SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:51 P.M. ET:

MOMENTOUS NEWS – From CNN:  Washington (CNN) Chris Christie was asked to leave Amtrak's quiet car Sunday morning after passengers complained to a conductor about the New Jersey governor yelling at his security detail and into his cell phone, according to a rider.  But a woman who sat across from Christie said the incident was no big deal, and that the once the governor learned he was in the quiet car, he left quickly and courteously.  This is what passes for news on a slow-news day.  Tomorrow:  Donald Trump scheduled to sneeze.

WE ELECTED ONE TOO – From TIME:   A television comedian with no prior political experience won Guatemala’s presidential election by a landslide on Sunday, capitalizing on a corruption scandal that engendered national hostility toward the country’s ruling old guard.  Forty-six-year-old Jimmy Morales, who once played a hapless cowboy who accidentally becomes president, took more than 72% of the vote, easily defeating his opponent, former First Lady Sandra Torres, Reuters reported.  So what?  We elected a political comedian with very little prior experience in 2008, and then re-elected him in 2012. 

POLLING LATEST – From TIME:   GOP presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ben Carson are tied for the top spot in the Iowa primary with 27% of the vote, according to a new CBS News poll, the latest to show the two competing for the nomination.  Two other CBS news polls released at the same time show Trump and Carson as the top two candidates in the early-voting states of New Hampshire and South Carolina, although Trump maintains a clear lead over Carson in both of those states. In South Carolina, Trump has 40% of the vote, compared with Carson’s 23%. In New Hampshire, Trump has 38% of the vote while Carson has 12%.  There are already rumblings, from Bill Kristol and others, about a third party should Trump actually win the GOP nomination. 

October 25, 2015