It's looking like Missouri will go for McCain. In all but one time in the last 100 years, the person who won Missouri has won the presidency.

Don't show me.

What do you think? And where does the Party go from here?

Post your comments below.

Numbers are looking good for Missouri in St. Charles County. McCain is leading 52.1 percent to 47.1 percent as of 9:31 p.m. EST.

Jefferson County is one of the critical counties to watch tonight, and the numbers do not look good there for McCain.

With 67 percent of precincts reporting, Obama has 55 percent of Jefferson votes and McCain has only 44 percent.

Stay tuned for updates.

As I reported earlier, it's worth watching the numbers in Boone County in Missouri. The first precinct numbers are in: Obama received 58.6 percent of the vote and McCain received 40.1 percent.

Let's hope that those numbers don't hold up around the state--or as more precincts report in Boone County, for that matter.

The polls in Colorado will be closing in less than 10 minutes, at 7:00 MST.

As the returns come in, there are some critical counties to watch. The two primary swing areas are Arapahoe County and Jefferson County--and the turnout there could make the difference.

Beyond that, there are a few other key counties that folks on both sides of the aisle need to watch. As is to be expected, above-average turnout in Denver, Boulder and Pueblo could secure a victory for Obama. On the other hand, high turnout in Douglas, Broomfield, Mesa, Weld and El Paso could mean a victory for McCain.

The polls in the Show Me State have just closed, at 7:00pm CST.

As the returns come in, the places to watch are St. Charles County and Boone County. If McCain can hold his own in those two counties, McCain will carry the state.

Stay tuned for updates.

One retired man--a Democrat and a former Marine--stopped to talk to me this morning outside a polling location in Alexandria, Va. He explained to me that he voted for McCain after researching both candidates, and said he liked McCain's education plans better than Obama's. He hates the war, but more than that, he hates the politicians who have flip-flopped based on what's popular at the time and said that the people who liken American troops to murderers make him sick. He even offered to buy me a cup of coffee to thank me for volunteering.

I spoke with his wife, too, when she voted earlier this morning. She had supported Hillary Clinton in the primary, moved to support for McCain for awhile out of a little anger and, in the end, decided to support Obama. Both of them have been lifelong civil servants, both within and outside of the military.

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Katie Favazza is an editorial consultant who also blogs at KatieFavazza.com and RightWingNews.com.

As some of you may have already read via Twitter or my previous post, it was raining acorns in Alexandria, Va., this morning. Voters who waited in line along Cameron Street were hit in the head with acorns falling from the large, beautiful trees that line the sidewalk. I don't know whether it was more ironic or poetic, but regardless, few seemed to pick up on the joke.

Besides, the area is so heavily Democratic, there was really no need for ACORN's help.

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Katie Favazza is an editorial consultant who also blogs at KatieFavazza.com and RightWingNews.com.

I'm volunteering for the Alexandria GOP this morning, and I'll be stationed at a local polling place from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. here in Virginia.
To make sure you get all my updates today, "follow" me on Twitter by visiting Twitter.com/KatieFavazza. For those who aren't "following" me on Twitter, you can read my updates right here.

Yesterday my friend and I volunteered for the McCain campaign in Virginia. Here's a few short stories from my time out in the field and at the national headquarters making phone calls:

• Former RNC Chairman and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson, seen above, stopped by the national headquarters to thank all the volunteers for their time and to ask for their prayers.

• There was a line of people waiting to make phone calls when I first arrived to the office and again when I returned from knocking on doors. Virginians are working hard to get out the vote. (The above photo represents only a fraction of the volunteers present.)

• Most of my friends and family have followed this election closely from the very beginning, and until yesterday, I hadn't spoken with anyone who was truly undecided. I was surprised to learn how many Virginia voters hadn't made up their mind just two days before the election.

• I called one such undecided voter last night, simply by chance. This woman from rural Virginia told me that her husband was supporting McCain but that she was still unsure, then asked if I had time to answer a few questions. "Why are you supporting McCain? ... Who is the better candidate to represent Christian families? ... Which candidate supports Israel more? ... Is it true that Barack Obama is a Muslim? ... Who do you think has better instincts?" I think her questions were indicative of what many undecided voters have on their mind. She explained that she cares about the economy as much as the next person, but that she didn't want economic concerns to mean that family values are pushed aside. She said Obama was a slick speaker, but that she thought he would say whatever one particular crowd wanted to hear. She talked about how important Israel is to America as an ally and how important Jewish heritage is to both Christians and Jews alike. At the end of our 15-minute conversation, she thanked me for my time and said she would definitely be voting for McCain.

[# More #]

• While going door-to-door in Alexandria, one Republican woman joked with me that she and her neighbor had canceled each other out. Not to be outdone, the Democratic neighbor said his dog had voted twice. (I laughed, but you and I know vote fraud is no laughing matter.)

