

Bewitched, bothered and bewildered? McCain's not alone.

Whether we like or hate Palin, none of us can look away. $150,000 spent on clothes? We want the breakdown on every last pair of Louboutins. An appearance on Saturday Night Live? Cue their biggest ratings boost in 14 years.

Today, simultaneous news stories reveal that orthodox Jews are queuing up to try out the Palin wig while a strip club in Las Vegas is hosting a lookalike contest. It seems that, whatever happens in November, brand Palin isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

The result of our Karl Marx poll

Apparently Karl Marx's ability to create controversy hasn't dimmed.

More than 6,600 of you voted in our poll: Karl Marx - did he get it right?

And it seems that the resident of Highgate cemetary still divides opinion as much as ever. The majority went back and forth throughout the week but the final results were as follows:

Yes: 51.6%

No: 48.4%

Magazine Rack - Issue 337

You might enjoy:

• Ben Baker in Time: Portraits from the UN General Assembly
• James F. English in The Atlantic: Bright Light, Dim City
• David Goodhart in Prospect: A good recession
• James Kirchick in Columbia Journalism Review:  Parliament's Peanut Gallery

Now you too can look like Palin

Kudos to Alpha Mummy for the offbeat news story of the day.

At one point it was the Aniston. Now it's the Sarah Palin updo that's dominating hairdressing salons.

But which community is queuing up to pay $695 for an Alaska Governor wig? Find out here.

When one vote really matters

And the NYT's endorsement goes to...

Today's New York Times endorsement of Barack Obama comes as no surprise. The paper has not backed a Republican candidate since 1956.

The editorial is well worth reading but make sure you also check out the feature on past endorsements. How many times have they got it right? And who knew that the NYT snubbed FDR for Wendell Willkie in 1940?

Friday's comment from the papers in...

Today in Times Comment

• Anatole Kaletsky: A new set of financial skittles is ready to fall
• Gerard Baker: Palintology will dominate the post-mortems
• Hugo Rifkind: The dark secret in the far Right's closet
• Camilla Cavendish: I may be paranoid, but they are watching us
• Martin Samuel: We don't need fewer spivs. We need more
• Melanie Reid: Not gory, not scary, just fascinating
• Joan Bakewell: No-God squad climb aboard the atheist bus
• Ann Treneman: Well-briefed deputy, Chris Bryant, won't be caught with his pants down
• Peter Riddell: Donations must be followed to the source
• Leading Article: Running the banks
• Leading Article: Repaying generosity
• Leading Article: Close the Flood-gate

And from the rest of the papers...

• Jeff Randall: (The Telegraph) - Yes, PM: there should be an inquiry ... into Britain’s finances
• Iain Dale: (The Telegraph) - The Conservatives should let their attack dogs off the leash
• Gerald Warner: (The Telegraph) - Tory love for Barack Obama exposes an ideological vacuum
• Leading Article: (The Telegraph) - Labour's criminal way with statistics
• Simon Jenkins: (The Guardian) - Trim the fat and cut the crap. Tough times demand an austerity Olympics
• Martin Kettle: (The Guardian) - The Corfu saga teaches that this is truly an age of cant
• John Pilger: (The Guardian) - Under cover of racist myth, a new land grab in Australia
• Leading Article: (The Guardian) - Call bankers to account
• Dominic Lawson: (The Independent) - One election player has been overlooked: Osama bin Laden
• Steve Richards: (The Independent) - Arrogance bred by party breakdown
• Terence Blacker: (The Independent) - Censorship Beijing would be proud of
• Leading Article: (The Independent) - Our dysfunctional banks must be compelled to lend
• Quentin Letts: (The Daily Mail) - It was like being lectured on tidiness by Ken Dodd
• Philip Stephens: (Financial Times) - Globalisation and the new nationalism collide

And from around the world...

• Editorial: (The New York Times) - Barack Obama for President
• Steve Israel and Norman J Ornstein: (The New York Times) - Everybody’s Voting for the Weekend
• Kathleen Parker: (The Washington Post) - Something about Sarah
• Peggy Noonan: (The Wall Street Journal) - 43% isn't nothing
• Patrick Seale: (International Herald Tribune) - The Syrian-Lebanese embrace
• Frank Ching: (The Japan Times) - There's no ignoring China

What I really think about The Times story

Over on Conservative Home I see that Tim has been up to mischief.

The site suggests that my earlier post on the Osborne affair means that I disavow the paper's story.

I most certainly do not.

Nat Rothschild's letter was a lock down splash. A terrific exclusive, that we did very well. And our reporting has been fair and proportionate.

That is why I said in my post - deliberately in order to avoid the construction Tim put on it - that it was an irresistible story.

Once we had exposed it, and the facts have become properly known, I think it is clear that the behaviour was not scandalous. But there were certainly questions.

We just printed the fantastic, colourful, facts and made sure the Rothschild allegation was placed firmly in the public domain.

We couldn't possibly have done differently. I am afraid that the suggestion that splashing on it was somehow bad behaviour is preposterously naive.

Today's Web Grab

You might enjoy:

• Guido Fawkes in Order Order: Icelandic terrorists identified
• Democracy in America: Partners in what?
• Marc Ambinder in A reported blog on politics: Palin In 2012: The Argument
• Mary Beard in A Don's Life: Your not-so-flexible friend
• Iain Dale's Diary: The joys of modern policing