By all accounts, the speech was a tour de force. The President calmly and reasonably and passionately explained his approach to national security issues in the context of a deep and unwavering commitment to keeping our country safe and abiding by the principles on which this country was founded: freedom, fairness, equality and dignity. He made very clear that choosing between our values and our security is a false choice – our principles are the very thing that strengthens this country and keeps us safe.

Couple of other things:

– As so many have said before, I was once again struck by President Obama’s obvious respect for the intelligence of the American people.

– Abuses of power by the previous administration have severely distorted our understanding of what a President should and should not be able to do. President Obama’s commitment to the rule of law, transparency, accountability and divided government is a much needed reminder (and shot-in-the-arm) of how we should have been operating all along.

In case you missed it, I’ve excerpted a few highlights below. Visit the blog at BarackObama.com for more information and the full text of the speech.

On America’s core values:

“…But I believe with every fiber of my being that in the long run we also cannot keep this country safe unless we enlist the power of our most fundamental values. The documents that we hold in this very hall – the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights –are not simply words written into aging parchment. They are the foundation of liberty and justice in this country, and a light that shines for all who seek freedom, fairness, equality and dignity in the world….

“I took an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution as Commander-in-Chief, and as a citizen, I know that we must never – ever – turn our back on its enduring principles for expedience sake.

“….I make this claim not simply as a matter of idealism. We uphold our most cherished values not only because doing so is right, but because it strengthens our country and keeps us safe. Time and again, our values have been our best national security asset – in war and peace; in times of ease and in eras of upheaval.”

On matters of accountability:

“On all of these matters related to the disclosure of sensitive information, I wish I could say that there is a simple formula. But there is not. These are tough calls involving competing concerns, and they require a surgical approach. But the common thread that runs through all of my decisions is simple: we will safeguard what we must to protect the American people, but we will also ensure the accountability and oversight that is the hallmark of our constitutional system. I will never hide the truth because it is uncomfortable. I will deal with Congress and the courts as co-equal branches of government. I will tell the American people what I know and don’t know, and when I release something publicly or keep something secret, I will tell you why.”

On action the Administration has taken so far:

“…the policies that I have proposed represent a new direction from the last eight years. To protect the American people and our values, we have banned enhanced interrogation techniques. We are closing the prison at Guantanamo. We are reforming Military Commissions, and we will pursue a new legal regime to detain terrorists. We are declassifying more information and embracing more oversight of our actions, and narrowing our use of the State Secrets privilege. These are dramatic changes that will put our approach to national security on a surer, safer and more sustainable footing, and their implementation will take time.

Obama-Biden Transition Project Co-chair John D. Podesta announced that all policy documents from official meetings with outside organizations will be publicly available for review and discussion on Change.gov.

Check out this video of Director of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Transition Michael Strautmanis give a behind-the-scenes look at the program.

Stevens, a lawyer who once served in the Justice Department, argued an interesting legal theory: it is not a conviction until the appeals process is over.

"I've not been convicted yet," Stevens said Thursday in a meeting with the editorial board of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. "There's not a black mark by my name yet, until the appeal is over and I am finally convicted, if that happens. If that happens, of course I'll do what's right for Alaska and for the Senate. ... I don't anticipate it happening, and until it happens I do not have a black mark."

Call it the "Black Mark Theory" -- one he reiterated in his debate last night with Democratic candidate for Senate, Mark Begich:

Stevens reiterated that position during a televised debate late Thursday night, declaring early in the give-and-take with Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, "I have not been convicted of anything."

To top it off, Stevens essentially called John McCain and Sarah Palin political opportunists who were insincere in their calls for him to resign.

The senator said Gov. Sarah Palin and the other Republicans who have called on him to resign are only doing so for political gain, not because they are sincere. "I wouldn't hold it against them, I understand what they're doing, trying to get elected."

Years after he resurrected his political fortunes from the Keating Five savings and loan investigation, John McCain promoted an Arizona land swap that would've benefited a former mentor and partner of the scandal's central figure.

The owners of the Spur Cross Ranch, a dramatic 2,154-acre tract of Sonoran desert just north of Phoenix, in the late 1990s sought to sell it to a developer who planned to build a premier golf course surrounded by 390 luxury homes.

Nearby residents and environmentalists, however, wanted to preserve the area's unusual cacti, stone formations and hundreds of Hopi Indian tribal artifacts.

