Ride, Sally Ride

++We miss Sally Ride, our first women astronaut, who died of pancreatic cancer yesterday. She left behind her female partner of 27 years and a record of spearheading science education in the United States. She could have been a professional tennis star. Billie Jean King had been her tutor but she opted to be part of the first civilian group of women accepted as astronauts and became a role model for young women in the future. 


++President Obama addressed a jubilant crowd at the VFW meeting in Reno, Nevada yesterday. For the first half of his speech he recounted his achievements in foreign policy and talked about getting bin Laden when others thought him naive during the 2008 campaign. The second half of his speech was on his very substantial achievements in terms of veterans' programs both in terms of health care and job training and education.


++Today, Mitt Romney spoke to the same group and tried to sell the VFW on the fact that he would insure that the United States would be the most powerful country in the world and blamed President Obama for the security leaks surrounding the bin Laden mission. He called the President reckless and "radical". He criticized President Obama's announced departure from Afghanistan in 2014 only to pledge to leave the country on the same date. He also blasted the President on his Iran policy. But one thing he neglected to mention to the veterans--any plans for veterans health and well-being. Instead, he said he would never apologize for American power. But then again he always asks everyone to apologize to him. I'm not sure this VFW is the same one as the VFW of World War II vets.


++In today's Gallup poll, Mitt Romney was widely believed to be better for the economy and for the deficits. But President Obama wipes the floor with Romney on the issue of foreign policy.


++A Pew poll finds that Americans are fairly certain they know enough about both candidates to make a choice. Perhaps, we should have elections this week so we can rest easier the next few months.


++An Ipsos/Reuters poll found that 36% of Americans said that knowing about Bain made them less likely to vote for Romney. 26% of independents said less but 13% said more likely. 50% of people said that the public has the right to know what is in Romney's taxes and 54% of independents thought Romney's taxes were an important issue.


++An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that the negative advertising hurt President Obama's favorables but demolished Romney. Romney now is the first Republican nominee with more unfavorables than favorables.


++PPP found Obama had his worse polling month since April, showing the race tied at 46-46.


++PPP had Obama up by 6 in Minnesota, which is less than the last poll.


++Rasmussen had Obama up by 6 in Michigan, which dispels the notion that Michigan had been a tied race. 


++The NBC/Wall Street Journal poll has Obama 49 and Romney at 43. In the Swing States Obama has a 49-41 lead. The Dailykos showed that Romney is struggling in the early 40s in the Swing States, which is not a good sign of his prospects.


++Romney is off to the UK to watch his dancing horse and have a fund-raiser at the Barclay Bank CEO who resigned in scandal. Romney is off for a week tour to Poland and Israel, where he is expected to deliver two major foreign policy speeches. They have to be better than his VFW speech or he will forfeit foreign policy to President Obama for the election.