Gov. Sarah Palin and her husband will be deposed on Friday about TrooperGate.

The depositions are being conducted by the investigator for the Alaska Personnel Board, whom Palin previously suggested is the appropriate agency to conduct the investigation. The board consists of members of the Executive branch, who serve at Palin's pleasure.

Unlike the Legislature, the Personnel Board is an agency of the state's executive branch and its officials can be fired by Palin for cause. Only the three-member board has the authority to sanction Palin.

Palin continues to distort the findings of the Legislative Board. She told CNN today: [More...]

Once again, Gov. Sarah Palin talks out of both sides of her mouth. On CNN today, Sarah Palin was interviewed by Drew Griffin. I heard a portion driving home. She told Griffin that as Vice-President, McCain's roles for her will be (1) government reform (2) energy independence -- her "forte as governor" she said and (3) special needs children.

In Colorado yesterday, Palin told 9News she opposes Amendment 51 on our ballot that would provide services to special needs children through a one cent sales tax increase on every $10 spent for the next two years.

The Pew Research Center released a new poll today. Shorter version: Voters have increasing doubts about John McCain's judgment, age and campaign conduct.

Currently, Obama enjoys his widest margin yet over McCain among registered voters, at 52% to 38%. When the sample of voters is narrowed to those most likely to vote, Obama leads by 53% to 39%.

On views of Obama:

More voters see him as “well-qualified” and “down-to-earth” than did so a month ago. Obama also is inspiring more confidence on several key issues, including Iraq and terrorism, than he did before the debates. Most important, Obama now leads McCain as the candidate best able to improve economic conditions by a wider margin (53% to 32%).

As for McCain: [More...]

Forget Joe the Plumber, here's Al the Shoe Salesman. Watch him calculate his tax cut under Obama and then go calculate your own.

As predicted last week, Colorado's Chief U.S. District Court Judge Edward Nottingham has tendered his resignation, effective October 29. The news is on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals' website.

In response to complaints of judicial misconduct lodged in August 2007, the Tenth Circuit Judicial Council initiated misconduct proceedings against Judge Edward Nottingham. As additional allegations developed and subsequent misconduct complaints were filed, the Judicial Council expanded the initial misconduct proceedings.

The American Bar Association Magazine attempts to predict the lawyers whom Sen. Barack Obama and John McCain are likely to appoint as Attorney General, Supreme Court Justices, Solicitor General, Homeland Security Chief and more.

• Obama's Picks
• McCain's Picks

Cass Sunstein is on the list, but not as Supreme Court Justice -- he's tapped for the White House Domestic Policy Advisor. For Attorney General, the ABA names Eric Holder and Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick. For Homeland Security Director, AZ Gov. Janet Napolitano.

The ABA is right to call their article a guessing game. I don't put much stock in their selections. As for McCain's choices, there are a few laugh-out-louds: [More...]

On television and in the movies, when a police detective wants a killer to confess, he whacks the killer upside the head and the killer obliges with a written admission of guilt. In real life, coerced confessions are prohibited by the Constitution. That doesn't stop the occasional officer from using TV tactics to get what he wants.

Jon Burge is a former Chicago police lieutenant whose interrogation tactics (primarily directed toward black suspects) included beatings, electric shocks, and mock Russian roulette. The torture of suspects in which he and his colleagues engaged resulted in civil rights suits against Chicago and a federal investigation.

Burge lied to the federal investigators and he lied to lawyers who questioned him with regard to the civil rights suits, consistently denying any knowledge of, or involvement in, the abuse of suspects. Today an indictment of Burge for perjury and obstruction of justice with regard to those lies was unsealed. Burge was arrested before dawn this morning in his Florida home. [more ...]

Bob Somerby on Josh Marshall.

I'll make this an Open Thread.

Cite to Somerby on Marshall endorsed solely by me.

The U.S. today moved to dismiss the cases of five Guantanamo detainees facing criminal charges: Binyam Mohamed, Noor Uthman Muhammed, Sufyiam Barhoumi, Ghassan Abdullah al Sharbi and Jabran Said Bin al Qahtani.

Clive Stafford Smith, a civilian attorney representing one of the five, Binyam Mohamed, said he has already been notified that charges against his client will be reinstated. "Far from being a victory for Mr. Mohamed in his long-running struggle for justice, this is more of the same farce that is Guantanamo," Stafford Smith said. "The military has informed us that they plan to charge him again within a month, after the election."

Army Lt. Col. Bryan Broyles, who represents another of the five detainees, said the military might be preparing the tribunals to face increased scrutiny following next month's presidential election. John McCain and Barack Obama have both said they want to close Guantanamo Bay.

The Government's less than credible explanation: [More...]

liburro points us to this in last weekend's NYTimes magazine:

“If voters are similarly polarized and if they’re seeing two different realities, a Sean Hannity reality and a Keith Olbermann reality, then we’re not going to be able to get done the work we need to get done,” Obama said.

He said it, I didn't.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

Obama's lead remains steady and significant. DKos/R2000 has Obama by 8, 50-42. Gallup has Obama up 11, 52-41, among RVs, and up 10 among LVs (Expanded.) Hotline has Obama by 6, 47-41. Ras has Obama by 4, 50-46. The one poll McCain wants to believe in now is Battleground, which has Obama going from a 13 point lead 8 days ago to a 1 point lead today.

Still Obama's election.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

It is a matter of record that I am not a fan of what Keith Olbermann has become. It might interest some to know that I was actually one of the first bloggers (when I FPed at daily kos in 2005) to notice that Olbermann was successfully employing a counter Fox programming idea that many of us, Atrios most prominently, had suggested to the other cable networks (this was when Tweety still saved his tingles for George W. Bush.) The early Olbermann was not Obama's O'Reilly as he is today. Back then, he was more like Rachel Maddow is now.

One fairly predictable result of the success garnered by Olbermann (besides making him a lot of money) is the diminishment of Matt Drudge's influence. Eric Boehlert writes: