What the Palin Pick Says  —  John McCain is not a normal conservative.  He has instincts, but few abstract convictions about the proper size of government.  He's a traditionalist, but is not energized by the social conservative agenda.  As Rush Limbaugh understands, but the Democrats apparently do not …

McCain Turns Sour on His Onetime Media ‘Base’ as Election Nears  —  Sept. 2 (Bloomberg) — The longtime love affair between John McCain and what he once called his “base” — the national news media — is on the rocks.  —  McCain's campaign manager, Steve Schmidt, yesterday lashed out at what he deemed …

Palin's Small Alaska Town Secured Big Federal Funds  —  Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin employed a lobbying firm to secure almost $27 million in federal earmarks for a town of 6,700 residents while she was its mayor, according to an analysis by an independent government watchdog group.

Bristol Palin's pregnancy was an open secret back home  —  He's a superhunky bad-boy ice hockey player from cold country; she's a chestnut-haired beauty and popular high school senior.  —  Soon the all-American teen twosome will make GOP vice presidential pick and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin …

McCain camp's detailed review of Palin  —  ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Sarah Palin's path to the Republican ticket started with her name on a list — and a team of some 25 people poring through public records searching for trouble spots without her knowledge.  Then came the 70-question survey and a nearly three-hour interview.

The Palin Meltdown in Slo-Mo  —  On the same day that the Republicans were forced to dramatically cut back their convention activities, the Palin Meltdown unfolded with extraordinary speed.  It's worth pondering the totality of what happened today, in a mere half day...

Pool: What Day Will Sarah Palin Drop Out?  —  The day John McCain appointed Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential nominee, I wrote: … It had nothing to do with Eagleton's particular problems, but how McGovern came to choose him, failed to adequately vet him, and then waffled when the problems arose …

Obama defends natural disaster experience  —  (CNN) — Barack Obama defended his experience in dealing with natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, and took a swipe at newly minted GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.  —  In an interview on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 Monday night …

New Palin details may help, not hurt  —  ST. PAUL, Minn. — Fishing permit violations.  A blue-collar husband who racked up a DUI citation as a 22-year-old.  An unmarried teenage daughter who is pregnant and a nasty child custody battle involving a family member.

Why the Palin Baby Story Matters  —  St. Paul — At 6:30 Monday morning, at a hotel here in St. Paul, a team of senior McCain staffers got word from even more senior staffers that there was news about vice-presidential pick Sarah Palin.  Everybody had heard the rumors, spread on The Atlantic …