Dems Should Fear 'Sarah Barracuda'

(NEWSER) - “With 10 days to go before the election, it's getting pretty dark out there” for John McCain, William Kristol writes in the Weekly Standard. All the more reason for true conservatives to stand behind him "for the sake of the country," says Kristol, who's proud to stay off the "Obama juggernaut." He'd love to see an upset and revel in "the dejection of the mainstream media” and “the incredulity of the leftwing triumphalists.” More»

Proving herself hampered her ability to attack Obama

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin acquitted herself at last night's debate with her charm and a show of basic coherency, writes Adam Nagourney in the New York Times. Her face-off with Joe Biden didn't prove to be a point of no return for the faltering McCain campaign, but neither was it the decisive blow against Barack Obama that McCain needed. More»

May emphasize McCain's virtues and fare well against Biden

(NEWSER) - Vice-presidential nominees usually have little direct effect on the outcome of an election, writes Karl Rove in the Wall Street Journal, but Sarah Palin could be the exception. Rove consults two experts, who agree that some VPs can have an unusually large “indirect effect,” as they underscore a candidate’s virtues and flaws. McCain chose Palin as "someone who shares his maverick outsider attitude and is willing to challenge party orthodoxy and politics-as-usual." More»

A McCain win isn't the worst thing for liberalism

(NEWSER) - OK, so John McCain isn't likely to win, admits Bill Kristol in the New York Times. But if he does, here are things liberals could cheer (if they're not heading for the Canadian border).

• Shouldn’t liberals love it when the underdog pulls it off? “A McCain upset victory would be a classic liberal happy ending.”
• The establishment loves Barack Obama, and the establishment taking a hard lump should bring smiles to liberal faces.

The NY Times chats with some of the 4% who remain unsure

(NEWSER) - After a long campaign season, John McCain and Barack Obama have had ample chance to define themselves in America’s eyes—yet 4% of the country, a recent poll says, remains undecided. The New York Times spoke to a few of these “gray-state” voters to see what was holding them back; they noted good and bad qualities in each candidate, but remained tough to pin down. More»