McCain, Palin Embrace Hugging Etiquette

And yes, there's a Sarah Palin character

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama's 2008 campaign is the subject of Hope!, a musical set to premiere Jan. 17 in Frankfurt. The production features musical-theater versions of the major players: Michelle, Hillary—looking quite young—John McCain and even Sarah Palin, who sings a solo surrounded by scantily clad dancers. Writer and composer Randall Hutchins, who is American, tells Der Spiegel he got the idea for the production "right at the start of Obama's electoral campaign. I found the atmosphere exciting and that was my inspiration." More»

(NEWSER) - Traditional media outlets and on-the-spot amateurs alike captured the year's biggest US political moments. Here is Politico's look at some of the biggest scoops:

• Palin meets Couric: Interviewed by Katie Couric on CBS, Sarah Palin fumbled with softball questions such as which publications she reads. Democrats and Tina Fey pounced.
• Edwards indulges: Major media outlets ignored a report of John Edwards' extramarital affair, but the National Enquirer caught him in the act.

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin made such a splash in American politics this year that she deserves consideration for Time magazine Person of the Year, Kathryn Jean Lopez writes for the National Review. “They’ve probably long picked The One,” Lopez writes, referring to Barack Obama. But “like Obama, all you had to do was look at her to see that she offered something different on a national ticket.” More»

Many pundits ruled out Obama victory early

(NEWSER) - With the election over, what's more fun than calling out all those whose predictions were off—way off. Der Spiegel lists some highlights:

• "He cannot win, Bill. He cannot win." Hillary Clinton, on Barack Obama
• "We'll win Florida." Rudy Giuliani
• "Virginians are really getting fired up for this ticket of McCain and Palin." George Allen
• "Romney for the Republicans, Hillary for the Democrats." Ann Coulter, on the nominees

Obama gets Clintons, Gore; McCain counters with Schwarzenegger, Giuliani

(NEWSER) - In the final days of the presidential campaign, the candidates are ramping up their schedules and bringing in their parties’ big names to motivate voters, the New York Times reports. John McCain, in addition to sending running mate Sarah Palin on a grueling two-day sprint across the country, has enlisted the help of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Rudolph Giuliani. More»