Text of Sarah Palin's speech  —  ST. PAUL, Minn. (MarketWatch) - Here is the prepared text of a speech given by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, as released by the party.  —  Mr. Chairman, delegates, and fellow citizens: I am honored to be considered …

Factchecking Palin  —  I thought Palin's speech was quite good: well-written, well delivered.  And, as I said earlier, I think she's a genuinely engaging person, and comes across very well.  There were just a couple of problems.  One, which I have seen people notice, but which I suspect …

Focus Group: Palin Was (Alarmingly) Strong  —  Several moderate-Democrat friends of mine have been emailing—few if any would ever vote for McCain—but all agree that Palin was very strong.  The more liberal among them are a little panicked.  —  I completely misjudged how negative she would be.

Palin E-Mails Show Intense Interest in Trooper's Discipline  —  Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the running mate for GOP presidential candidate John McCain, wrote e-mails that harshly criticized Alaska state troopers for failing to fire her former brother-in-law and ridiculed an internal affairs investigation into his conduct.

HOW CAN SMART PEOPLE SAY SUCH DUMB THINGS ABOUT SARAH PALIN?  —  At times like these, I'm relieved that I don't cover elections.  There's bum DNA in my heart, and the agita might send me keeling over.  —  How else to react to the sight of sophisticated people saying, with impressively straight faces …

Clinton aides: Palin treatment sexist  —  ST. PAUL, Minn. — Sarah Palin found some unlikely allies Wednesday as leading academics and even former top aides to Hillary Rodham Clinton endorsed the Republican charge that John McCain's running mate has been subject to a sexist double standard by the news media and Democrats.

OY ... LIVE MICS ARE SUCH DANGEROUS THINGS  —  Just watch (the voices are Mike Murphy and Peggy Noonan) ...  And if you're interested, the transcript ...

Obama might pursue criminal charges against Bush  —  Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden said yesterday that he and running mate Barack Obama could pursue criminal charges against the Bush administration if they are elected in November.  —  Biden's comments, first reported by ABC news …

Female Clinton Supporters In Focus Groups See Talent, Mudslinging In Palin's Speech  —  In two different focus groups of Clinton-supporting Nevada women — married and unmarried — conducted immediately after Gov. Sarah Palin's Wednesday night speech to the Republican National Convention, a few common reactions quickly took shape.

McCain Campaign Sees Changed Map With Palin  —  Gov. Sarah Palin may well draw larger crowds than Sen. John McCain ever did, and the McCain campaign plans to take advantage: they're filling a calendar that will find her deployed to places where McCain can't go, places where McCain's gone and fallen flat …

In a More Diverse America, A Mostly White Convention  —  Organizers conceived of this convention as a means to inspire, but some African American Republicans have found the Xcel Energy Center depressing this week.  Everywhere they look, they see evidence of what they consider one of their party's biggest shortcomings.