After opposition surfaced, the developer sought McCain's help in forging a land swap with the U.S. Forest Service — a deal that also would benefit the owners of the ranch, including a company controlled by billionaire Carl H. Lindner Jr., an associate of S&L chief Charles H. Keating.

McCain and an aide pushed for the exchange in more than a half dozen sometimes-testy letters and phone calls up and down the Forest Service's hierarchy, according to former agency officials and correspondence. McCain's office even circulated draft legislation that would have overridden the agency's objection to surrendering national forest land. Ultimately, the deal fell apart.

McCain's behind-the-scenes maneuvering on Spur Cross contrasts with his image as a congressional ethics champion and his pledge — made after the Keating scandal in 1991 sullied his reputation — never to intervene with regulators again.

John McCain's broken promise on intervention with regulators should not come as any surprise. McCain's lawyer during the scandal, John Dowd, claimed that McCain didn't do anything wrong in the Keating Five -- reversing nearly 20 years of self-recriminations and repentance.

Just more evidence that John McCain is more of the same last eight years.

Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Senate Republican in history and patriarch of Alaska politics, was found guilty of felony charges for making false statements.

The verdict could spell the end of a 40-year Senate career for a man who rose to be one of the most dominant figures in the upper chamber and who helped transform Alaska in its 50 years of statehood. The verdict was reached after the jury deliberated since Wednesday and found the 84-year-old senator guilty of failing to report more than $250,000 in gifts from Bill Allen, the former head of Veco Corp., and other friends.

The jury did not seem to buy the explanation from Stevens that Allen showered him with gifts he didn't want and was unaware of, and that he believed the $160,000 he gave to another contractor covered all costs for the home renovations.

The complaint also cites the McCain campaign's pattern of ignoring federal election laws including violating the Presidential Matching Payment Account Act, the campaign's refund of approximately $50,000 in donations solicited by a foreign national, its continuing pattern of soliciting foreign nationals including the Russian Ambassador to the U.N and the FEC's September 30 request for additional information on numerous excessive contributions.

"The McCain campaign's lack of disclosure and disregard for the law he helped write raises serious questions about John McCain's commitment to the openness and transparency the voters expect from their leaders," said DNC General Counsel Joe Sandler. "In view of the McCain campaign's clear history of violating campaign finance laws, it is imperative that the Commission promptly conduct a thorough investigation of these violations; and a full audit of all of the McCain Campaign's contributions."

The full complaint and exhibits can be download below:
- http://www.democrats.org/page/-/pdf/DNC%20complaint%20filed%20w-FEC%20vs%20McCain%20Campaign%2010-24-08.pdf
- http://www.democrats.org/page/-/pdf/excessive%20new.xls

MCCAIN: You’ll have to tell me what’s changed. I love it when they say, “Oh McCain has changed.” And I say, “What have I changed on?” They can’t name a single issue or they’ll name an issue and its false. I’m the same guy. I’m proud of our campaign.

It is not exactly a winning message but the interview presented itself with a rather easy challenge: name McCain's flip-flops.

Think Progress identified 44 of them.

John McCain's campaign has directed $175,000 to the firm of a Republican operative accused of massive voter registration fraud in several states.

According to campaign finance records, a joint committee of the McCain-Palin campaign, the RNC and the the California Republican Party, made a $175,000 payment to the group Lincoln Strategy in June for purposes of "registering voters." The managing partner of that firm is Nathan Sproul, a renowned GOP operative who has been investigated on multiple occasions for suppressing Democratic voter turnout, throwing away registration forms and even, once, spearheading efforts to get Ralph Nader on ballots so as to hinder the Democratic ticket.

More from the Sproul file:

Indeed, Sproul's history is filled with allegations of political misdeeds. During the 2004 election, Sproul & Associates (the former name of Lincoln Strategy) was accused of attempting to destroy forms collected by Democratic voters in Nevada. That same year in Oregon, Sproul & Associates allegedly instructed canvassers to only accept Republican registration forms in addition to destroying those turned in by Democrats.

In Minnesota, meanwhile, Sproul's firm was accused of actually firing workers who brought back Democratic registration forms, while other canvassers were allegedly paid "$13 an hour, with the $3 bonus for every Bush, undecided or Ralph Nader voter registration." Similar problems related to Sproul & Associates popped up in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Ben Smith picked up the story from Russian news agency, RIA-Novosti:

Russia's permanent mission to the UN has received a letter from U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain asking for financial support of his election campaign, the mission said in a statement on Monday.

