Palin Advises McCain: 'Take the Gloves Off'

(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»

PR firm helped her woo pundits, make case

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin likes to play up her outsider credentials while decrying the media elite, but she’s relied on both throughout her career. Belying her mockery of the “mainstream media,” Palin hired a well-connected PR firm to target East Coast journalists and courted conservative media insiders who eventually championed her VP candidacy. Jane Mayer of the New Yorker looks at a "surprise" nomination that was months, if not years, in the making. More»

(NEWSER) - John McCain and Sarah Palin are up against a 6-point political headwind these days, but that's no reason for them to give up, writes William Kristol in the Weekly Standard. Past tickets have overcome late deficits—Ford-Dole made up 20 points in 1976, though in a losing bid—and McCain's poll numbers against Barack Obama have bounced around by the month. To sway them again, Kristol writes, the McCain camp must attack Obama's character and his brand of "get-along liberalism." More»

New ad campaign, to debut after debate, will attempt to shift focus from the economy

(NEWSER) - John McCain’s struggling campaign, hobbled by the economic crisis, will go back on the attack, the Washington Post reports. Insiders said targets would include Obama’s association with convicted developer Tony Rezko. Ads criticizing the Democratic candidate’s record on taxes have already run. More»

Noonan: She's a little transparent but still very effective

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin starred in her own political "infomercial" last night and once again revived John McCain's flagging campaign, writes Peggy Noonan of the Wall Street Journal. Palin looked "not petrified but peppy," her style far more suited to a debate than a cerebral interview. Biden seemed to be waiting for her to make a fool of herself. She didn’t. Instead, she talked straight to the people in a baldly populist, if transparent, pitch to “soccer moms” and “Joe Six-Pack.” More»