DAY’S END ROUNDUP

Liberal bloggers are amused to find that Joe Wurzelbacher, the now-famous “Joe the Plumber” of last night’s debate, does not hold a plumber’s license, while conservatives worry that John McCain could open Wurzelbacher to further scrutiny by featuring him in a new ad.

“Joe the Plumber”–referenced dozens of times last night by Barack Obama and McCain–is not an actual plumber, emptywheel claims after learning that Wurzelbacher does not hold a plumber’s license in the state of Ohio. Wurzelbacher tells the Associated Press that, since he works for someone else, he doesn’t need a license, and too much attention is being heaped on the Ohio plumber, according to Political Animal’s Steve Benen. TalkingPointsMemo’s Josh Marshall calls the discovery a “bummer” for the McCain campaign, but according to Mattew Yglesias, tradesmen shouldn’t have to be licensed in the first place.

McCain has made Wurzelbacher into a political football by featuring footage of him in a new TV ad, Hot Air’s Allahpundit charges, taking issue with the degree of scrutiny bloggers and media outlets have applied to the plumber. The ad will rile Wurzelbacher’s new crowd of critics, Michelle Malkin suggests, predicting that more attacks on Wurzelbacher could be on the way.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), meanwhile, held a “show trial” today on the origins of the economic crisis, Brian Faughnan alleges at RedState. Dodd blasted Bush administration economic policies today at a sparsely attended committee hearing, and Faughnan accuses Dodd of only inviting witnesses who agreed with him and ignoring his own role in the economic collapse.

FROM THE BLOGS:
New McCain Ad: ‘Joe the Plumber’ – Michelle Malkin
McCain-Palin on ACORN, FBI – A. Carpenter, Townhall.com
Saxby’s Empty Coffers – Jonathan Singer, MyDD
Republican Ugly – TChris, TalkLeft
Joe’s the Man – Allahpundit, Hot Air
Gov. Palin, I Should Have a Choice – MissLaura, Daily Kos
Chris Dodd’s Show Trial – Brian Faughnan, RedState
Not Barney Frank’s Fault – looseheadprop, FiredogLake
Cool Story, Joe Biden! – Mark Hemingway, The Corner
Plumber Licensing – Matthew Yglesias

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Uncommon Ground – Washington Post
Debates Over, Candidates Begin Final Sprint – NY Times
Stevens Takes Stand, Denies Charges – The Hill