"We have received a letter from Senator John McCain with a request for a financial donation to his presidential election campaign. In this respect we have to reiterate that neither Russia's permanent mission to the UN nor the Russian government or its officials finance political activities in foreign countries," the statement said.

According to Ruslan Bakhtin, press secretary of the Russian mission, the letter dated September 29 and signed by McCain, was addressed to Vitaly Churkin, Russia's envoy to the UN, and arrived on October 16.

It is illegal to accept money from foreign nationals.

The story had impeccable timing as the McCain campaign attacks Senator Barack Obama's massive small-dollar donor base that helped the Democratic presidential nominee shatter the single-month fundraising total with more than $150 million in September.

Interestingly enough, McCain's campaign manager Rick Davis has several ties to Russia. Last January, the Washington Post reported that Davis set up a meeting between McCain and a controversial Russian billionaire with some unsavory ties back in 2006:

A top political adviser in Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign helped arrange an introduction in 2006 between McCain and a Russian billionaire whose suspected links to anti-democratic and organized-crime figures are so controversial that the U.S. government revoked his visa.

Rick Davis, who is now McCain's campaign manager, helped set up the encounter between McCain and Russian aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska in Switzerland during an international economic conference. At the time, Davis was working for a lobbying firm and seeking to do business with the billionaire.

Earlier this month, Ari Berman and Mark Ames wrote about Davis' ties in Russia for The Nation.

Freddie Mac secretly paid a Republican consulting firm $2 million in a bid to kill legislation three years ago that would have regulated and trimmed the mortgage finance giant and its sister company, Fannie Mae.

Freddie - which along with Fannie this year has required a taxpayer-back rescue plan to avoid collapse - hired the Washington consulting firm DCI to target a regulatory overhaul bill sponsored by Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. In a yearlong effort, the firm lobbied 17 Republican senators in 13 states, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press. The bill died January 2007.

DCI's chief executive is Doug Goodyear, whom John McCain's campaign hired to manage the GOP convention in September.

With these new articles, no fewer than 156 fact checks have been published debunking McCain-Palin campaign lies since he promised to run a respectful campaign in February. Visit www.democrats.org/CountTheLies to see the updated Count the Lies counter.

Chicago Sun-Times: McCain Misleading Public in Role Ayers Played in Obama Political Career. "Obama said McCain--running ads featuring Ayers with Sarah Palin making him an issue on the stump--never said anything to his face. Ayers did not came up in the first two presidential debates. If McCain continues to insist that Obama launched his political career from Ayers' Hyde Park living room, he is misleading the public by overplaying the size and significance of Ayers' early support. Obama's campaign really was launched when he got the backing of then state Sen. Alice Palmer (D-Chicago), who wanted him to replace her as she was planning a run for Congress. Palmer's backing gave him entrée into local influential political circles." [Chicago Sun Times, 10/15/08: http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/10/ayers_alone_did_not_launch_oba.html]

WP Fact Checker: McCain's Small Business Tax Claims Wrong. "John McCain made two assertions on corporate taxes, one that small businesses pay 50 percent of the taxes and the other that U.S. corporations are among the highest taxed in the world. Both are wrong. All corporate income taxes--including giant corporations and the smallest of businesses--account for only about 14 percent of federal revenues raised in the year, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Most federal taxes are paid by individuals, while fees and other taxes make up the rest. While the official corporate tax is high, compared to other countries, there are so many loopholes in the code that many companies pay little or no taxes. The General Accounting Office reported recently that more than half of U.S. corporations paid no federal income taxes during the boom years of the late 1990s, and those that did were able to shelter much of their income, generally by claiming deductions and credits. The GAO report showed that 61 percent of U.S. corporations paid no federal income taxes from 1996 through 2000, a period of rapid economic growth and rising corporate profits. An estimated 94 percent of U.S. corporations reported tax liabilities amounting to less than 5 percent of their total income in 2000. Indeed, small corporations were more likely to avoid taxation than large ones, the GAO said." [Washington Post, 10/15/08: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/10/final_presidential_debate.html]

ABC News: Obama's Career Was Not Launched in Ayers' Home. "[McCain] made an attack, that his campaign has been making for weeks, saying that Obama's campaign was launched in the living room of William Ayers, of the Weather Underground. That's not true. Obama says his campaign was launched at a Ramada hotel, there were several coffees, right about that same time that summer one was held in Ayers' house, but it isn't even clear it was specifically for Obama." [ABC News, 10/15/08]

