Hotline After Dark -- Fired Up!

John McCain saying SEC chair Chris Cox should be fired generated a fair amount of discussion last night:

New York Observer's Kornacki: "Firing the SEC commissioner, this is textbook. ... How do you separate yourself in 2006 from George W. Bush and the Iraq war? You call for Donald Rumsfeld's resignation. How do you separate yourself from George W. Bush in 2008 in the economy? You call for the SEC commissioner's resignation. That's a pretty transparent attempt there" ("Election Center," CNN, 9/18).

Newsweek's Fineman: "He was just flat out wrong about that. The independent commissioners don't serve at the pleasure of the president. That's sort of what he meant to say, but it was wrong. The other thing is that of all the villains that people want to string up around here, Chris Cox, I don't think is generally considered to be one of them. He stopped giving the laws that he has had to administer, to done a fairly good job. So, it was odd on several levels. And McCain is all over the lot" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 9/18).

CNN's Henry: "A lot of Americans don't even know that Christopher Cox is the SEC chairman. Why would they know that? It's sort of alphabet soup in Washington. It reminds you of a couple days ago, when John McCain was saying let's appoint a 9/11-style commission to deal with this mess, another Washington solution. He does better in terms of connecting with voters out here on the stump when he talks about issues like taxes. ... Talking about Washington stuff, agencies, the SEC, et cetera, that makes him sound a little bit more like a creature of Washington, instead of somebody who is saying he could shake up Washington" ("Election Center," 9/18).

After the jump, catching up with Palin, Biden and Bill Clinton.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

AMERICA, F*** YEAH!

There was also a lot of talk about Joe Biden saying that paying higher taxes is the patriotic thing to do for wealthier Americans.

CBN's Brody: "Any time patriotism is brought up, I don't think that's a discussion the [Barack] Obama campaign wants to bring up, because they've had some patriotism problems of their own. So I think that's kind of a toxic word out there for the Obama campaign" ("Situation Room," CNN, 9/18).

Newt Gingrich: "Every once in a while when you listen to Joe Biden, you know why he used to like Neil Kinnock's speeches, because in his heart, Joe Biden is a good English socialist. ... Do you think Biden thinks the poor are not patriotic? ... Is he not going to offer them a chance to pay taxes? I don't think so" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 9/18).

MSNBC's Matthews: "Did Joe Biden really say it's patriotic to pay higher taxes? Well, no, he didn't. But that's what John McCain says he said" ("Hardball," 9/18).

Ex-Romney nat'l press sec. Kevin Madden: "I can't believe that Joe Biden attacked the patriotism of Charlie Rangel, who didn't pay his taxes on his home down in Punta Cana. ... [Biden]'s out here today now doing exactly what it was that a lot of people worried about when he was picked for vice president. He's saying things that are going to cause people to wonder what it is that he's actually doing on the campaign trail. He's shifting it away from an actual, real debate. ... I think it was a stupid thing. I don't think people think that paying taxes is something that is patriotic" ("Situation Room," CNN, 9/18).

CBS' Couric sat down with Biden in OH.

Couric: "There's been quite a brouhaha about your comment that paying higher taxes for those making $250,000 a year and over is the patriotic thing to do. Your vice presidential rival, Sarah Palin, said, 'To the rest of America, that's not patriotism. Raising taxes is about killing jobs and hurting small businesses and making things worse.'"

Biden: "How many small businessmen are making $1,400,000 a year average in the top 1 percent? Give me a break. I remind my friend John McCain what he said. When Bush called for war and tax cuts he said, quote, 'It is immoral, immoral to take a nation to war and not have anybody pay for it.' I am so sick and tired of this phoniness. The truth of the matter is that we are in trouble, and the people who do not need a new tax cut should be willing, as patriotic Americans, to understand the way to get this economy back up on their feet is to give middle-class taxpayers a break. We take the tax cut they're getting and we give it to the middle class" ("Evening News," 9/18).

