Nominee's ally moves to curb probe of Palin  —  Key Alaska allies of John McCain are trying to derail a politically charged investigation into Gov. Sarah Palin's firing of her public safety commissioner in order to prevent a so-called “October surprise” that would produce embarrassing information …

Sally Quinn Does Complete U-turn on Sarah Palin  —  What a difference a few hours make.  It is almost like Sally Quinn, the Washington Post faith columnist, was blinded by the light of truth on the road to Damascus.  On CNN's “American Morning” on Friday, Quinn repeated her doubts …

Sarah Palin will be missing from action Sunday a.m.  —  As is The Ticket's custom, a post listing the entire roster of appearances on this Sunday's interview programs will pop up Saturday at noon PDT (3 p.m. EDT).  —  But here's an advance heads up, in part because of who WON'T be found on any of the chat shows.

THOSE OF US WHO ARE ABOUT TO TIRE SWING ...  It always brings a tear to my eye when I see the Grey Lady hopping on the McCain tire swing.  But there she goes.  Yesterday the McCain campaign was all mum on the Walter Reed/Green Screen goof until deep in the evening when they released …

Palin inexperienced?  Not really  —  Greta van Susteren took a look at the “inexperienced” criticism of Sarah Palin by interviewing people who worked with Palin in Alaska.  She spoke with the current mayor of Wasilla, which is — surprise! — one of the five largest cities in Alaska …

The Trail  —  One of the most compelling anecdotes in Sarah Palin's repertoire is that she auctioned off the Alaska governor's jet on eBay after taking office — a swift move made by a reformer hoping to clean up the excesses of her predecessor.  —  In fact, the jet did not sell on eBay.

Joe Biden On Fire  —  This is awesome — Joe Biden just tears John McCain and Sarah Palin apart for completely ignoring every single major economic issue facing America and for offering nothing but sarcastic personal attacks.  —  YouTube link

Republican Recycling  —  This morning, Republicans tell me that a worker at Invesco Field in Denver saved thousands of unused flags from the Democratic National Convention that were headed for the garbage.  Guerrilla campaigning.  They will use these flags at their own event today in Colorado Springs with John McCain and Sarah Palin.

How religion guides Palin  —  When Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin promised to lead the nation with a “servant's heart,” evangelical Christians immediately recognized her as one of their own.  —  Whether before an audience of ministry students or on a national stage at the Republican National Convention …

McCain, Obama tied in TV audiences  —  NEW YORK (AP) - As a television draw, John McCain was every bit the equal of Barack Obama.  —  The GOP presidential candidate attracted roughly the same number of viewers to his convention acceptance speech Thursday as Obama did before the Democrats last week, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Thanks, Guys  —  The media's attacks on Sarah Palin backfire.  —  The editors of THE WEEKLY STANDARD believe in giving credit where credit is due.  The presidential race looks a whole lot better today than it did two weeks ago.  For this, thanks are owed to two men—Barack Obama and John McCain …

Palin's Hockey Rink Leads To Legal Trouble in Town She Led  —  WASILLA, Alaska — The biggest project that Sarah Palin undertook as mayor of this small town was an indoor sports complex, where locals played hockey, soccer, and basketball, especially during the long, dark Alaskan winters.

Alaskans Speak (In A Frightened Whisper): Palin Is “Racist, Sexist, Vindictive, And Mean”  —  “So Sambo beat the bitch!”  —  This is how Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin described Barack Obama's win over Hillary Clinton to political colleagues in a restaurant a few days …