Politifact: Small Businesses are Exempt From Health Care Fine. John McCain talked a lot about "Joe the plumber" during the third presidential debate, saying Joe is an example of a small business owner who would not do well under Barack Obama's policies…But generally, Obama does not fine "small businesses." They are specifically exempt. We rate McCain's claim False." [Politifact, 10/15/08: http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/802/]

FactCheck.org: McCain "Off The Mark" On John Lewis Claim. "McCain was a bit off the mark when he said Obama did not repudiate the remarks of Democratic Rep. John Lewis. Obama did release a statement that said he 'did not believe' McCain 'or his policy criticism is in any way comparable to George Wallace or his segregationist policies.'" [FactCheck.org, 10/15/08: http://wire.factcheck.org/2008/10/15/john-lewis-and-the-news/]

FactCheck.org: McCain Repeats $42,000 Lie. "McCain has claimed yet again that Sen. Obama "voted twice for a budget resolution to increase taxes on individuals making $42,000 a year." As we've reported, a single taxpayer making more than $41,500 would have seen a tax increase, but a couple filing jointly would have seen no increase unless they made at least $83,000, and for a couple with two children the cut-off would have been $90,000. Regardless, the increase that Obama once supported as part of a Democratic budget bill is not part of his current tax plan." [FactCheck.org, 10/15/08: http://wire.factcheck.org/2008/10/15/42000-a-year/ ]

Washington Post Fact Checker: McCain Misrepresents Biden Iraq Proposal. "McCain just mispoke in accusing Democratic running mate of wanting to divide Iraq into 'three countries.' Biden did propose a plan in 2006 to decentralize power in Iraq by giving control of a major region each to the Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis. But his plan would maintain Iraq as a single country." [Washington Post, 10/15/08: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/10/final_presidential_debate.html]

Washington Post Fact Checker: McCain Exaggerated the Ayers Relationship. "McCain exaggerated the closeness of the relationship between Obama and former Weather Underground founder Bill Ayers in claiming that his rival had 'launched his political career' in Ayers' living room. It is true that Obama attended a coffee meeting at Ayers' home after he announced his intention to run for the state senate in September 1995. But according to Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times, who has tracked Obama's political career closely, the Ayers' event was only one of a series of coffees in the Hyde Park community where he lived. The kickoff for Obama's Senate run came at a meeting in the Hyde Park Ramada Inn on Sept. 19, 1995." [Washington Post, 10/15/08: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/10/final_presidential_debate.html]

Washington Post Fact Checker: McCain Recycled False Tax Claim. "McCain just recyled a frequent claim, that Obama has voted to raise taxes on people making $42,000 a year. It's based on Obama's vote this year in support of a non-binding Democratic budget resolution that would allow the Bush tax cuts to expire in 2011 and 2013. Independent analysts have asserted this claim is misleading since the resolution did not actually call for raising taxes, but set budgetary targets based on the premise that the tax cuts would expire. Obama has separately promised that he would extend the Bush tax cuts for any family making less than $250,000." [Washington Post, 10/15/08: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/10/final_presidential_debate.html]

New York Times: McCain Distorts Obama Health Care Plan Again. "As in the second debate, Mr. McCain charged that small businesses would be fined under Mr. Obama's health plan if they did not pay for health coverage as mandated by the government. And Mr. Obama, again, corrected him by pointing out that his plan would exempt small businesses from the requirement that employers either provide coverage for their workers or pay into a fund to subsidize coverage for the low-income uninsured." [New York Times blog, 10/15/08: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/check-point-the-grand-finale/]

New York Times: McCain Falsely Says Obama Supports "Single Payer." "Mr. McCain said: 'Senator Obama wants to set up health care bureaucracies, take over the health care of America through - - as he said, his object is a single-payer system. If you like that - - you'll - - you would love Canada and England.' Mr. McCain was wrong in saying that Mr. Obama's proposal called for a single-payer system. Mr. Obama wants private insurers to continue in operation, but would subject them to strict federal regulation, so, for example, they could not deny coverage to people in poor health." [New York Times blog, 10/15/08: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/check-point-the-grand-finale/]

New York Times: McCain Distorts on His Own Judicial Picks. "When asked whether he would appoint someone to the Supreme Court who disagreed with him and supported Roe v. Wade, Mr. McCain said he would apply no 'litmus test' in his Supreme Court appointments and would make his decisions "based on their qualifications." But Mr. McCain has gone much further while seeking to shore up his standing with Christian conservatives that make up the Republican base, giving an expansive speech at Wake Forest this year about his judicial philosophy and pledging to nominate strict constructionist, conservative judges--in other words, those who would oppose Roe v. Wade." [New York Times blog, 10/15/08: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/check-point-the-grand-finale/]

New York Times: McCain Overstates Impact of Fannie and Freddie. "Senator McCain argued as the debate began, and as he repeatedly does on the campaign trail, that the blame for the financial meltdown lies with the mortgage-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which were a unique hybrid-government-chartered but shareholder-owner--until they were forced into government conservatorships last month. 'The catalyst for this housing crisis was the Fannie and Freddie Mae (sic) that caused the subprime lending situation that now caused the housing market in America to collapse,' Mr. McCain said. Few analysts of the current crisis trace its roots to Fannie and Freddie, whatever their mistakes." [New York Times blog, 10/15/08: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/check-point-the-grand-finale/]

New York Times: McCain Distort on Repudiating Remarks. "Mr. McCain accused Mr. Obama of failing to repudiate recent remarks by Representative John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and legendary civil rights leader, who accused Mr. McCain and his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, of 'sowing the seeds of hatred and division' because of theinsults hurled by some at their rallies about Mr. Obama. Mr. Lewis likened the pair to former Gov. George Wallace of Alabama… The Obama campaign did quickly issue a statement repudiating the comparison to Wallace: 'Senator Obama does not believe that John McCain or his policy criticism is in any way comparable to George Wallace or his segregationist policies.' The campaign, however, did add that it was appropriate for Mr. Lewis to criticize the 'hateful rhetoric' at Mr. McCain's rallies." [New York Times blog, 10/15/08: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/check-point-the-grand-finale/]

ABC News: Small Businesses Would Not Pay a Fine. "McCain was wrong to state that small businessman 'Joe the Plumber' would end up paying a fine if he refused to provide his workers with health insurance under Barack Obama's health-care plan. Under the Obama plan, small businesses are exempted from a requirement imposed on large companies that they contribute to a national health fund if they fail to make "a meaningful contribution" to their employees' health care costs." [ABC News Debate Live Blog, 10/15/08: http://blogs.abcnews.com/liveblogging/2008/10/live-debate-b-2.html]

ABC News: McCain Mortgage Plan is Not Similar to Hillary Clinton's. "During tonight's debate, McCain said that Hillary Clinton proposed the same kind of mortgage buy-up plan that he did. This is not true. While Clinton has proposed directly helping homeowners by having the government buy and resell mortgages that are in danger of foreclosure, her proposal would force financial institutions to take a loss. The McCain proposal, by contrast, is more generous to financial institutions and more costly for taxpayers." [ABC News Debate Live Blog, 10/15/08: http://blogs.abcnews.com/liveblogging/2008/10/live-debate-b-2.html]

ABC News: McCain Cannot Balance the Budget in Four Years. "But McCain is still saying he'd balance the budget within four years? This is silliness, and I think McCain knows it. I look forward to his campaign explaining how, exactly, he'll do this while extending the Bush tax cuts and funding bailouts." [ABC News Debate Live Blog, 10/15/08: http://blogs.abcnews.com/liveblogging/2008/10/live-debate-b-2.html]

AP: McCain's $700 Billion on Energy Claim Not True. McCAIN: "We have to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don't like us very much." THE FACTS: This is a reference to U.S. spending on oil imports. McCain has repeatedly made this claim. But the figure is highly inflated and misleading. According to government agencies that track energy imports, the United States spent $246 billion in 2007 for all imported crude oil, a majority of it coming from friendly nations including neighboring Canada and Mexico. An additional $82 billion was spent on imported refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel and fuel oil. A majority of the refined products come from refineries in such friendly countries as the Netherlands, Canada, the United Kingdom, Trinidad-Tobago and the Virgin Islands." [AP, 10/15/08: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DEBATE_FACT_CHECK?SITE=FLMYR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT]

AP: Experts Skeptical of McCain Mortgage Plan. McCAIN: "Now, we have allocated $750 billion. Let's take 300 of that billion and go in and buy those home loan mortgages and negotiate with those people in their homes, 11 million homes or more, so that they can afford to pay the mortgage, stay in their home." THE FACTS: Ordering the government to buy up bad mortgages to cut homeowners' monthly payments might sound good, but experts are skeptical. They say the plan McCain is promoting is unlikely to solve the housing crisis that's pushing the economy toward recession. One big problem: The vast majority of the toxic home loans that are clogging financial markets and freezing up credit have been repackaged into complex investments that the government would be hard-pressed to unravel and buy. And the government could end up paying far more than they would ever be worth. That could primarily help banks and lenders with taxpayer money." [AP, 10/15/08: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DEBATE_FACT_CHECK?SITE=FLMYR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT]

