McCain Manager: ‘This Election is Not About Issues’  —  Rick Davis, campaign manager for John McCain's presidential bid, insisted that the presidential race will be decided more over personalities than issues during an interview with Post editors this morning.  —  “This election is not about issues,” said Davis.

Todd Palin Was Registered Member of Alaska Independence Party Until 2002  —  The McCain camp today disputed rumors that presumptive vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin was ever registered with the secessionist Alaska Independence Party by releasing years of voter registration history …

Infuriated About Tough CNN Interview, McCain Cancels Larry King Appearance  —  Yesterday, Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds appeared on CNN for an interview with Campbell Brown.  Brown was tough on Bounds, refusing to let him spout typical campaign talking points.

Palin's Church May Have Shaped Controversial Worldview  —  Three months before she was thrust into the national political spotlight, Gov. Sarah Palin was asked to handle a much smaller task: addressing the graduating class of commission students at her one-time church, Wasilla Assembly of God.

The “Eagleton Scenario”  —  Barring a dramatic reversal, Sarah Palin will formally become the Republican vice presidential nominee Wednesday night.  Since Friday, when the pick was announced, news surrounding Palin has been almost uniformly negative: the initial focus on her lack …

Palin: The Iron-Fist Mayor?  —  WASILLA, Alaska — Earlier today, First Lady Laura Bush urged us to remember Gov. Sarah Palin's record as mayor of her hometown from 1996-2002 when assessing her experience.  I agree.  —  Driving around this city today, I decided it looks more or less …

She Is a Small-Town Mayor.  She Is Not — Repeat, Not — the Governor of Alaska.  —  In an interview of Barack Obama last night, CNN's Anderson Cooper mentioned Sarah Palin's experience as a small-town mayor and as governor of Alaska.  Obama, hewing to his campaign's talking points, ignored the governor part:

BREAKING: Democrats Release Sarah Palin's Social Security Number  —  The Politico has received an opposition research file from the Alaska Democrats.  You can read it in PDF here.  —  In the file, the Democrats have released Sarah Palin's social security number minus the last four digits.

Tuesdays with Rupert  —  Since buying The Wall Street Journal, Rupert Murdoch has talked freely with the author about his business, his family, and the future.  (There was serious gossip, too.)  It's an unparalleled look at the 77-year-old mogul, transformed by his marriage to Wendi Deng, yet utterly, unapologetically himself.

Documents detail Palin's political life  —  Sarah Palin may be new to most Americans, but she's not entirely new to the national Democratic Party.  —  Democrat Tony Knowles, her opponent in the 2006 Alaska gubernatorial race, put together a detailed, 63-page research document …

Gramm: Unlike The Rest Of Americans, McCain Supporters Aren't ‘Economically Illiterate’ ‘Whiners’  —  In a July interview with the Washington Times, former senator Phil Gramm infamously decried the “constant whining” of the American people when it comes to the economy, saying it was nothing more than a “mental recession”: