A judge in Alaska yesterday denied a request by Republican lawmakers to dismiss the Alaska legislature's TrooperGate probe and find the legislature's investigation on grounds it is too partisan to proceed.

"It is legitimately within the scope of the legislature's investigatory power to inquire into the circumstances surrounding the termination [of] a public officer the legislature had previously confirmed," the judge wrote.

The report may be out October 10. The investigation is being conducted by an independent investigator.

As for Todd Palin and the other employees' subpoenas:

Michalski also threw out a lawsuit filed by Palin aides seeking to dismiss subpoenas compelling their testimony in the investigation. The aides had argued that the subpoenas should not have to be honored because they should not have been issued.

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Post-debate poll of uncommitted voters by CBS:

Forty-six percent of the uncommitted voters surveyed say Democrat Joe Biden won the debate, compared to 21 percent for Republican Sarah Palin. Thirty-three percent said it was a tie.

Eighteen percent of previously uncommitted percent say they are now committed to the Obama-Biden ticket. Ten percent say they are now committed to McCain-Palin. Seventy-one percent are still uncommitted.

As to whether Palin is qualified to take over as President if need be:

44 percent say the Alaska governor could be an effective president. Ninety-one percent said Biden could be effective as president, up from 66 percent before the debate.

In a CNN post-debate poll, 53% of those polled say while Gov. Sarah Palin exceeded their expecations in the debate tonight, they still believe Gov. Sarah Palin is unqualified to take over as President. Numbers below:

Biden pointing out that McCain's health care plan would tax our health care benefits and be a boon to the insurance companies:

[D]o you know how John McCain pays for his $5,000 tax credit you're going to get, a family will get?

He taxes as income every one of you out there, every one of you listening who has a health care plan through your employer. That's how he raises $3.6 trillion, on your -- taxing your health care benefit to give you a $5,000 plan, which his Web site points out will go straight to the insurance company.

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Jeanne Woodford, the former director of the California Department of Corrections, is also the former warden of San Quentin State Prison, where she presided over four executions. She isn't soft on crime. Yet Woodford no longer believes that executions are necessary to society's safety. Her argument is pragmatic: life imprisonment is "cheaper -- much, much cheaper than execution." Yet she also confronts the ethical question:

To say that I have regrets about my involvement in the death penalty is to let myself off the hook too easily. To take a life in order to prove how much we value another life does not strengthen our society. It is a public policy that devalues our very being and detracts crucial resources from programs that could truly make our communities safe.

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Sarah Palin does not own family issues. McCain does not represent change.

Look, I understand what it's like to be a single parent. When my wife and daughter died and my two sons were gravely injured, I understand what it's like as a parent to wonder what it's like if your kid's going to make it.

I understand what it's like to sit around the kitchen table with a father who says, "I've got to leave, champ, because there's no jobs here. I got to head down to Wilmington. And when we get enough money, honey, we'll bring you down."

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Biden: Can I respond to that? Look, let's talk about the maverick John McCain is. And again I love him, he's been a maverick on some issues but he's been no maverick on things that a matter people's lives. He voted four out of five times for George Bush's budget which put us half a trillion in debt this year and over three trillion in debt since he got there. He has not been a maverick in providing healthcare for people.

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No huge gaffes, but a game changer? Not to me. What did you think?

The Vice Presidential debate between Senator Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin begins at 9pm ET on CNN. Big Tent Democrat, TChris, the TL Kid and I will be live-blogging.

The live blog stays below the fold so that it can be a bit wider than the front page allows. Just click on the "There's More" button or bookmark the permalink to go directly to it.

You can comment same as always in the comment section below. You also can send us live messages through the software. Only comments you post below will be visible to readers here. [More...]

In an episode of The Simpsons that will air on November 2, Homer attempts to vote for Obama.

In 90 minutes, Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin will debate. Politico reports Palin's game plan is to attack Biden and throw his words from former statements, particularly about foreign policy, back at him. Biden, it reports, will be a "just the facts" style debater, concentrating on defending Obama and attacking McCain.

Expectations for Palin, once in the tank, now are mounting.

“This is going to finally put her back into a position where we see her like we saw her the first couple weeks,” a McCain official said. “She was herself. She was authentic, and people related to that. ... Tonight, she’ll get into a rhythm. You’re going to see her in a way that you haven’t seen her yet.”

I don't know that anyone much cares. They're tuning in to see if there's a train wreck.

I don't expect any major gaffes from Palin. She's been coached to the gills by now. Nor do I expect she'll win McCain any voters. [More...]

From the new issue of Rolling Stone: Make-Believe Maverick -- a ten page article on John McCain that finds:

A closer look at the life and career of John McCain reveals a disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty.

Also check out two companion features in the same issue:

• The Double-Talk Express:

  From tax cuts to torture, John McCain has flip-flopped on a host of issues - including his own immigration bill

• The Truth about Sarah Palin:

  Sarah Palin's credentials as a "reformer" are nothing but spin. She has sided with Big Oil, lobbied to increase pork spending and abused her public power to carry out personal vendettas. Here's a guide to separating myth from fact.