Politifact: McCain's Aim Still Off on Tax Votes. "Sen. John McCain revived a claim against Barack Obama that he's made before -- that Obama voted to raise taxes on people making $42,000 a year… But it's inaccurate to suggest votes on nonbinding budget resolutions, which don't have the force of law and don't include precise details on taxes or spending, are the same as votes on legislation that actually increases taxes. The resolutions would not change the tax code. Moreover, Obama as a candidate has proposed tax increases hit those couples $250,000 or more a year, or $200,000 for singles." [Politifact.com, 10/15/08: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/801/]

FactCheck.org: Small Businesses Would be Exempt from Health Care Plan. "McCain said 'Joe the plumber' faced 'much higher taxes' under Obama's tax plan and would pay a fine under Obama's health care plan if he failed to provide coverage for his workers. But Ohio plumber Joe Wurzelbacher would pay higher taxes only if the business he says he wants to buy puts his income over $200,000 a year, and his small business would be exempt from Obama's requirement to provide coverage for workers." [FactCheck.org, 10/16/08: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/factchecking_debate_no_3.html]

FactCheck.org: McCain Misrepresents Obama Health Care Intentions. "McCain claimed that Obama's real 'object' is a government-run, single-payer health insurance system like those in Canada or England. The McCain campaign points to a quote from five years ago, when Obama told a labor gathering that he was "a proponent of a single-payer health care program." But Obama has since qualified his enthusiasm for Canadian-style health care, and his current proposal is nothing like that." [FactCheck.org, 10/16/08: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/factchecking_debate_no_3.html]

FactCheck.org: McCain Gets in Wrong on Imports. "McCain described Colombia as the "largest agricultural importer of our products." Actually, Canada imports the most U.S. farm products, and Colombia is far down the list." [FactCheck.org, 10/16/08: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/factchecking_debate_no_3.html]

Instead, Verizon delivered a portable tower known as a "cell site on wheels" -- free of charge -- to the McCain property in June, after the Secret Service began inquiring about improving coverage in the area. Such devices are used for providing temporary capacity where coverage is lacking or has been knocked out, in circumstances ranging from the Super Bowl to hurricanes.

In July, AT&T followed suit, wheeling in a portable tower for free to match Verizon's offer. "This is an unusual situation," AT&T spokeswoman Claudia B. Jones said. "You can't have a presidential nominee in an area where there is not cell coverage."

What makes this particularly of interest are McCain's own deep ties to both companies through current campaign and Senate staff.

McCain and his campaign have close ties to Verizon and AT&T. Five campaign officials, including manager Rick Davis, have worked as lobbyists for Verizon. Former McCain staff member Robert Fisher is an in-house lobbyist for Verizon and is volunteering for the campaign. Fisher, Verizon chief executive Ivan G. Seidenberg and company lobbyists have raised more than $1.3 million for McCain's presidential effort, and Verizon employees are among the top 20 corporate donors over McCain's political career, giving his campaigns more than $155,000.

McCain's Senate chief of staff Mark Buse, senior strategist Charles R. Black Jr. and several other campaign staff members have registered as AT&T lobbyists in the past. AT&T Executive Vice President Timothy McKone and AT&T lobbyists have raised more than $2.3 million for McCain. AT&T employees have donated more than $325,000 to the Republican's campaigns, putting the company in the No. 3 spot for career donations to McCain, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

A subcontractor who worked on Sen. Ted Stevens’s home testified Wednesday that he risked “business suicide” if he crossed the Alaska Republican’s powerful friend and tried to collect an outstanding debt from the senator.

Augie Paone, who used to co-own a contracting firm called Christensen Builders, said he would have pushed to collect the nearly $20,000 directly from the senator, but he worried about retaliation from Bill Allen, the senator’s former close friend and owner of the influential Veco oil-services firm.

“I thought about sending a bill to the senator [but that would be] business suicide on my side if I did that,” Paone said, speaking of Allen’s political influence and the power of his 5,000-employee company over Paone’s five-person contracting firm.

“I knew I was in between a rock and a hard place — rather than to supersede his authority, I thought it was better business sense on my side to just leave it alone,” Paone said.