G. Frink's

Princeton University economics professor and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has this simple country boy's applause for his Nobel Memorial Prize award.

Sen. John McCain visited North Carolina today in an attempt to stop a Democratic landslide which could sweep down the Republican ticket, not with the force of the Nixon surge which in 1972 washed Jesse Helms into the U.S. Senate over Nick Galifianakis, but with destructive effects nonetheless.

McCain certainly didn't expect to reboot his campaign with the "I'm not quitting" speech he gave in Wilmington, the principal port city of a state which hasn't been carried by a Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Even his tone of voice suggested that he knew a winning Republican ticket would have North Carolina cold in the bag. Yet like several other states a winning Republican presidential ticket would have in the bag by now, North Carolina is a tossup, with for example Rasmussen reporting a one point lead for Obama and Civitas reporting a five point Obama lead.