SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:48 P.M. ET:

GOING OUR WAY? – A bunch of new polls confirm the reversal of fortune in the presidential race following the first debate.  The Pew poll now has Romney up, 49-45% among likely voters.  Before the debate they had Obama up, 51-43.  A new Battleground poll has Romney leading among independents by 16 points, 51-35%.  In 2008, Obama won independents by eight points.  But Pat Caddell warns that the election is by no means won.  We still have a month to go.

LAUGHABLE – National Geographic Channel is laughably trying to defend its decision to show a laudatory film about the killing of Osama bin Laden two days before the presidential election.  By some strange coincidence, the film was made by one of President Obama's main Hollywood boosters and a heavyweight campaign contributor.  The network's president was the producer's agent.   No, just an ordinary programming decision.  Choke.

DISGRACEFUL – The African-American actress, Stacey Dash, one of the stars of "Clueless," announced her support for Mitt Romney in a Twitter message over the weekend, and was immediately hit by a hail of racial abuse, including the charge that she's not "black" enough.  We expect the next month will see a major push by the Obama administration to keep its traditional base in line, as polls indicate that supporters are dropping away, or will not vote at all.

MIDEAST MESS – Tensions continue to rise between Turkey and Syria, with more artillery fire between them reported.  This could easily erupt into full-scale warfare.  The Turkish president says the "worst-case" scenario is being played out in the escalation between the two countries.  Turkey is a member of NATO, but is odd-man-out in the alliance, being run by an Islamist regime that, among other things, throws reporters in jail.  Syria is run by a genocidal butcher who kills his own people.  What a choice for us.

October 8, 2012