The Palin interview  —  It is embarrassing to have to spell this out, but for the record let me explain why Gov. Palin's answer to the “Bush Doctrine” question — the only part of the recent interview I have yet seen over here in China — implies a disqualifying lack of preparation for the job.

McCain Grilled On “The View”: Sarah Palin, His Abortion Stance, His Obama Attack Ads, And More  —  The ladies of “The View” confronted John McCain today for lying in recent attack ads.  In arguably his toughest interview yet, View co-host Joy Behar asked McCain:

Biden Releases 10 Years of Tax Returns  —  Joe Biden today released ten years of his personal income tax returns, drawing further attention to the tax issues raised by Sarah Palin's tax problems associated with her per diem reimbursements while governor of Alaska.

Battle for Congress Suddenly Looks Competitive  —  Democrats' double-digit lead on the “generic ballot” slips to 3 points  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A potential shift in fortunes for the Republicans in Congress is seen in the latest USA Today/Gallup survey, with the Democrats now leading …

Obama camp seizes on ‘divorced’ comment  —  After a week on defense, Barack Obama's campaign is roaring back with a new theme for attacking John McCain: “out of touch.”  —  In a conference call with reporters on Friday morning, the Obama campaign seized on a comment by McCain in Thursday …

Excerpts: Charlie Gibson Interviews GOP Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin  —  Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sits Down for First Exclusive Interview … And watch Gibson's exclusive interviews with Palin tonight on “World News” at 6:30 p.m. ET, a special “20/20,” at 10 p.m. ET, and “Nightline” at 11:35 p.m. ET

The first Palin cable interview...  ...is with Sean Hannity, Fox says, as she heads back to a zone of relative safety.

Barack ‘Isotoner’ Obama to Take Off His Third or Fourth Pair of Gloves and Get Tough  —  Like any number of Democratic candidates before him — Mike Dukakis, Al Gore, John Kerry — Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is once again declaring that he is going to take off the gloves and fight back against attacks from the Republican Party.

McCain Pre-Palin: Mayors And Governors Can't Handle National Security  —  When does being a governor or mayor for a short period of time not disqualify your credentials on national security?  When you are John McCain and your task is to defend your vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

Todd Palin subpoenaed in firing probe  —  The state Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-2 today to subpoena 13 people — including the husband of Gov. Sarah Palin — in an investigation of whether Palin abused her power in trying to get her former brother-in-law fired.

McCain Issues A Challenge: ‘Nobody Can Name’ An Issue I Have Flip-Flopped On  —  On ABC's The View today, host Joy Behar complained to John McCain that “you used to be more of the Maverick, then you sort of turned.”  “In what way?”  McCain asked.  “You became much more lockstep, I think …

McCain fumbles Palin's record on earmark requests  —  NEW YORK - Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Friday defended two debunked television ads attacking Democrat Barack Obama and claimed erroneously that running mate Sarah Palin never sought money for lawmakers' pet projects as Alaska governor.

Will McCain Ruin Palin, Revisited  —  At this point, I'm no longer that all that worried about Sarah Palin crashing and burning, Quayle-style, because John McCain plucked her from obscurity before her time.  Now I'm worried about one of the GOP's most interesting talents being absorbed …