United States election news from October 27: Time interview with Barack Obama, campaigning in Virginia with former Navy Secretary et al., others

Here are a few items that I've noticed over the past few days on the election that deserve to get a little more attention:

• A recent photoessay-style interview with Barack Obama by a journalist from Time, just after those two huge events in Missouri attended by 100,000 and 75,000 people.

I met him on his plane; it was Saturday night, he was tired. He had just spoken before two of the largest crowds I had ever seen in American politics. 100,000 in St. Louis, 75,000 is Kansas City. And the interesting thing about this interview was that he didn't resort to the kind of canned talking points that most politicians, not just presidents usually do in an interview. I mean, interviews are usually pretty boring stuff, but he seemed willing to think in my presence as I asked him these questions.

• Here's a video of Bill Clinton in Arkansas today campaigning for Barack Obama. Arkansas is a state that isn't even close to a battleground state, but then again Arkansas is only one of two states that Obama hasn't even visited this election season (no reason to visit it in the primaries against Clinton and no polls have shown a close race so it would be a waste of time for Obama alone) and who knows how much of an effect a little attention from the former governor and president might give. Clinton's great at making points in his own way, and is often more effective than the talking points devised by the campaign.
  
• In Virginia, former Navy Secretary John Dalton and Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff are also campaigning for Obama, including door-to-door and working the phones:
  

Dalton and Cosgriff went door-to-door at earlier stops Sunday and planned to work the phones for two hours in Staunton. The internationally travelled Navy veterans emphasized national security during their brief talks.

Dalton, who has recently been to Israel, Russia, France and Germany said respect for America is “like night and day” compared to his trips to those countries five and six years ago.

“Americans have historically been respected ... today we’re not,” Dalton said. “Barack Obama will change that.”

• Newspaper endorsements so far are 180 to 75 for Barack Obama. In 2004 the total result was almost even.
  
• Finally, an editorial by a former deputy assistant to George Bush on why a number of years in the wilderness will be good for conservatism. This is one of the main reasons why I want to see a big loss for the GOP this year, because any result that seems to confirm that politics as usual is the way to win will result in more and more divisive politics (not real Americans, not real Virginia, cities aren't real America, all that nonsense) from here on.