IN THE HEADLINES Report stings Palin over troopergate flap; Raw anger showing up in McCain crowds; candidate taking steps to minimize it; Leading in polls, Obama seeking to play it safe; Voter fraud accusations mar presidential campaign; McCain, Obama offer contrasting ideas on financial crisis. ___ Report offers harsh findings on Palin in troopergate ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) _ The chief investigator of a legislative panel in Alaska has concluded that Gov. Sarah Palin unlawfully abused her power by trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper. The politically charged inquiry imperiled her reputation as a reformer on John McCain's Republican ticket. Investigator Stephen Branchflower, in a report to a bipartisan panel that looked into the matter, found Palin in violation of a state ethics law that prohibits public officials from using their office for personal gain. The inquiry looked into her dismissal of Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan, who said he lost his job because he resisted pressure to fire a state trooper involved in a bitter divorce and custody battle with the governor's sister. Palin says Monegan was fired as part of a legitimate budget dispute. Monegan's firing was lawful, the report found, but Palin let the family grudge influence her decision-making _ even if it was not the sole reason Monegan was dismissed. ___ Raw anger in McCain's crowds as Obama strengthens LAKEVILLE, Minn. (AP) _ The anger is palpable at Republican rallies, and John McCain is acting to tamp it down. McCain was booed by his own supporters Friday when, in an abrupt switch from raising questions about Barack Obama's character, he described the Democrat as a "decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States." A sense of grievance spilling into rage has gripped some GOP events this week as McCain supporters see his presidential campaign lag against Obama. Some in the audience are making it personal, against the Democrat. Shouts of "traitor," "terrorist," "treason," "liar," and even "off with his head" have rung from the crowd at McCain and Sarah Palin rallies, and gone unchallenged by them. McCain changed his tone Friday when supporters at a town hall pressed him to be rougher on Obama. A voter said, "The people here in Minnesota want to see a real fight." Another said Obama would lead the U.S. into socialism. Another said he did not want his unborn child raised in a country led by Obama. "If you want a fight, we will fight," McCain said. "But we will be respectful. I admire Sen. Obama and his accomplishments." When people booed, he cut them off. "I don't mean that has to reduce your ferocity," he said. "I just mean to say you have to be respectful." ___ Ahead in polls, Obama offers careful economic plans and lets allies respond to McCain attacks COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) _ Barack Obama is leading in polls with 25 days to Election Day, and the style of his campaign these days reflects that critical political reality: He is playing it safe, offering measure, carefully-drawn proposals to address the economic crisis while letting allies respond to John McCain's sharpest charges. Obama now reads his speeches from teleprompters, reducing the chance of gaffes. He has not held a news conference in two weeks, although he has done several one-on-one interviews with national and local reporters. He now refers to McCain as "my opponent" more often than by name. And he offers carefully limited, comparatively non-controversial remedies for the nation's financial crisis. Publicly, Obama's aides say he keeps a calm demeanor and measured tone because he doesn't want to fuel the anguish and panic caused by the economic meltdown. Privately, they acknowledge there is no desire to shake up a campaign dynamic that is inching him closer to the White House. ___ Voter fraud accusations mar presidential campaign By The Associated Press Accusations of voter fraud have hurled a giant mud ball into an already messy presidential campaign, with Republicans alleging that Democrat Barack Obama has close ties to an activist group accused of compiling fake registration forms, including ones for the starting lineup of the Dallas Cowboys _ submitted in Nevada. Rick Davis, the campaign manager for Republican candidate John McCain, told reporters in a telephone conference call Friday that Obama's connections to The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, known as ACORN, should be investigated. The group says it has signed up 1.3 million poor and working-class voters in a mass registration drive in 18 states this year. Some of those registration cards have become the focus of fraud investigations in Nevada, Connecticut, Missouri and at least five other states. State investigators this week raided ACORN's Las Vegas headquarters, seizing documents and computer data as part of a probe into scores of fabricated registration forms, including those signed in the names of Dallas professional football players. Continued... |