TRUE OR FALSE?

The second and final part of Palin's interview with FNC's Hannity aired last night on "Hannity & Colmes."

Hannity: "What do you view -- and I know this came up in your interview with Charlie Gibson as it relates to the Bush doctrine -- what do you view as the Bush doctrine and what do you view as America's role in the world? What is our role as a country as it relates to national security?"

Palin: "That's a great question, and being an optimist I see our role in the world as one of being a force for good, and one of being the leader of the world when it comes to the values that ... encompass life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. ... America is in a position because we care for so many people to be able to lead and to be able to have a strong diplomacy and a strong military also at the same time to defend not only our freedoms, but to help these rising smaller democratic countries that are ... putting themselves on the map right now, and they're going to be looking to America as that leader. We being used as a force for good is how I see our country."

Palin, asked if she was too tough in her convo speech about Obama's role as a community organizer: "I certainly didn't mean to hurt his feelings. Didn't mean to offend any community organizers either. I do have respect for those who have chosen public service. And what I was doing, though, certainly -- it should be obvious -- was directing a comment to him as he had taken a shot at small mayors across the nation."

Palin, asked why some prominent women's groups have not supported her: "You know, I don't know. That's their prerogative, though. Again, this campaign is about very important issues that are not necessarily gender specific. ... I would love to have their support, but I'm not going to change my positions in order to get some of these groups and some of the media to try to woo them over. I don't have time to do that."

Hannity: "How big of a challenge do you view the upcoming debate with Senator Biden?"

Palin: "Senator Biden has tremendous amounts of experience. You know, I think he was first elected when I was like in second grade. He's been in there a long, long, long time, so he's got the experience. He probably has the soundbites, he has the rhetoric. He knows what's expected of him. He's a great debater, also, and, you know, so, yes, it's going to be quite a task in front of me, but, again, the American people are concerned about the issues aforementioned already here. ... They want to know what a person's agenda is. They also want to know what the examples are that they can judge where that person will be able to lead them."

Palin, asked if she tried to ban books in the AK library: "No, but I got a kick out of that one. ... No banned books, no desire to ban a book."

Hannity: "Never part of an effort to have Alaska secede from the union?"

Palin: "No, false. Always been a Republican. Not been part of a party that has wanted to secede."

Palin, asked if she only wanted to teach creationism in school and not evolution: "No, in fact, growing up in a school teacher's house with a science teacher as a dad, no, I have great respect for science being taught in our science classes and evolution to be taught in our science classes."

Hannity: "You once supported Pat Buchanan for president? You did have a button."

Palin: "I did wear a button at his book signing or one of the events, because a presidential candidate coming to little old Wasilla one year, and we all showed up. It was an honor to see anyone of that stature come to our city."

Palin, on who inspires her: "I'm thankful that I came of age politically in the era of Ronald Reagan, in high school and college. You know, he is my inspiration. His vision of America and of the exceptionalism of our country. I think about him every day. ... His partner on a lot of the good things that went on in the world at that time, Margaret Thatcher, over the water. She, too, she was underestimated as she came into office and proved herself with her abilities, her determination. She is another one. Further back in history, Abraham Lincoln. Coming into office in a time of such turmoil, he was able to do some unconventional things in assembling a very unusual cabinet, as was written about in Team of Rivals" (FNC, 9/18).

See today's Hotline for more from the interview.

SO YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S A CHANCE?

And CNBC's Bartiromo sat down with Bill Clinton.

Bartiromo: "If McCain wins, will Hillary be back in four years?"

B. Clinton: "I don't know. ... I hope we're both active till we're 90 and healthy. But, I think that her focus will now be on what she can do in her present position to try to help her deal with all these things that threw her into the presidential race in the first place. ... She's out there working hard for Senator Obama. She, like me, believe he's gonna win. And no matter who wins, we've got to put our own personal politics aside or the next couple of years and get after these problems" ("Closing Bell," CNBC, 9/18).