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.

Palin dissed veep job  —  If Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin got the job as running mate for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), count her as one of the most surprised.  —  In an interview just a month ago, she dissed the job, saying it didn't seem “productive.”  —  In fact, she said she doesn't know what the vice president does.

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 …

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).

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] …

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 …

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.

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.

An Astonishingly Arrogant V.P. Selection  —  It may be John McCain's birthday, but it seems like he's the one giving out gifts today.  The selection of Palin doesn't simply, as others have pointed out, undermine the notion that Obama is too inexperienced to be president …

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.

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 …

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 …

Did Palin Really Fight The “Bridge To Nowhere”?  —  Republicans have been heavily touting Sarah Palin's reformist credentials, with her supposed opposition to Alaska's “Bridge to Nowhere” as Exhibit A. But how hard did she really fight the project?  Not very, it seems.

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.