Cheney Gets GOP Convention Slot After All

President's unpopularity leaves him on the sidelines in final days

(NEWSER) - There’s just one Bush out on the campaign in this final weekend before the election, and her name ain’t George: First lady Laura Bush, still popular among Republicans, is stumping around the country for GOP candidates, who want big-name help but not attachment to the president’s unpopularity, the Hill reports. But the president hasn’t just been watching from the sidelines. More»

Here's how to dump Bush in Nov., not Jan.

(NEWSER) - In the current economic morass, the US cannot afford to wait 9 weeks to install the new president after he is elected in November, Richard Tedlow and David Ruben write in the Boston Globe. But wait—doesn’t the Constitution dictate the date of the inauguration? “Changing that would take years, not days,” write the two Harvard profs. “But there is a way out…” More»

Establishment party adopts anti-establishment stance

(NEWSER) - The Republican National Convention was so full of calls for change and vows to clean up Washington that it was almost easy to forget that the GOP has been in power for the last 8 years, writes Peter Baker in the New York Times. John McCain is seeking to distance himself from his party's recent record, and trying to seize the "change" mantra for himself. More»

(NEWSER) - President Bush tonight praised the "courage and vision" of John McCain and invoked the "lessons" of the 9/11 attacks as he asked Americans to vote for him, CNN reports. Bush, who addressed the Republican convention via satellite, also praised McCain for backing the US military surge in Iraq when it was politically unpopular. The president said McCain's "independence and character helped change history." More»

Assuming Palin's shadow doesn't obscure everything, that is

(NEWSER) - With the Republicans set to turn on all the lights at their convention tonight, Martin Kady II of Politico runs down five things to watch for:

• Palin’s shadow: “The theme of tonight’s convention is ‘service,’” Kady notes, “and the trick for the GOP is to focus voters’ attention on the question ‘Who is John McCain?’ when everyone is still asking, ‘Who is Sarah Palin?’”