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XPost: alt.politics.elections, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh

Now for the top story reaction, joining us from reaction, Charles
Krauthammer. So, Charles, the recent polls say only about 10 percent
of Americans are still persuadable. But with new smears every day on
both sides, I'm not sure that statistic is valid. What say you?

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: Well, it's hard to know
exactly what it means to be persuadable. I think what's remarkable
about the two candidates is how well known they are. You go back
over the last few election cycles. Did anybody -- was there a lot of
people who knew about Romney before he ran? Even John McCain? John
Kerry? You go back and it is very unusual to have two candidates who
are universally known, name recognition up there at 90 percent.

Have been around for a good 30 years. So, opinions were formed going
in to the campaign, we have now been at it for a month and a half,
they are out there, I don't think there is very much new. What is
new, and I think the one thing that Trump can do is the WikiLeaks
stuff. That's new information coming out almost every other day. And
it isn't enough to say that she is a crook or a liar or whatever,
because look at what's in WikiLeaks. You got to pick three items.
And there are a lot. Just pick any at random.

O'REILLY: But, wait a minute, wait a minute.


KRAUTHAMMER: And make that the point of your attack on Hillary
Clinton.

O'REILLY: All right. So, if I'm Trump, then I'm going to go the open
borders comment. I'm probably going to go Catholic Church and what
that really is the message. But most of the WikiLeaks stuff isn't
about Hillary Clinton. It's about Podesta. The campaign manager.
Saying questionable things to the campaign staff or the Clinton
Foundation people saying questionable things to the State Department
and the State Department saying questionable things. So, there is no
video or audio of Hillary Clinton saying anything and even the open
border quote, "It's hard to get that in context because we don't
know the whole speech." So, I don't know if that's going to really
resonate as much as the Trump stuff has.

KRAUTHAMMER: No. It's not going to. Of course. A tape will beat text
every time. Sex will beat corruption any time. Nonetheless, since we
are not at the peak of that frenzy, we are going into the last
debate. It doesn't matter if the overwhelming majority of the stuff
in the WikiLeaks is about staff. You have got 90 minutes to talk
about 10,000 emails. You only need one or two or three items having
to do with Hillary. One of the most damaging is that she says,
you've got to have a public position and private position.

That goes to the essence of her weakness that people think probably
correctly most of the time that she doesn't believe in anything and
that she is driven by ambition. In the WikiLeaks release today or
over the weekend, you see her scolding her speechwriters because
they weren't able to crystallize what her campaign is about. And I
think she suggested the four fights, it sounded like a slogan for
the leadership of the Chinese communist party. They don't know what
it's about because it really isn't about anything.

O'REILLY: Well, it's united we're stronger or we're stronger
together or - -

KRAUTHAMMER: Yes, what does that mean?

O'REILLY: Hope and change. Let's go back to hope and change. That
was a good one. Now, Wallace, Chris Wallace, he is your pal. You
guys hang around, had malls together and stuff. Wouldn't it be his
job, rather than Trump's job, to bring the WikiLeaks stuff up and
specifically say, you know, what did you mean about the open border?
What did you mean about private and public? What did you mean? And
then Holder to account on that? Do you expect Wallace to do that?

KRAUTHAMMER: I think he will. I think he should. And I think that's
what he ought to do with either candidate. To choose something they
have said and make them defend it but the point of the debate.

(CROSSTALK)

O'REILLY: Wait, wait, wait. All right. So you think -- and so I do.
I think he will bring up the WikiLeaks tape. But with Trump, if he
goes back to the "Access Hollywood" stuff, I don't think he is going
to do that. I don't think Wallace is going to go back to the "Access
Hollywood" stuff, do you?

KRAUTHAMMER: If he does, you pivot right off it. That's the point.
The problem with Trump for the last three weeks is that he has had
all kinds of attacks and he simply can't get off the personal
offense that he feels he has to respond to. It doesn't matter if his
own dignity he won't get off of it. You and I know, everyone knows,
his advisors know that he should be pivoting off and go after her
weaknesses which are many. But he seems incapable of doing that.

O'REILLY: Okay.

KRAUTHAMMER: And that's why he is behind in all the polls that you
have cited.

O'REILLY: Okay. Now, in your opinion, humble opinion.

KRAUTHAMMER: Not really.

O'REILLY: Can Trump win? I mean, say he has a good on Wednesday, can
he close it?

KRAUTHAMMER: I don't think that he can do it himself. He needs an
act of God or an act of Putin. Act of God would be some kind of
medical problem with his opponent. Act of Putin would be something
in WikiLeaks that links her directly to some kind of quid pro quo.
Some evidence that in return for money from who knows where
something tangible was given. That happens to be our standard. I
think it's much too low a standard. It should be access. But we seem
to accept the granting of access in return for money, that's how our
system works. That's not a fatal offense. If there is something of a
quid pro quo right in there, involving her directly, we heard today
about the FBI and State Department wanting to trade favors. But
that's underlings right down there in the bureaucracy.

O'REILLY: Right. It's got to be her.

KRAUTHAMMER: It's got to be her. And if it is there that could swing
it to the point where Trump with a good close could pull it out.

O'REILLY: All right. But you know the press isn't going to report it
very strongly.

KRAUTHAMMER: Well, that's why God invented FOX.

O'REILLY: But we have been fair in this campaign. We're not looking
to take anything out of context. At least --

KRAUTHAMMER: But if something comes up. It will be reported here.

O'REILLY: Yes. It will be reported here. That's for sure.

Charles, thanks very much.

--
Obama paused long enough to say, "Trump's whining about the media is unpresidential," then returned to his usual whining about Fox News.

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