Filling in the blanks for Bill Keller

Based on his opinion of the state of the Obama adminsitration, fmr. NYT Executive Editor Bill Keller needs someone to fill in some blanks, primarily between his ears:

Palin’s smarter than people think, says — Ralph Nader

Almost two weeks ago, I noted that the New York Times seemed shocked, shocked that Sarah Palin had suddenly turned into an anti-establishment conservative populist in a Labor Day weekend speech in Iowa. The Gray Lady wasn’t the only media outlet who missed, well, almost all of Palin’s political career. Salon’s Justin Elliott was so stunned by the speech that he turned to Ralph Nader to analyze the sudden new direction taken by Palin. Nader pronounced himself impressed:

Fast & Furious: FBI may have covered up third gun found at scene of agent’s death to protect informant

Two new pieces of the puzzle here, one published 10 days ago and the other just this afternoon. We already knew that Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was murdered in December with two AK-47s sold by the ATF through the F&F operation. That’s what broke the scandal open, of course — American law enforcement gunned down with weapons ingeniously provided to Mexican drug cartels by … American law enforcement. What we didn’t know until recently is that there might have been more than two guns recovered at the scene. Enter CBS brandishing a snippet of audio between an ATF agent and the gun dealer who assisted the ATF in selling those AK-47s that points to three guns having been found. Why didn’t we know that? Because the legal filings in the case took care not to mention it:

Obama: I’ll veto any bill that isn’t “balanced” with tax hikes

He’s got a deficit-reduction package that can’t clear the House, thanks to massive new tax hikes that everyone knows are a deal-killer. He has a jobs package that can’t clear the Senate. What’s a President to do? Threaten a veto:

Question for Palestinian president: Why embarrass Obama by forcing this statehood bid at the UN?

The vote’s on Friday. Hillary, Tony Blair, and other diplomats have been frantically negotiating with them for the past week to get them to reconsider — but so far, Abbas won’t bend. Gosh, I wonder why.

Gallup: Perry 31, Romney 24, Paul 13, Bachmann … 5

A good poll for Romney, a mediocre one for Perry, and pure devastation for Bachmann. She was at 13 percent in early August, shortly before Perry jumped in, and 10 percent in late August. Now she’s tied with Cain and Gingrich for fourth place, a good eight points behind, um, Ron Paul. Game over.

Quotes of the day

“President Barack Obama struck a confrontational tone with Republicans as he attended a high-dollar fund-raiser Monday night on Park Avenue.

Gallup: Perry 31, Romney 24, Paul 13, Bachmann … 5

A good poll for Romney, a mediocre one for Perry, and pure devastation for Bachmann. She was at 13 percent in early August, shortly before Perry jumped in, and 10 percent in late August. Now she’s tied with Cain and Gingrich for fourth place, a good eight points behind, um, Ron Paul. Game over.

GBP Falls for Fourth Week, Quantitative Easing Expected

The Great Britain pound posted the fourth straight weekly decline against the US dollar and the Japanese yen as the fundamental data signaled that the nation’s economy is stagnating, prompting the speculation the UK central bank will be required to embark on a quantitative easing.

Canadian Securities Drive Canadian Dollar to Two-Week Record

The Canadian dollar jumped today, reaching the highest level in two weeks against its US counterpart and the Japanese yen, as foreign investors bought more Canadian securities than was predicted.

Aussie Rises on Asian Stocks, Heads to Weekly Loss

The Australian dollar advanced today against the US dollar and the euro as the Asian stocks climbed, but the currency is still heading to a weekly decline as concerns about the European economy sapped appeal of higher-yielding currencies.

Rand Falls as Investors Shun South African Bonds

The South African rand dropped today as the optimism about the European banking system quickly waned, spurring investors to draw money out of riskier assets.

Mixed Fundamentals Leave Traders Uncertain, USD Fluctuates

The US dollar fluctuated as the mixed fundamental data left Forex traders uncertain will the US economy face recovery or recession. The currency was falling yesterday, but at the start of today’s trading session the dollar rebounded.

SNB Maintains Rates at Zero, Franc Strengthens

The Swiss franc rose today even after the Swiss National Bank left the benchmark interest rate at zero at pledged to maintain the peg of the nation’s currency to the euro.

Europe Helps Oil & Russian Ruble

The Russian ruble climbed today, rebounding from the lowest level in eight months against the US dollar, as crude oil gained and the European Central Bank announced its plans to boost liquidity, bolstering risk appetite.

Rand Rebounds on ECB Efforts

The South African rand strengthened today as the European Central Bank announced it’s planning to lend dollar to the European bank in an effort to support the European banking system and to boost liquidity.

Canadian Dollar Within Cent of Parity with Greenback

The Canadian dollar fell today, trading within one cent of parity with the US dollar, as copper and crude oil prices declined on the signs the global economic recovery is faltering.