Truthout roundup 10/8

Obama Gains, McCain Seeks Game-Changer
http://www.truthout.org/100808J
Liz Sidoti, The Associated Press: "Barack Obama made strides toward easing voters' concerns about his candidacy in Tuesday night's debate. John McCain, despite raising pointed questions about his rival's readiness, didn't create the game-changing moment he'll need between now and Election Day. There are still four weeks to go, but time is running out on McCain. Poised and confident, Obama directly confronted his greatest hurdle - and did it by turning the tables on McCain during a foreign policy question."

Military Admits Killing 30 Afghan Civilians
http://www.truthout.org/100808K
Eric Schmitt, The New York Times: "An investigation by the military has concluded that American airstrikes on Aug. 22 in a village in western Afghanistan killed far more civilians than American commanders there have acknowledged, according to two American military officials. The military investigator’s report found that more than 30 civilians - not 5 to 7 as the military has long insisted - died in the airstrikes against a suspected Taliban compound in Azizabad."

Global Markets Plunge
http://www.truthout.org/100808L
David Jolly, Bettina Wassener and Keith Bradsher, The New York Times: "Another wave of relentless selling washed over global markets Wednesday, with stocks plunging in Europe and Asia. The Tokyo market had its worst decline since the 1987 crash. The British government’s announcement of a plan to bail out the country’s foundering banks with about $88 billion of new capital did little to restore market confidence, with banks again leading indexes lower Wednesday after the Dow Jones industrial average fell 5.1 percent in New York Tuesday."

The New York Times Politics of Attack
http://www.truthout.org/100808M
The New York Times: "It is a sorry fact of American political life that campaigns get ugly, often in their final weeks. But Senator John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin have been running one of the most appalling campaigns we can remember. They have gone far beyond the usual fare of quotes taken out of context and distortions of an opponent’s record - into the dark territory of race-baiting and xenophobia. Senator Barack Obama has taken some cheap shots at Mr. McCain, but there is no comparison."

Florida Primary Recount Reveals Grave Voting Problems One Month Before Presidential Election
http://www.truthout.org/100808N
Kim Zetter, Wired: "A month of primary recounts in the election battleground of Palm Beach County, Florida, has twice flipped the winner in a local judicial race and revealed grave problems in the county's election infrastructure, including thousands of misplaced ballots and vote tabulation machines that are literally unable to produce the same results twice. Experts say the brew of administrative bungling and mysterious technological failures raises new and troubling questions about the county that played a crucial role in the 2000 presidential election debacle, and is one of a handful of counties considered pivotal in the upcoming presidential election. Voting advocates are fearful that problems here -- and perhaps in other election hot spots -- could trigger a replay of the disputed 2000 election."