US Election Diary

*Tina Fey's job may have become harder with Sarah Palin's cocky performance in her debate with Joe Biden last week, watched by a record 70 million people. But there was still plenty of mileage for the Saturday Night Live comedian, who peppered her debate skit with lots of "you betchas", "darns" and "hecks" and a line-up of surreal answers.

On the financial crisis: "We're gonna ask ourselves what would a maverick do in this situation, and then, ya' know, we'll do that." Is global warming man-made? "We don't know if this climate-change whosy-whatsit is man-made or if it's just a natural part of the [biblical] End of Days."

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Would she support extending the right to same-sex marriage? "I would be afraid of where that would lead. I believe that marriage is meant to be a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers." On healthcare: "I'm gonna ignore that question and talk about Israel. From an early age, my two greatest loves were Jews and Cuban food."

When the moderator gave the rivals a chance to make a closing statement she whipped out a flute and asked: "Are we not doin' the talent portion?" The only item she lacked was the beauty pageant tiara.

*Bruce Springsteen used his performance at a voter-registration rally, organised by the Obama camp in Philadelphia at the weekend, to attack George Bush. Part-way through his set, the Boss told a crowd at Benjamin Franklin Parkway: "I've spent 35 years writing about America and its people and the meaning of the American promise – a promise handed down right here in this city ... Our everyday citizens ... have justifiably lost faith in its meaning."

He also called Mr Bush's presidency "a disaster". The set included his own song "Promised Land" and "This Land is My Land" by Woody Guthrie. The Obama camp says Springsteen volunteered his services for the rally a week ago.

*Joe Biden's reference to Katie's Restaurant during last Thursday's debate has caused bewilderment in Delaware. Mr Biden said that, to understand how Americans feel about the economy, "all you have to do is go down Union Street with me in Wilmington, or go to Katie's Restaurant".

But it seems the Wilmington establishment hasn't existed since the late-1980s. Nate Johnson, the owner of a restaurant called Wings to Go that now occupies the spot, told Delaware.com that none of his customers watched the debate because a band called Baby Brother and the Long Hairs were playing so the televisions were turned down. "But hey," he added, "if people find out we're here, it's good, no matter what he called it."

*Novelty dolls of Barack Obama, John McCain and Hillary Clinton have been ordered off the shelves of drugstores across the US following a flood of customer complaints.

The dolls sang parodies and recited messages but were not entirely on-message. The Clinton figure referred to itself as a "broad" in one song. The Obama doll was sold in a box that proclaimed: "The senator from Illinois gets down and funky!" Tiffani Bruce, of the Walgreen drugstore chain, told The Grand Rapids Press that some customers were offended and that the presidential candidates had not approved the messages.