Blog Buzz: Rick Davis's Fannie-Freddie Scandal Continues, McCain and the Bailout, Obama Leads in a Poll

Our daily look at stories and topics that are lighting up the Internets:

Rick Davis: In the Doghouse

It's only getting worse for John McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis. Following the news that Davis was paid $2 million over five years as president of an advocacy group set up by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the New York Times now reports that Freddie Mac paid Davis's lobbying firm $15,000 a month up until last month. The firm was kept on the payroll because of Davis's close ties to McCain. The news comes after McCain insisted that Davis has had no involvement with Freddie Mac for several years, leading progressive bloggers to wonder whether McCain lied to Americans or whether Davis lied to McCain. Either way, liberal bloggers are irritated by the lies and secrecy and the fact that Davis did next to nothing for the money he received. They're also skewering the statement McCain spokesman Michael Goldfarb published denying the allegations, calling it a "nondenial" and a "complete mess." One blogger says the news should be "absolutely devastating" to the campaign. It's unclear whether Davis will continue as McCain's campaign manager.

McCain and the Bailout: Will He or Won't He?

After criticizing Barack Obama for being "mum on the market crisis," McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds has said that John McCain has not yet decided whether or not he will back the bailout. (Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that he will.) Jonathan Martin at Politico says that McCain's comments yesterday in Michigan (McCain said inaction was not an option) indicate that he'll eventually support a modified version of the bailout. Our Jim Pethokoukis explains why McCain should oppose the bailout, and a New Republic blogger discusses the bind that McCain is in. Meanwhile, Marc Ambinder has a list of bailout questions, and Obama has outlined a three-point bailout plan.

Obama's Leading? McCain Camp Says to Check the Numbers

The McCain campaign is calling a new Washington Post-ABC News Poll that shows Barack Obama leading McCain by 9 percentage points "an outlier." Liberal and conservative bloggers agree that the recent financial crisis appears to be the reason for the jump, as more voters trust Obama to deal with the troubled economy. Liberal bloggers say that Democrats should feel a little more encouraged and that the poll represents a "sharp and unusual turn in the national mood." Also of note from the poll: Obama is gaining back white women, and Sarah Palin's favorability rating has dropped.

—Gretchen Hannes