On temperament: Watching the third debate, Will Saletan made up his mind: Donald Trump is sick and paranoid. (Wrong!) This was a total meltdown, Jim Newell agrees. (Wrong!) For her part, Hillary Clinton has grown to be an excellent Trump-baiter, Nora Caplan-Bricker writes.
On “rigging” the results: Trump’s refusal to say whether he would stand by election results is an attack on American democracy, Jamelle Bouie writes. (On the other hand, Ben Mathis-Lilley asks, would a losing Trump’s opinion on this matter count for anything on Nov. 9? The answer: Not really.)
On women: Hillary’s perfect answer to a question about abortion was proof, Christina Cauterucci writes, of how necessary it is to have more women in decision-making positions.
On foreign policy: Were American leaders, as Trump said Wednesday night, mistaken to “announce” this week’s offensive on the ISIS-held Iraqi city of Mosul? Nope, Fred Kaplan writes. In this case, a surprise attack would have been impossible.
On the debt: Here was Hillary’s one misstep, Jordan Weissmann writes. A promise not to add “one penny” to the national debt is a promise she probably can’t, and shouldn’t, keep—and she’ll come to regret having made it.
On moderation: Chris Wallace was the best of them all, according to Isaac Chotiner.
On turds: Polishable? Or nah?
Only the important stuff,
Rebecca