QUIZ: Campaign Setback or Hurricane Damage?

Hurricane Sandy has upset the final days of the campaign cycle (not to mention Donald Trump's stupid nonsensical Obama bargain thing). As the candidates survey the storm's aftermath, can you tell whether they're referring to campaign blunders or hurricane damage?

1. "The damage is extensive but… we probably have gotten through this better than some people might have thought." This was:

a) Michael Bloomberg referring to the wreckage of Hurricane Sandy.
b) Richard Mourdock commenting on the fallout from his comments about rape.

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Tweet Roundup: Weathering the Political Storm

Why is it taking Obama so long to call Sandy an act of terror?

— Alex Baze (@bazecraze) October 29, 2012

#TwitterPoll — Is Hurricane #Sandy all Obama's fault or does Nancy Pelosi share some blame too?

— Romney's Storm Tips (@RomneyStormTips) October 29, 2012

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Obama vs. Romney: The Hurricane Empathy-Off

Stupid hurricane. The election is a week away, and planet Earth's wind patterns (or, you know, the gays) have thrown a monkey wrench into Obama and Romney's plans to keep attacking each other. But who's done a better job at shedding negativity and compassionately reaching out to Americans during a time of crisis?

Mr. President, you're up first…

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Bill Clinton on Hurricane Romney

Look out! Bill Clinton has been turned loose on the campaign trail…

"We're coming down to the 11th hour. We're facing a violent storm," Clinton said. He waited a beat, then added, "It's nothing compared to the storm we'll face if you don't make the right decision in this election."

Now, you may ask yourself: How did he do that? One second he was talking about Hurricane Sandy and the next — BAM! — he's hitting Romney and the Republicans. It was so subtle; you probably never saw it coming. That's some masterful politicking.

Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. What Bill Clinton is doing there is called "zinging his opponent." Essentially, all you do is talk about one thing that's kind of topical, and then you twist that thing so that it's a slight against your opponent. Here's I'll show you how it's done…

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Magic Weatherman Barack Obama Sees the Future, Says Charles Krauthammer

Barack Obama's speech accepting his party's nomination for president has been moved from its original location in "Black Panther" Stadium to the indoor environs of the Time Warner Center. Fear of lightning strikes is the official reason for the move, though the underlying cause is probably Providential revenge for lame jokes about Hurricane Isaac's disruption of the Republican Convention.

But don't fret, the folks at Fox News — where the forecast always calls for a high of stupid with a chance of crazy — have the lowdown on the real reason for the move…

"It wasn't the weather, they knew what the weather was going to be months ago. This was clearly a response to the fear of a sea of empty seats, and that's why this is being done," [Charles] Krauthammer said.

Risky argument on Krauthammer's part. I suspect voters would respect a president with that kind of foresight.