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Friday's Mini-Report

<p>Today's edition of quick hits:* The Dow Jones closed at a five-year high today, proving once again that President Obama just isn't

Today's edition of quick hits:

* The Dow Jones closed at a five-year high today, proving once again that President Obama just isn't effective as a radical socialist.

* Lanhee Chen, the Romney campaign's policy director, talked to Fox News this afternoon about the jobs numbers. Pressed on the unhinged Republican conspiracy theory, Chen would neither endorse nor condemn the nonsense, saying only, "I'm going to leave that speculation to other people and just say that we're going to address the numbers as they've been released."

* Incidentally, Fox News initially preferred to ignore the good news on unemployment, then shifted gears to trumpet the conspiracy theory.

* Well said: "[I]t's hard to see how it's helpful to Romney for undecided voters to be treated to the sight of fury and panic about improving economic news among those who want him to be elected president."

* Istanbul: "Turkey's prime minister said on Friday his country did not want war but warned Syria not to make a "fatal mistake" by testing its resolve, and its army retaliated for a third day running after more mortar rounds from Syria landed on its soil."

* More ugliness on Capitol Hill: "During today's pro forma session, Republican Speaker Pro Tempore Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., slammed his gavel, which signals the C-SPAN mics to cut off, over the protests from two Democratic House members."

* More economic news: "U.S. consumer credit rebounded strongly in August after posting its first decline in nearly a year in July, Federal Reserve data showed on Friday. The rebound would likely be interpreted as a short-term boon to growth, though it could bode ill for household balance sheets if it is not accompanied by a rise in real wages, which have been stagnant."

* Rick Santorum is on board with ending all federal funding of PBS, and explained his position as only he can: "I've voted to kill Big Bird in the past. I have a record there that I have to disclose. That doesn't mean I don't like Big Bird. You can kill things and still like them, maybe to eat them, I don't know."

* And in Des Moines, Iowa, someone spray painted in red on a large banner at President Obama's campaign headquarters, "Muslim lier." Yes, the vandal couldn't even bother to spell "liar" correctly.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.