Here's an interesting review of October Surprise's past. I had no idea they've gone back at least until 1968. Probably the scummiest of the possible surprises occurred in 1980. If some theories are true, Carter's attempts to free US hostages from Iran were deliberately bollixed, so Ronald Reagan could gain the White House. The Iran-Contra affair which occurred years afterwards, does put some credence to this possibility.
In recent memory, in 2004, the purported videotape of Bin Laden supporting John Kerry is considered to have helped GWB win his first actual election. Incidentally, it is considered by intelligence experts that if Al Qaeda did release that tape, it did so to aid Bush. And it's tragically unfortunate, but he has been great for their business.
Will there be anything this year? The GOP is reaching beneath the kitchen sink into the septic tank, and they still ain't got nothing. Are they saving it?
The only angle of attack the McCain campaign hasn't yet tried and utterly failed with, is a Bin Laden tape. But this most recent pseudo-Al Qaeda tape for McCain, has kind of taken the wind out of that.
Maybe they actually do have some tape of Michelle Obama cussin' or whatever, but that seems about as likely as McCain singing for Van Halen.
Then again, McCain's going down anyway, and the GOP is about to lose their White House foothold, so they theoretically have nothing to lose.
What do we think it's going to be this year? What are either some interesting likely scenarios, or some interestingly crazy absurd ones? Please drop your thoughts in the comments.