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 …

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 …

Democrats regaining wimp factor  —  One of the most notable polling results at the time of the 2006 elections was that Democrats had closed the national-security gap versus Republicans who held a long and significant advantage in that area.  That was short-lived.  —  Unfortunately for Democrats, the gap has reopened.

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

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.

Change vs. Change  —  ST. PAUL, Minn. — Change is coming, change you can count on.  —  That is the simple, central message from the two presidential nominating conventions held in Denver and St. Paul during the past two weeks.  —  Whether it is Barack Obama or John McCain going to the White House …

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.

Media's hypocritical fixation on Palin a boon to McCain  —  Culture wars now a factor in campaign  —  “Please, media, keep it up.”  So begged Tom DeLay, speaking at a press panel on Tuesday at the Republican National Convention.  According to Politico.com, DeLay said that …

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.

Sarah Palin has yet to meet the press  —  When political junkies flip through television stations on Sunday morning, they'll find policy-driven interviews with three of the four candidates on the presidential tickets — John McCain, Barack Obama and Joe Biden.  They won't, though, see Sarah Palin.

AC360 Exclusive: The trooper who worried Sarah Palin  —  The Alaska state trooper at the center of a probe into whether Gov. Sarah Palin abused her power says he has “made mistakes, and I've learned from those mistakes.”  But in an exclusive interview with us, Mike Wooten, Palin's former brother-in-law …

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.”

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 …

‘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 …