As the McCain/Palin campaign shifts the focus of the election to one of character driven attacks, real issues such as the economy, education, and U.S. foreign policy have been cast aside. Beyond the cheapening of the discourse, many commentators on both sides of the aisle have expressed alarm at the tone that some of the rallies have struck. 

In an Op-Ed for The Baltimore Sun, Frank Schaeffer writes: "John McCain: If your campaign does not stop equating Sen. Barack Obama with terrorism, questioning his patriotism and portraying Mr. Obama as "not one of us," I accuse you of deliberately feeding the most unhinged elements of our society the red meat of hate, and therefore of potentially instigating violence." 

Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films have released a new documentary that examines the McCain/Palin strategy.

And tonight on GRITtv we look ahead to the third and final presidential debate with Victor Navasky, Jill Nelson, and Mark Green. And be sure to join us tomorrow at noon with Chris Hedges and others on the religious left.