• I met an elderly man walking down the street who told me that he had voted Republican his entire life and that he really admired McCain, but that he was voting for Obama. I was confused. He went on to explain that he had supported McCain in 2000, that he thought he was the best Republican suited for this year's contest. He spoke very highly of McCain, noting the strength of his character and his good instincts. Still, he said he couldn't vote for McCain and that he felt like a traitor. He's voting for Obama, he explained, as a result of reading Obama's books and being really impressed with his public speaking skills. I was stunned, because I'd expect this kind of rationale only from a young person.

• One friendly Republican woman was very happy to see us. She had a large McCain sign in each of the three large windows on the front of her house, and explained that her home had been vandalized with "O's" written on the windows over the signs.

• One volunteer making phone calls was from Ireland and had come to America to simply to volunteer for McCain. Talk about dedication to a cause. The world is watching.

• Another volunteer, a middle-aged woman, said that she had voted "most of the time" in the past, but never gotten involved in anything political. She said there's too much at stake this year, and that she is legitimately afraid of what will happen if the GOP loses. Her sentiments were echoed by others, too.

I'll be at the national headquarters again tonight and volunteering at a Virginia polling place bright and early tomorrow morning, so check back for additional updates. You can also "follow" me on Twitter by visiting Twitter.com/KatieFavazza.

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Katie Favazza is an editorial consultant who also blogs at KatieFavazza.com and RightWingNews.com.

My brother passed along a great letter to the editor in the Chicago Tribune, and I thought it was worth sharing here:

On my way to lunch recently, I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read "Vote Obama; I need the money." I laughed. In a restaurant my server had on an "Obama 08" tie. Again I laughed. Just imagine the coincidence. When the bill came, I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Barack-Obama-redistribution-of-wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need—the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight. I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful. At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment, I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient deserved money more. I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application.

—A. Hart, Forest Park

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Katie Favazza is an editorial consultant who also blogs at KatieFavazza.com and RightWingNews.com.

October is on track to be the first month in which no U.S. troops have died in combat in Baghdad. But that's not all. According to USA Today, there's even more to celebrate, including:

As of Thursday, the Pentagon had reported 13 U.S. troops killed in combat and non-combat incidents this month in Iraq. If the number holds, it would tie July for the lowest monthly U.S. death toll of the 5?-year-old war.

The news comes in a week in which the troops have already made headlines. Their latest milestone? Two days ago, the U.S. military had handed over control of yet another province to the people of Iraq. This is the 13th of the country's 18 provinces to be placed back in Iraqi control, a sign of the tremendous dedication of the men and women of our military.


(For a related post, written when the al Anbar province was handed over, click here.)

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Katie Favazza is an editorial consultant who also blogs at KatieFavazza.com and RightWingNews.com.

A reader who saw my post about the relationship of Rashid Khalidi and Barack Obama emailed me a great video, which he found through The Jawa Report.

He suggested that I post this, as it provides more information regarding Obama and his Palestinian ties:

What do you think? Would Obama be a friend to the Palestinians in the White House and discredit Israel, one of America's best allies?

Update: There was a poll on the earlier version of this post, but it was pulled down because of technical issues. Please do post your comments below, though.

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Katie Favazza is an editorial consultant who also blogs at KatieFavazza.com and RightWingNews.com.

Bailout might be the word of the year and the latest recipient of a bailout might surprise you: Rep. John Murtha.

The DCCC is spending $84,000 on advertisements "in an attempt to save Murtha from himself," according to RedState.com.

Why is Murtha at risk, when he's served for so long and this is--by all accounts--a great year to be a Democrat? I'd like to draw your attention to a little video Mary Katharine Ham and I made that might shed some light on Murtha's background--and stomping ground:



These are not a people who cling to corruption. Finally, they are going to stand up and say that they've had enough. This could also mean good news for McCain, as he's remaining competitive in Pennsylvania in these last few days.

Additional polling information for this congressional race is available by clicking here (PDF). You can also find more information about Murtha's statistical dead-heat at MichelleMalkin.com, as Michelle has been covering the mess that is Murtha for a long, long time.

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Katie Favazza is an editorial consultant who also blogs at KatieFavazza.com and RightWingNews.com.

The McCain campaign is accusing The L.A. Times of suppressing a video that shows Obama and Rashid Khalidi. The LAT published a story about the video back in April, but is claiming that it promised the source that the video would not be released.

Why is this newsworthy? Let's review what we know about Rashid Khalidi and his relationship to Barack Obama.

• Rashid Khalidi is a former Palestinian Liberation Organization spokesman. According to the L.A. Times' April 2008 story:

In the 1970s, when Khalidi taught at a university in Beirut, he often spoke to reporters on behalf of Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization. In the early 1990s, he advised the Palestinian delegation during peace negotiations. Khalidi now occupies a prestigious professorship of Arab studies at Columbia.

• The Khalidis and the Obamas became "friends and dinner companions" while Sen. Obama taught at the University of Chicago, according to the L.A. Times piece, and the Khalidis also provided support to Obama's political career. The New York Times reported and confirmed as much in May of this year: 

For years, the Obamas had been regular dinner guests at the Hyde Park home of Rashid Khalidi, a Middle East scholar at the University of Chicago and an adviser to the Palestinian delegation to the 1990s peace talks. Mr. Khalidi said the talk would often turn to the Middle East, and he talked with Mr. Obama about issues like living conditions in the occupied territories. In 2000, the Khalidis held a fund-raiser for Mr. Obama during his Congressional campaign.

