Cindy McCain's Half-Sister Goes for Obama

Vanquished GOP candidate presses supporters to 'get our country moving again'

(NEWSER) - John McCain released his first public statement today since conceding the election, congratulating President-elect Barack Obama and urging supporters to work together with the new administration, the Hill reports. “Although we were disappointed with the results,” the joint statement with wife Cindy said, “we must move beyond this campaign and work together to get our country moving again.” More»

Tune into Ellen and The View for TV's most penetrating look at politics

(NEWSER) - The days when politicians could take refuge on daytime TV, hiding behind softball interviews and happy talk about favorite recipes, are over, Rebecca Traister writes for Salon. Tracing the trend from soaps through Phil Donohue to Oprah and Ellen to the unrivaled supremacy of The View, she observes, "It has recently become more common to see politicians, especially John McCain, made uncomfortable by the directness of the conversation on daytime television." More»

AK gov. steals Dems' after-glow; could attract indy, Hillary voters

(NEWSER) - John McCain turned heads by choosing Sarah Palin today as his running mate, and the Weekly Standard explains why she’s the right woman for the job.

• Democrats just wrapped their glitzy convention, but the Sunday talk shows will be abuzz with Palin chatter.
• The mother of five softens McCain’s “crotchety” image and revives his reputation as “fly-boy and gambler."

Hillary Clinton, as 'buyer's remorse' plagues a third of the country

(NEWSER) - The most popular politician nationwide is the one that got away: Hillary Clinton. Nearly two-thirds of the country sees the secretary of state favorably, and a third are battling what Bloomberg terms “buyer’s remorse” over not electing her president. Just over a year ago, only a quarter of Americans felt that way. “Looking back, I wonder if she would have been a stronger leader, knowing the games and the politics and all that goes on,” says a Florida woman. “I don’t think she would have bent as much.” More»

Heilemann and Halperin drop plenty of 'spicy' bombshells

(NEWSER) - From Bill Clinton’s rumored affair to Harry Reid’s “negro voice” quote, John Heilemann and Mark Halperin’s Game Change is already making headlines. The book delivers a “spicy smorgasbord of observations, revelations, and allegations,” writes Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times . Some parts of it reveal “impressive legwork and access,” while others are essentially gossip or spin from particularly cooperative sources, many of whom are unnamed. More»