This morning, one of our commenters wondered about how this election has affected Matt Drudge's influence. Turns out he or she wasn't the only one: Time, the Financial Times, and the Washington Post are wondering the same thing. To our minds, Drudge's increasingly transparent efforts to influence (visible in his cherry-picked polls and pro-McCain story lines) has become ineffective. But his taste in stories, especially non-political ones, still sets the agenda for cable- and morning-news programs across the country. [Talking Points Memo]