[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/09/27/art.ap.palin.philly.jpg caption=" Sarah Palin and her daughter Willow ordered cheesestakes in South Philadelphia Saturday."]
PHILADELPHIA (CNN) - Sarah Palin partook in an established political ritual on Saturday night when she headed to Tony Luke's in south Philadelphia to order a pair of cheesesteaks with whiz and onions.
But as the kitchen sizzled and orders were barked out, Palin found herself talking politics, calling McCain's debate performance "awesome" and taking questions from a voter about the hunt for terrorists in Pakistan.
While waiting in line with her daughter Willow to place her order, a reporter asked Palin if she watched Friday's debate, and what her impressions were.
"I did, I did," she said. "McCain did awesome. He was great. He was absolutely on his game."
Palin added that she is ready to debate Joe Biden next Thursday in St. Louis.
"I am," she said. "Look forward to it. Look forward to getting to speak to Americans through that debate, absolutely."
The governor got a more serious interrogation moments later when Temple graduate student Michael Rovito approached her to inquire about Pakistan.
"How about the Pakistan situation?," asked Rovito, who said he was not a Palin supporter. "What's your thoughts about that?"
"In Pakistan?," she asked, looking surprised.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/09/27/art.mccain.phone.jpg caption="Sen. John McCain spent part of the day making phone calls to make sure negotiations go well on the bailout plan."]
WASHINGTON (CNN) - A top aide to Senator John McCain said the Republican presidential candidate will not go to Capitol Hill Saturday afternoon, as negotiators meet to work out a deal on the financial bailout plan.
Senior adviser Mark Salter just told reporters outside McCain’s campaign headquarters in Arlington, VA that the Senator will instead continue to make calls to members of Congress.
Salter said he will not go because “he can effectively do what he needs to do by phone. "He’s calling members on both sides, talking to people in the administration, helping out as he can.’’ The campaign said it will release a list of people McCain spoke with later Saturday.
Senator Barack Obama, traveling for campaign events in North Carolina and Virginia, spoke Saturday with Congressman Barney Frank, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Senator Harry Reid, his campaign said. The Democratic presidential candidate was briefed on the latest with the negotiations.
McCain returned to Washington early Saturday morning from Memphis following last night’s debate because of the bailout situation. He decided to deliver a Saturday evening speech by satellite to a group in Columbus rather than traveling there in person.
Salter said, “We hope to have a deal in place so we can get back on the trail.”
Update: According to the McCain campaign, the Republican nominee called President Bush, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, Sen. Mitch McConnell , Sen. Judd Gregg, Sen. Jon Kyl, Leader Boehner, Rep. Blunt, Rep. Putnam, Rep. Cantor, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, Rep. Tom Davis, Rep. Chip Pickering, Rep. Heather Wilson, Rep. John Shadegg, Rep. Flake, and Rep. Marsha Blackburn on Saturday.
ABOARD THE ELECTION EXPRESS[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/09/27/art.newman.gi.jpg caption="Paul Newman's handsome face and solid acting made him a popular and respected film star."]
OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN)- I don’t recall exactly what was going on politically that particular moment during the 1976 Democratic National Convention in New York; whatever was transpiring on the floor was less than scintillating.
A bunch of us who were working for the Chicago Sun-Times that year were sitting on our folding card-table-type chairs near the podium inside Madison Square Garden: Jim Hoge, who ran the place, Bob Novak, Roger Simon, myself, a few others.
(Roger, feel free to call in any refinements to my recollections here.)
From behind us, a voice said:
“Those phones work?”
On the long plywood desks were big black telephones, installed for convention week; communicating was not quite so effortless then.
We turned around.
Light-blue seersucker suit (trust me, he could pull off that look– he could pull off any look), easy grin, eyes that don’t require description.
Paul Newman.
A rainbow appears from the steps of the Capitol.(Eric Marrapodi/CNN)
WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Senate overwhelmingly passed a spending bill Saturday that allows a 26-year ban on offshore oil drilling to expire, subsidizes federal loans for automakers and offers aid to Gulf Coast hurricane disaster victims.
The House already passed the $600 billion stop gap funding bill on Wednesday. The bill, which passed the Senate on a 78-12 vote, will continue government spending at the current level through March 6, 2009.
President Bush is expected to sign the measure.
The end to the ban on oil drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts is a major victory for Republicans. Speeches at the Republican National Convention last month were often interrupted with chants of "Drill, baby, drill."
The ban will be lifted October 1.
Republicans on Capitol Hill have seized on drilling as a major election year issue, citing multiple public opinion polls that show a majority of Americans support more offshore drilling. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, had incurred Republican wrath for originally blocking any vote on drilling before allowing a vote on limited drilling earlier this month.
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