The Wisconsin Badgers are losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. [Update: 10-7 Badgers, end of half] [Final: 20-17 Ohio State grumble] The legendary UW Marching Band isn't helping the team to victory tonight, having been suspended for hazing.

No details were immediately released about the behavior, only that it involved inappropriate alcohol use, hazing and sexualized behavior. Leckrone said it involved only a small number of band members, but it was significant enough to warrant the suspension.

UW football players are suspended once or twice a year, usually in conjunction with criminal charges. It would be remarkable to see the entire team suspended for a game, particularly in light of the revenue loss a team suspension would generate. Is it reasonable to suspend an entire band of 300 (I don't know how many of those perform at a home game) for the actions of an admitted few?

[more ...]

Update: The judge released jury questionnaires today.

Jury questionnaires released Saturday show that five of the 12 jurors disagreed with the 1995 verdict that cleared Simpson of murdering his ex-wife and her friend in Los Angeles.

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O.J. Simpson is sitting in the Clark County, NV jail today, undoubtedly wondering whether he has any strong grounds for appeal of last night's jury verdict in his Las Vegas robbery/kidnapping trial.

Jury selection sounds like a fertile area. Not only did the prosecution excuse the final two African American members of the jury (leaving two alternates who didn't get to serve) but here's what one juror said today:[More...]

Forcing John McCain to play defense on a second front, Barack Obama shifted his attack today from the economy to health care, giving a crowd in Newport News, Virginia a detailed comparison between his health care plan and McCain's. Perhaps too detailed.

Obama's speech was more loaded with policy than most, and he seemed to realize that many in the crowd wanted a pep rally more than a detailed examination of health care practices. "You still with me?" he said halfway through.

McCain's campaign responded by trying to associate Obama with the actions of William Ayers, a distraction that Obama defused long ago.

"On a day when new reports have surfaced about Barack Obama's long association with a domestic terrorist, our Democratic opponent had the audacity to call John McCain's health care plan 'radical.' The American people know radical when they hear it, and John McCain is not the candidate in this election they should be concerned about," [McCain spokesman Tucker] Bounds said.

Another example of John McCain's "respectful" campaigning.

Sarah Palin today on the campaign trail:

Palin told a group of donors at a private airport, "Our opponent ... is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough, that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country." She also said, "This is not a man who sees America as you see America and as I see America."

The Obama campaign called Palin's remarks offensive but not surprising in light of news stories detailing the campaign's come-from-behind offensive. "What's clear is that John McCain and Sarah Palin would rather spend their time tearing down Barack Obama than laying out a plan to build up our economy," Obama campaign spokesman Hari Sevugan said in a statement.

More desperation to come. The New York Times reports McCain said yesterday at a rally in Pueblo, Colorado "the gloves will come off" against Obama Tuesday night. Meaning, during the debate and in the ads to follow.

Part One of NBC's Brian Williams on David Letterman last night. Part Two is here.

This is an open Thread

Big Tent Democrat disagrees with Bob Herbert who points out that a McCain/Palin victory is dangerous because if something happens to McCain, we'd have the clueless wonder as President.

I agree with Bob Herbert and it is the single most important reason to defeat McCain/Palin. The prospect of her assuming the presidency if need be, even temporarily, is terrifying and unacceptable.

Nothing better shows the poor judgment of John McCain than his Hail Mary pass of choosing Sarah Palin, a politician with no relevant national experience, serious knowledge gaps on important issues and questionable ethical judgment to be his running mate. By putting his personal quest to be President over the well-being of our nation, he has demonstrated he lacks the character to be President. He sold us out for the sake of his own ambition. The radical right is now in a position to propel McCain/Palin to victory and then McCain will owe them. [More...]

All polls for the 9/30-10/2 period. Dkos/R2000 has Obama up 12, 52-40. Ras has Obama up 6, 51-45. Gallup has Obama up 8, 50-42. Hotline has Obama up 7, 48-41.

Two of the three days of polling in these polls came the nights after the Biden/Palin debate. It clearly was a nonevent. McCain's last stand comes Tuesday night - in his townhall/debate with Obama. Absent a miracle, this Presidential election is over.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only.

Bob Herbert misses the point:

The problem with Ms. Palin’s candidacy is that John McCain might actually win this election, and then if something terrible happened, the country could be left with little more than an exclamation point as president.

(Emphasis supplied.) Excuse me Mr. Herbert, the real threat is that John McCain might be President. This strange fixation on Sarah Palin ignores the real problem - that John McCain would be President. This is the height of Palin Derangement Syndrome - the belief that the real threat from John McCain is that Sarah Palin might become Vice President. The real risk of John McCain's candidacy is that McCAIN might be President.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

Gail Collins writes:

[Sarah Palin] appeared to agree with Dick Cheney’s manic theory that the vice president is a member of both the executive and legislative branches . . .

Um, Article 1, Sections 3 of the Constitution (Titled "The Legislative Branch, The Senate") states in part:

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.

More . . .

Top of the morning to you all. I strangely find myself with little to say at the this time. So it is your turn.

Oh, and Go Gators! Don't stink today!

This is an Open Thread.

Update: O.J. guilty on all counts, live blog of verdict below.

The verdict in the O.J. Simpson trial is about to be read. Streaming live site is here or here.

It was 13 years ago today that the jury reached a not guilty verdict in his murder trial.

The jury has been deliberating since 8:30 a.m. this morning. The jury instructions are here (pdf). From the Las Vegas Sun:

The charges they face include 11 felonies (Conspiracy to commit kidnapping; conspiracy to commit burglary; burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon; and two counts each of first degree kidnapping with use of a deadly weapon; robbery with use of a deadly weapon; assault with a deadly weapon; and coercion with use of a deadly weapon. They also face one gross misdemeanor, conspiracy to commit a crime.

The jury has the power to drop "use of a deadly weapon" from the nine weapons-related charges if they choose to do so.

I watched the closing arguments this afternoon at The Legal Edge. I finished feeling nervous for O.J., thinking he needs a holdout. With the verdict coming in this soon, I'm not optimistic he got one. And yes, I'm rooting for O.J.

I'll live-blog the verdict below.

High school football night. I need to pick a team. My Gators stink, but I'll be rooting for them tomorrow when they visit Arkansas.

This is an Open Thread.