[# More #]

• Khalidi has praised Obama:

• Obama has praised Khalidi:

And yet the warm embrace Obama gave to Khalidi, and words like those at the professor's going-away party, have left some Palestinian American leaders believing that Obama is more receptive to their viewpoint than he is willing to say.

• Obama wasn't the only one who respected Khalidi; Bill Ayers did, too:

• Khalidi himself has acknowledged that Obama has pandered to both the pro-Israel and the pro-Palestinian crowds:
  

• Obama served on the board of the Woods Fund (alongside Bill Ayers) when it contributed $75,000 to Khalidi's Arab American Action Network (AAAN).

In 2001, the Woods Fund, a Chicago-based nonprofit that describes itself as a group helping the disadvantaged, provided a $40,000 grant to the Arab American Action Network, or AAAN, at which Khalidi's wife, Mona, serves as president. The Fund provided a second grant to AAAN for $35,000 in 2002. Obama was a director of the Woods Fund board from 1999 to Dec. 11, 2002, according to the Fund's website. According to tax filings, Obama received compensation of $6,000 per year for his service in 1999 and 2000.

The $40,000 grant from the Woods Fund to AAAN constituted about a fifth of the group's reported grants for 2001, also according to tax filings. The $35,000 Woods Fund grant in 2002 made up about one-fifth of AAAN's reported grants for that year as well.

• Obama has distanced himself from his Palestinian support and from Khalidi himself because he thought it would help his career:

The evidence is all there; this is a damaging relationship for Obama. It's clear why the media (and their sources) that revere him would not want to release a videotape of the two men displaying an affinity for one another. The McCain campaign has every right to press for the release of this video. Can you imagine the outcry if Fox News obtained, but would not release, a video that showed McCain with a damaging friend? Or how quickly another news organization would be willing to release a similar video?

It's true that the story is old (again, the LAT piece was published in April), but the McCain campaign is smart to create this headline less than a week out.

Bill Kristol announced the terribly sad news today on the Weekly Standard's blog:

It's my sad duty to report that our good friend and valued contributor Dean Barnett passed away today. He was a remarkable man--principled, witty, and to all of us, a model of grace and courage. We mourn his passing and cherish his memory.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dean in Vegas last year at the BlogWorld conference, after having read his contributions to this blog for quite some time. He had an incredible sense of humor, a real talent for writing and a life marked with many blessings. My heart goes out to his family and friends.

If you're intersted in reading more about Dean's struggles and successes with cystic fibrosis in his own words, click here.

According to USA Today, a so-called "church-state watchdog group" has requested that the IRS investigate a Catholic bishop in Paterson, N.J., who has spoken out against Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. From the article:

In a letter sent to the IRS on Wednesday (Oct. 22), Americans United for Separation of Church and State accused Paterson Bishop Arthur Serratelli of illegal partisanship for lambasting Obama's support of abortion rights.

The USA Today article points out that Serratelii did not refer to Obama by name and his own diocese came out saying that the focus of Serratelli's column was abortion rights, not the presidential election.

I dug a little deeper and sought out the column to see for myself. I was surprised to see that the column is 1,184 words and only three short paragraphs--207 words in all--refer to Obama. The assertion that the column focused on abortion rights is 100 percent accurate; the word "election" never appears in the piece. This bishop was simply doing his duty to draw the harsh realities of this issue to his diocese's attention.

Take a look at the section in question and decide for yourself if this is out of line:

In 2002, as an Illinois legislator, the present democratic candidate voted against the Induced Infant Liability Act. This law was meant to protect a baby that survived a late-term abortion. When the same legislation came up in the Judiciary Committee on which he served, he held to his opposition. First, he voted “present.” Next, he voted “no.”

Along with 108 members of Congress, the present democratic candidate for President continues his strong support for the Freedom of Choice Act. In aspeech before the Planned Parenthood Action Fund last year, he made the promise that the first thing he would do as President would be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act. What a choice for a new President!

At the time when Herod murdered John the Baptist because of his promise, Rome practiced the principle "one man, one vote." Whoever the emperor in Rome placed in authority over a subject people, ruled. Today we live in a democracy. We choose our leaders who make our laws. Every vote counts. Today, either we choose to respect and protect life, especially the life of the child in the womb of the mother or we sanction the loss of our most basic freedoms. At this point, we are still free to choose!

To read the article in full, click here. Then, select the column titled "A Politician's Promise: No Right to Life! No Freedom!" (The direct, permanent link to the column isn't working.)

Related Posts:

Archbishop Chaput Spells It Out for Catholics

Can a Catholic Vote in Support of Abortion?

... Catholics Breaking Big for McCain?

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Katie Favazza is an editorial consultant who also blogs at KatieFavazza.com and RightWingNews.com.