October Surprise

Indecisions 2000 and 2004: Final Days Remembered

John Wihbey | Posted 11.02.2008 | Politics

Read More: Voting, 2004 Election, 2000 Election, Al Gore, October Surprise, John Kerry, George W. Bush, Politics News
John Wihbey

Whatever happened to the bad old days of October surprises? The last lap of campaign '08 has seen its share of twists, but perhaps the biggest surprise of all is that no big shoe has dropped.

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Don't Write the Epitaph Just Yet for The October Surprise

Earl Ofari Hutchinson | Posted 11.01.2008 | Home

Read More: Jermiah Wright, White House, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Presidential Race, Bill Clinton, October Surprise, Kenyan Aunt, John McCain, Plo, Home News
Earl Ofari Hutchinson

The much vaunted October surprise turned out to be not one surprise but a succession of surprises. And they all seemed to go bust. Let's tick them ...

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Should the Los Angeles Times Reveal the Khalidi Videotape?

Alan Dershowitz | Posted 10.29.2008 | Politics

Read More: LA Times, John McCain, October Surprise, Terrorism, Fox News, Israel, 2008 Election, Barack Obama, Politics News
Alan Dershowitz

The LA Times has made its decision, whether one agrees or disagrees with it. But more importantly, the Obama campaign has played no role in the decision made by the paper.

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Obama Is Dominating in the Polls, but Four Things Keep Me Awake at Night

Mitchell Bard | Posted 10.28.2008 | Politics

Read More: Polls, West Virginia Voting Machines, October Surprise, Rasmussen, Michael Mukasey, Michael Dukakis, Race, Ashley Todd, Virginia Flyers, Nate Silver, New Yorker, Jay Nixon, fivethirtyeight.com, George H.W. Bush, Missouri Governor, Voter Fraud, Mccain Campaign Ashley Todd, John McCain, Dana Carvey, Ohio Voter Fraud, Acorn, Bush Orders Doj to Investigate Ohio Election, Rasmussen Polls, 2008 Election, Barack Obama, Hendrik Hertzberg, Florida Voting Problems, Swing States, Pennsylvania, Sarah Palin, Swing State Polls, Kenny Hulshof, New York Times, Joe Lieberman, Jon Lovitz, Saturday Night Live, North Carolina Voting Problems, Robert Kennedy, Bradley Effect, Election Anxiety, Obama Polls, Politics News
Mitchell Bard

As a lifelong Democrat who has seen my party lose winnable races, I can't help thinking about how things can go wrong this year. These are the four factors that keep me up at night.

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Joe Is A Distraction, Not A Plumber

Lynne Glasner | Posted 10.17.2008 | Home

Read More: Joe Plumber, Mccain Joe the Plumber, Joe the Plumber, October Surprise, Joe Wurzelbacher, Home News
Lynne Glasner

All over the right wing blogosphere stories are buzzing about how Joe epitomizes what's wrong with America and how Obama is going to turn the country into a "Marxist" dreamland. With a sleight of hand, the McCain camp has again changed the topic, deftly leading the media frenzy to avoid more talk about the real issues.

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Trick or Treat: National Security as the October Surprise

Scott Payne | Posted 10.16.2008 | Home

Read More: October Surprise, National Security, Barack Obama, Home News
Scott Payne

In the fall of 2004, a video hit the airwaves that brought back America's fear of terrorism and helped seal John Kerry's fate. No, not the Oct. 29th v...

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October Surprise Update: What McCain May Be Planning and What Obama Can Do to Ruin It

Arianna Huffington | Posted 10.13.2008 | Politics

Read More: Mccain Foreign Policy, Obama National Security, Mccain National Security, National Security, Obama Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, October Surprise, Mccain October Surprise, Politics News
Arianna Huffington

As the one arrow left in McCain's quiver -- other than appealing to racists -- national security becomes the likeliest playing field for an October Surprise.

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SOS: McCain to bin Laden -- Where is that Video You Promised Me?

Sherman Yellen | Posted 10.08.2008 | Politics

Read More: John McCain, October Surprise, Terrorism, Osama Bin Laden, Politics News
Sherman Yellen

Experience tells us that it is in Osama bin Laden's best interests to assure a McCain presidency any way that he can.

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Clarke: Al Qaeda May Try To Tilt Election To McCain

US News | Posted 10.02.2008 | Politics

Read More: Bin Laden 2008 Election, Al Qaeda 2008 Election, Richard Clarke, John Mcain Bin Laden, October Surprise, Al Qaeda Election, John Mccain Al Qaeda, Mccain Bin Laden, Mccain Al Qaeda, Politics News

John Kerry believes that the so-called al Qaeda Halloween videotape released days before the last presidential election in the United States affected ...

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AP: What Will Be 2008's "October Surprise"?

AP | GLEN JOHNSON | Posted 10.02.2008 | Politics

Read More: October Surprise, 2008 Election, 2008 October Surprise, 2004 Bin Laden Tape, Kerry Bin Laden Tape, Obama October Surprise, Mccain October Surprise, Politics News

BOSTON — Heading into the final weekend of the 2004 presidential campaign, John Kerry was feeling good about his chances of winning the White Ho...

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There Will Not Be an October Surprise

Matt Littman | Posted 09.29.2008 | Politics

Read More: Paulson, October Surprise, Palin, Phil Gramm, Mccain, Obama, Iraq, Bin Laden, Spain, Greenspan, Rothschild, Politics News
Matt Littman

No, this campaign is going to come down to Obama vs. McCain, mano a mano. And right now, momentum is going Obama's way.

