Rudy: 'Barack Obama Has Never Led Anything'

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin's big introduction to America last night drew 37.2 million viewers, Variety reports. Her huge Nielsen ratings came in just 1.1 million under Barack Obama's for his acceptance speech last week. Palin, who officially became the vice-presidential nominee today, dwarfed the ratings of Joe Biden (24 million). She also topped the Olympics opening ceremony (34 million) and the Oscars (32 million), CBS notes. Of those who watched, 19.5 million were women. More»

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin tonight played up her small-town credentials, cast herself as a political outsider, and took a swipe at her critics in the media during her much-anticipated address to the Republican convention, Politico reports. After formally accepting the nomination to be vice president, she took a not-so-subtle shot at Barack Obama. "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities." More»

Vanquished McCain rival Giuliani gets spotlight Sept. 2 in St. Paul

(NEWSER) - Rudy Giuliani will present the keynote speech at the Republican National Convention, the AP reports. The former New York mayor, among the candidates vanquished by presumptive presidential nominee John McCain, gets the spotlight Sept. 2, the second night of the gathering in St. Paul, Minn. More»

GOP field still wide open, Rudy's numbers slipping

(NEWSER) - Hillary Clinton is still in first place among Democratic presidential hopefuls nationwide, despite a substantial 12% leap in support for Barack Obama since early December, finds the latest Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll. Clinton leads Obama 42% to 33%, with John Edwards trailing at 11%. Asked to pick between Clinton and Obama, a slender majority of Edwards voters went for Clinton. The GOP figures were less clear-cut. More»

Mormon leads Pubs in Midwest

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney has won the Iowa straw poll, widely regarded as a colander for presidential hopefuls, the Washington Post reports. Romney beat out a field of conservatives in the non-binding vote in Ames, but left-lilting frontrunner Rudy Giuliani had already bowed out of the race. More»