Palin in the Green Room  —  NEWSWEEK's Karen Breslau shares a personal moment with the Alaska governor.  —  When Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin arrived backstage for our NEWSWEEK Women & Leadership Event in Los Angeles last March, John McCain had just wrapped up the GOP nomination.

Cold Water on Palin  —  Both the pros and the cons are pretty obvious.  I'm going to focus on the cons, mostly because conservatives right now seem to be paying them less attention.  —  The pros: She's a pro-life conservative reformer from outside Washington, and a woman.

Gallup Daily: Obama Stretches Lead to 8 Points  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking finds Barack Obama moving to an eight percentage point lead over John McCain, 49% to 41%.  —  Obama's significant lead over McCain almost certainly reflects the effects of the Democratic National Convention.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin Is McCain's VP Pick: Source  —  Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a self-styled “hockey mom” who has only been governor for a little over a year, is GOP Presidential candidate John McCain's choice for Vice President, CNBC has learned.  —  According to a Republican strategist …

McCain Chooses Palin as Running Mate  —  DAYTON, Ohio — In a surprise move, Senator John McCain chose Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate on Friday, shaking up the political world at a time when his campaign has been trying to attract women, especially disaffected supporters …

PALIN A HUGE HIT AT THE CLINTON FORUM.— You would not believe how the Sarah Palin pick is playing out at the Hillary Clinton Forum (tip to a VC commenter).  In order, these are all the posts on the first (and only) page I've looked at (page 8 of the Palin thread; this link may not point to exactly the same posts).

Rahm: ‘Panic’  —  Rahm Emanuel piles on: … As a reader points out, this is a pick that pumps up both sides.  Democrats genuinely see it as a sign of panic.  Republicans are thrilled that McCain picked a real conservative, with a compelling story and a real presences besides.

Analysis: Palin's age, inexperience rival Obama's  —  Featured Topics: - John McCain - Barack Obama  —  DENVER - John McCain's risky choice of Gov. Sarah Palin gives him a running mate who doubles down on his maverick image, may appeal to “hockey moms” and other women, and counters Barack Obama's aura of new-generation change.

Obama distances himself from “hair-trigger” campaign criticism  —  At a stop in Monaca, Pa., Barack Obama seemed to distance himself from his campaign's first, harshly critical response to the Palin pick.  —  “I think that, uh, you know, campaigns start getting these, uh, hair triggers and …

I'll See Your Biden and Raise You a Palin  —  Yesterday I argued that picking a woman for veep would help re-establish McCain's reputation as a maverick.  If the pick is indeed Sarah Palin you are going to have a lot of women voters wondering why Senator Obama didn't tap Senator Clinton as his running mate.

McCain's VP Choice Is Under Ethics Investigation For Abuse Of Power In Alaska  —  In Dayton, OH today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will announce that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will be his vice presidential running mate.  Palin, who entered office in 2006 after running as a reformer …

Sarah Palin, Buchananite  —  Very quickly.  Remember when Pat Buchanan ran a number of hard-right, fringe campaigns for president in the late 1980s, 1990s and 2000?  Well, guess who was supporting him:  —  From an AP report in 1999: … In fact, [a very committed Buchananite] …

PALIN'S THE ONE  —  So now we've learned that Sarah Palin is McCain's choice for vice presidential nominee.  I have to say, it's a daring pick but I think a very weak one.  I'm perfectly happy with it.  Palin is in the midst of a reasonably serious scandal in her home state.

Palin?!  —  As something of a Palin booster, I'm having some flop sweats at the idea it's actually happening.  You've heard all the usual pros and cons, here are a few added thoughts off the top of my head.  —  The way she talks.  She has something of a native Alaskan's accent/speaking style.

Palin Pick Leaves Bruised Feelings  —  DENVER — Though it was high in shock value, the Palin pick left bruised feelings among the short-list contenders who were not picked — and infuriated some Republican officials who privately said McCain had gone out on a limb, unnecessarily, without laying the groundwork for such an unknown.