Palin Slashed Funding for Teen Moms  —  ST. PAUL — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee who revealed Monday that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, earlier this year used her line-item veto to slash funding for a state program benefiting teen mothers in need of a place to live.

Aides Say Team Interviewed Palin Late in the Process  —  Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was not subjected to a lengthy in-person background interview with the head of Sen. John McCain's vice presidential vetting team until last Wednesday in Arizona, the day before McCain asked her to be his running mate …

Obama to Appear on Fox on Thursday Night  —  CHICAGO — Before Senator John McCain delivers his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday, Senator Barack Obama will make a marquee appearance of his own.  —  Call it counter-intuitive.  He will appear on “The O'Reilly Factor” on Fox News Channel.

Jewish voters may be wary of Palin  —  ST. PAUL, Minn. — Barack Obama has struggled for 18 months to lock down the support of a traditionally Democratic group, Jewish voters.  —  In the past week, John McCain may have helped Obama with his Jewish problem by choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.

Gingrich Slams MSNBC's Allen Concerning Palin's Qualifications  —  Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich did what conservatives have been waiting for someone to do since Sarah Palin was announced as John McCain's running mate: take on someone in the media claiming that she lacks the qualifications to be vice president.

Palin's Start in Alaska: Not Politics as Usual  —  WASILLA, Alaska — The world arrived here more than a century ago with the gold rush and later the railroad.  Yet one aspect of American life did not come to town until 1996, the year Sarah Palin ran for mayor and Wasilla got its first local lesson in wedge politics.

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.

PROGRESSIVES SPREADING AROUND FAKE PALIN BIKINI PIC, GLOATING ABOUT INEXPERIENCE AND “PATRIOTIC VALLEY TRASH”  —  I got the photo this morning from one of the progressive listservs that I subscribe to, complete with the snarky subject line “ready to lead from day one.”

Obama ad slams McCain on abortion rights  —  ST. PAUL, Minn. — Barack Obama has launched a broadside against John McCain's opposition to abortion rights and moved one of the most divisive issues in modern American politics to the airwaves on a large scale for the first time in this presidential campaign.

Why Do We Like Palin?  —  Much has been written why Palin both brings strength to the McCain ticket and is a gamble at the same time.  Why then the growing wave of popular sentiment in her favor?  —  Various reasons, but one I think is that millions of Americans are simply tired of being lectured at by smug elites.

Palin reignites culture wars  —  ST. PAUL, Minn. — The culture wars are making a sudden and unexpected encore in American politics, turning more ferocious virtually by the hour as activists on both sides of the ideological divide react to the addition of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to the Republican ticket.

Republicans Heading For an Iceberg  —  ST. PAUL, MN: As a rule, political candidates begin moving to the center on Labor Day, but John McCain has continued to focus on solidifying his rightwing base, particularly among social conservatives.  The convention's first two days …