McCain Camp Didn't Search Palin's Hometown Paper Archives  —  The McCain campaign has gone to great lengths to present the selection of Sarah Palin as one made after a careful, meticulous vetting process.  But evidence continues to suggest that the Arizona Republican made his VP choice with surprising haste.

McCain chief hits Obama for playing politics as Gustav looms  —  John McCain's campaign manager today accused Barack Obama of practicing politics as Hurricane Gustav bears down on the Gulf Coast.  —  Rick Davis, in a brief interview following a pep talk he gave to convention volunteers in St. Paul …

Trig Paxson Van Palin  —  I meant to post this the other day (so please don't take it as a response to Rick—in fact it might constitute pleading guilty as charged!), but I got sidetracked.  I found the Palin event Friday incredibly moving.  Partly because of Trig.

Palin touts stance on ‘Bridge to Nowhere,’ doesn't note flip-flop  —  When John McCain introduced Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate Friday, her reputation as a tough-minded budget-cutter was front and center.  —  “I told Congress, thanks but no thanks on that bridge to nowhere,” …

The Palin effect: crowd size  —  17,000+ today for the McCain-Palin rally outside of St. Louis, according to a Secret Service magnetometer count provided by the campaign.  —  As one veteran of Missouri politics said, that's the sort of crowd usually seen in October for a president — not in August for a candidate.

CNN Poll: Obama 49, McCain 48  —  ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) — On the eve of the Republican convention, a new national poll suggests the race for the White House remains dead even.  —  A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Sunday night shows the Obama-Biden ticket leading the McCain-Palin ticket …

G.O.P. Rallies in Support of McCain, Poll Shows  —  ST. PAUL — Senator John McCain this week will officially claim the presidential nomination from a convention here that is united behind him, and confident of keeping the White House.  —  Just four years ago, at the Republican convention in New York …

What Gustav Does  —  (1) Gets Bush out of St. Paul, where he would have given a speech that the media and the Democrats would have pounced on, and puts him in the eye of the storm, doing the nation's business, where he will be welcomed and greeted by friendly Republican governors.

Police at Republican National Convention: links  —  The police at the Republican Convention have been beefed up with federal money, and they've already made preemptive arrests of protest leaders.  I have no special sources or independent information, but I've gathered some links so I can keep …

The National Security Defense  —  Even Jonah Goldberg realizes the commander-in-chief of Alaska's National Guard line is “really lame” for the party of Eisenhower.  But the “Alaska-Is-Close-To-Russia” argument by Cindy McCain.  This is what the GOP's national security analysis now is!