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 …

Republicans Rush In  —  One of the great sights of American political life — a YouTube moment if ever there was one — was to see the doughboy face of Newt Gingrich as he extolled the virtues of Sarah Palin, a sitcom of a vice presidential choice and a disaster movie if she moves up to the presidency …

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.

In Political Realm, ‘Family Problem’ Emerges as Test  —  ST. PAUL — For at least the time being, Gov. Sarah Palin appears to have survived the initial test after the disclosure that her unmarried teenage daughter was pregnant.  Republican delegates rallied around her on Monday …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 Battle Of Bristol: John McCain Has The Upper Hand  —  The revelation that 17 year-old Bristol Palin is pregnant will have an impact on this race, no question.  Some “politically and culturally savvy” Republicans will no doubt question the already questionable pick and Democrats will pounce …

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.