Today on the Dish, Andrew appreciated Obama's introversion and agreed with Beinart that Dubya is a "moaning skeleton in Romney's closet." After calling Romney's Obamacare positioning a "flip-flop that's also a lie," he then highlighted the impact, or lack thereof, of out gay servicemembers. Crunching the poll data, Andrew declared that Romney needs a game-changer. And as he called out a sudden dive in GOP support, Obama's number ticked up. Noah Millman battled Frum on Romney's hypothetical foreign policy, and Romney invoked God while backing Steve King. Jonathan Bernstein noted the Gipper's fibbing, Drezner thought foreign policy could hurt Romney and David Sessions decried Kerry's and Biden's blitheness on bloodshed.
Elsewhere in politics, as Ambinder sized up the race, Texas' purple future looked distant and Michael Grunwald discussed the stimulus that keeps on giving. Then a pizzamaker bear-hugged Obama, Romney's ad machine unleashed in Wisconsin and politicians fought for credit for Ohio's recovery. Meanwhile, Suzy Khimm flagged workforce flight, stadiums returned little on their investment and bloggers debated the manufacturing comeback. John Hodgman mused on Eastwood's speech as readers got Mittrolled.
In sports coverage, Serena Williams redefined tennis, and as a reader reflected on the Paralympics, athlete Kyron Duke watched the London crowd.
In assorted commentary, as Al Qaeda threatened, James Barilla contemplated living in disaster-prone areas. Then a latter-day direwolf sang the Game of Thrones theme, Paul Bourke captured fractal earth and Philip Roth dueled Wikipedia. And though the jury remained out on hydration's cosmetic upside, women definitely out-schooled men. Meanwhile, a scientist became the go-to guy on apocalypse, Jehovah's Witnesses warned the deaf against onanism – with the help of R. Kelly – and Jonothon Gold explained the tricks of his trade. Finally, a charming VFYW here!
– G.G.
(Photo: US President Barack Obama is picked up by Scott Van Duzer, owner of Big Apple Pizza and Pasta Italian Restaurant, during a visit to the restaurant in Fort Pierce, Florida, on September 9, 2012, during the second day of a two-day bus tour across Florida. By Saul Loeb/Getty Images)
The Dish 