The Maverick Will Rise Again

McCain team wrote 'palling around with terrorists' line: book

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin was actually on message when she attacked Barack Obama’s relationship with former Weatherman Bill Ayers during last year's campaign, the Atlantic reports. A new book, The Battle for America, reveals that Palin received an email from top McCain staff suggesting she use the Ayers attack. It even specified the approved language. Strategists also planned to run a similar TV ad. More»

Republican won't cough up details despite hammering Obama on Ayers

(NEWSER) - Bad enough for a presidential candidate to pal around with a “lawless radical,” Steve Chapman writes in the Chicago Tribune, but worse to clam up about it even as you blast your opponent for the same thing. That’s exactly where John McCain is over dealings with G. Gordon Liddy, who was convicted for Watergate felonies and since urged radio listeners to kill federal agents. More»

Collins criticizes the campaign for linking Obama to Ayers

(AP) - GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, facing a tough re-election fight, urged John McCain yesterday to stop making automated calls into her state that link Democratic nominee Barack Obama to one-time Weather Underground leader Bill Ayers. "These kind of tactics have no place in Maine politics," said Collins spokesman Kevin Kelley. "Sen. Collins urges the McCain campaign to stop these calls immediately." More»

(NEWSER) - It's been hard to miss the spate of reports about ugly anti-Obama incidents at McCain/Palin events—a crowd member calling him a “terrorist,” for instance. The media is now playing a game of "find a freak" at GOP rallies and grossly distorting the notion of genuine harm coming Obama's way, writes Sean Collins in Spiked. That these fears have gained traction underscores just how alienated Democrats have become from white, working-class voters. More»

Party leaders worry about inconsistent messages on Obama, economy

(NEWSER) - Republican leaders are beginning to worry that John McCain will lose the election unless he can be more consistent about both the financial crisis and Barack Obama, reports the New York Times. Strategists are also voicing renewed concerns about Sarah Palin, after the Alaska Legislature released a report last week concluding that she abused her power while governor of the state. More»