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The October Surprises Waiting for Obama

Johann Hari | Posted 09.28.2008 | Politics

Read More: Voter Disenfranchisement, October Surprise, Barack Obama, Voter Registration, Osama Bin Laden, Politics News
Johann Hari

In five weeks, I hope look back on this column with a wry chuckle at my paranoia. If the system works, Barack Obama will take the White House. So why am I worried?

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Here's My ''October Surprise'' Prediction -- What's Yours?

Patt Morrison | Posted 09.28.2008 | Politics

Read More: John McCain, October Surprise, Bristol Palin, Sarah Palin, Politics News
Patt Morrison

Big drop in gas prices just before the election? Been there, done that. Sudden administration announcement about a new terrorist threat right before we vote? Where's the surprise in that?

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October Surprise? How Are InTrade's Investors Positioning For an Osama Capture

Max Keiser | Posted 09.25.2008 | Business

Read More: October Surprise, Intrade, Prediction Markets, Terrorism, Osama Bin Laden, Business News
Max Keiser

Every time I turn on the news I see something going down at the Afghan-Pakistan border, so I'm thinking the October 2008 Surprise might just be a big one.

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Israel's October Surprise?

Jamal Dajani | Posted 09.19.2008 | Politics

Read More: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, John McCain, October Surprise, US Elections, George W. Bush, Iran, Israel, Iran Nuclear Weapons, Barack Obama, Politics News
Jamal Dajani

It's been several months since a war of words erupted between Iran and Israel, raising speculations that a possible Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear f...

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Enter The Comeback Kid

Steven Weber | Posted 09.10.2008 | Politics

Read More: Hillary Clinton, October Surprise, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Politics News
Steven Weber

There may be a looping left coming out of the fog (the one the media's generated) and its name is Hillary Clinton.

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The October Surprise May be Coming

Dan Kovalik | Posted 09.02.2008 | Politics

Read More: Iran, October Surprise, Peace, Media, War, Mccain, Obama, Terrorism, Biden, Bush, War Crimes, Politics News
Dan Kovalik

While the media and blogosphere have been preoccupied with the maternity issues surrounding Sarah Palin's family, a much more important news developme...

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War Is Over (If Maliki Wants It)

Chris Weigant | Posted 07.16.2008 | Politics

Read More: October Surprise, Timetable, United Nations, Sovereignty, Iraq, Campaign, War Is Over if You Want It, Withdrawal, Bush, Iran, 2008, Sofa, Bridge Agreement, War Is Over, 2008 Campaign, Un, Status of Forces Agreement, Prime Minister, John McCain, Time Horizon, Yoko Ono, War, 2008 Elections, Democracy, 08, 2008 Election, Agreement, Barack Obama, Election, 08 Election, Elections, John Lennon, 08 Campaign, Sovereign, Bridge, Sadr, 2008 Presidential Race, Bilateral, Purple Finger, Nouri Al Maliki, Aspirational Goal, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Without a microscopic examination of the seething cauldron of Iraqi partisan politics, it's safe to say that Maliki knows which way the wind is blowing. The Iraqi people want to know -- "when is the U.S. leaving?"

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John McCain and Charlie Black's October Surprise

Joseph A. Palermo | Posted 06.26.2008 | Politics

Read More: John McCain, October Surprise, Mobutu Sese Seko, George W. Bush, Charlie Black, Fear Watch 2008, Politics News
Joseph A. Palermo

If they really see political gold in another 9-11, what would stop them from being delighted if Bush attacked Iran if the timing were right, say in mid-October?

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The G in GOP Stands for Ghoul

Mary Lyon | Posted 06.25.2008 | Politics

Read More: Charlie Black Terrorist Attack, John McCain, Republicans, October Surprise, Barack Obama, Charlie Black, Politics News
Mary Lyon

Charlie Black gave away the mindset -- the same chilling, dreadful policy-making mentality under whose influence we've already suffered for almost eight years -- of the McCain campaign.

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It's Isolation Stupid! Why Pre-Election Plans to Attack Iran Will Only Backfire

Nathan Gonzalez | Posted 06.23.2008 | Politics

Read More: October Surprise, War With Iran, Neoconservative Movement, War, Obama, NeoCon Foreign Policy, China, 2008 Election, Bush, Iraq War, Iran, Ahmadinejad, Bill Kristol, Nixon, Necons, Politics News
Nathan Gonzalez

Conditions that Iran cease its uranium enrichment, as well as America's overt talk of bombing, only paint the Islamic Republic into a corner from which it can hardly get out, given its structure.

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Friday Talking Points [25] -- Place Your Bets On The Democratic Race!

Chris Weigant | Posted 03.28.2008 | Politics

Read More: Supreme Court, Gamble, Campaign, China, Shiite Militia, Dccc, 2008, Mccarthy, Midotw, Nancy Pelosi, Washington Nationals, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Donors Letter, Petraeus, Bet, Democrat, 08, Triskelion, Passport, Barack Obama, Election, 08 Election, Nomination, Elections, Mddotw, Donor, First Pitch, Hillary Clinton, Maliki, Tainted Meat, Quatloos, Faa, Normalcy, October Surprise, Tibet, Cheney, James Carville, Iraq, Basra, Call the Race, Scotus, Outsourcing Outsource, Shiite, Bush, Usda, Passengers Bill of Rights, Judas, Donors, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, 2008 Campaign, Hole in the Ground, Dalai Lama, Baseball, Democratic Donors, Crocker, 2008 Elections, Mahdi Army, Democratic Race, 2008 Election, Olympics, Contest, 08 Campaign, Sadr, 2008 Presidential Race, Gamesters of Triskelion, Bush Library, Recall, Mcpeak, Meat, Politics News
Chris Weigant

We haven't done a contest here in a while, so I'm going to open the betting window today on the outcome of the Democratic race. To play, just post a ...

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