IN THE MCCAIN COLUMN...

Tea Party hero lends support to former running mate

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin spoke at a rally for John McCain today in Tucson, the first time the two have stumped together since the 2008 presidential campaign. McCain is in a tight primary fight with JD Hayworth, who is attempting to paint the senator as insufficiently conservative. Palin delivered some much-needed Tea Party cred: McCain, she said has been "leading the fight against reckless spending for decades." More»

Obama 'has no clue,' while Palin isn't 'remotely prepared'

(NEWSER) - George Bush apparently didn't think much of Barack Obama as a candidate. “This is a dangerous world, and this cat isn’t remotely qualified to handle it," he's quoted in a new book as saying. "This guy has no clue, I promise you.” GQ has excerpts of Speech-Less: Tales of a White House Survivor, by speechwriter Matt Latimer, in which Bush also dismisses Sarah Palin as a candidate and John McCain's campaign in general. 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

Conservatives meet to make plans

(NEWSER) - A “who’s who of conservative leaders” will meet in Virginia next Wednesday to plot their movement’s future, and the top item on their agenda will be Sarah Palin. Win or lose, many see Palin as the new face of the Republican party, the New York Times reports. Despite all the criticisms, Palin remains a star among conservatives, who are eying her for a 2012 run if McCain loses. 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»