Zogby Poll: Republicans Hold Small Post-Convention Edge  —  But the race is tight, as both campaigns consolidate support  —  UTICA, New York - Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin left St. Paul, Minnesota, with a smallish bounce overall and some energy in key demographic groups …

McCain-Palin becoming Palin-McCain?  —  Republican vice president pick from Alaska generates excitement, crowds  —  Sen. John McCain, his wife, Cindy, right, andAlaska Gov. Sarah Palin take the stage at a campaign rally in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Saturday.  —  A look ahead for Gov. Palin

‘Thrown Away Flags’ Story False, Dem Convention Official Says  —  Days before the anniversary of September 11, on the same morning that John McCain and Barack Obama released a joint statement pledging to avoid politics in light of the anniversary of the terrorist attacks …

Anatomy of a Smear  —  Blogger Charlie Martin has helpfully compiled all of the smears that the left has hurled at Sarah Palin. 54 and counting!  —  Given that we're more than halfway to the century mark in Palin smears, I think it's time to take another brief look at the left's method of smear dissemination.

Guy who requested $740 million in earmarks on Palin: You can't really be for change if you're pro-earmark  —  Indeed.  To truly represent change, you have to request earmarks for your wife's employer.  —  I was hoping against hope that he'd come after her on this point.  And now, my dream's come true.

When Barack's berserkers lost the plot  —  My colleagues in the American liberal press had little to fear at the start of the week.  Their charismatic candidate was ahead in virtually every poll.  George W Bush was so unpopular that conservatives were scrambling around for reasons not to invite …

Treasury to Rescue Fannie and Freddie  —  Regulators Seek to Keep Firms' Troubles From Setting Off Wave of Bank Failures  —  The Bush administration yesterday prepared to take over the troubled housing finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, after concluding the companies …

Clash of the Titans  —  You know what I'm thinking, because you're thinking it, too.  —  If Barack Obama had chosen Hillary Clinton as his running mate, we would now be looking forward to the greatest night in the history of American politics: the Oct. 2 vice presidential debate between Ma Barker and Sarah Barracuda.

PERSPECTIVES ON THE PALIN PICK  —  Charles Krauthammer continues to find John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin “deeply problematic.”  He writes: … McCain's one hope, according to Krauthammer, is that Palin “pulls an Obama” - i.e. overcomes the thinness of her biography through “star power.”

The mighty, scary press corps  —  (updated below)  —  Criticizing the McCain campaign for refusing to allow reporters to question Sarah Palin, Time's Jay Carney writes: … If only that were true.  But if there's one indisputable lesson from the last eight years, it's …

Palin church promotes converting gays  —  VP candidate hasn't expressed views on ‘pray away the gay’ movement  —  ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Gov. Sarah Palin's church is promoting a conference that promises to convert gays into heterosexuals through the power of prayer.

Palin's Family Has Always Held a Place in Her Politics  —  WASILLA, Alaska — One Friday in June, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin joined the chief of the state prison system on a tour of the Point MacKenzie Correctional Farm, a 90-minute drive north of Anchorage.  It was a routine visit but for the presence of the governor's infant son, Trig.

Al-Qa'eda's American-born propaganda chief may have died in predator attack  —  Western intelligence sources in Pakistan believe that al-Qa'eda's prize American recruit and propaganda chief may have been killed in a CIA-directed airstrike.  —  Months of attacks by unmanned US predator aircraft …