ANALYSIS
Assuming Palin's shadow doesn't obscure everything, that is
Politico Sep 2, 08 4:44 PM CDT
(Newser)
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With the Republicans set to turn on all the lights at their convention tonight, Martin Kady II of Politico runs down five things to watch for: Palin’s shadow: “The theme of tonight’s convention is ‘service,’” Kady notes, “and the trick for the GOP is to focus voters’ attention on the question ‘Who is John McCain?’ when everyone is still asking, ‘Who is Sarah Palin?’”
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OPINION
Kindred spirit running mate can't rein in candidate: Brooks
New York Times Sep 2, 08 2:16 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Sarah Palin’s inexperience and family turmoil don't concern David Brooks of the New York Times. She's a “marvelous person” who “seems to get up in the morning to root out corruption,” much like—maybe too much like—John McCain. "My worry about Palin is that she shares McCain’s primary weakness," Brooks writes, "that she has a tendency to substitute a moral philosophy for a political philosophy."
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Agency fears McCain administration would extend Bush-era woes
Mother Jones Sep 2, 08 1:07 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The CIA has had a rough run under the Bush White House, and its top brass is worried that a John McCain presidency would be just as bad, reports Mother Jones . In recent years, animosity has defined the relationship between neoconservatives and spies, and McCain’s braintrust is full of neocons perceived as cool to the agency. "McCain would be an absolute disaster," says one ex-spy.
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OPINION
Slate's Dickerson questions McCain's 'hasty' impulse
Slate Sep 2, 08 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Sarah Palin is so entertaining to cover, from her daughter's pregnancy to her policy disagreements with John McCain, that Slate's John Dickerson is wondering if it's "being made up as we go along." After painting Barack Obama as the risky candidate, McCain made a choice even veteran party members are calling "reckless"—"and he might yet pay the price for it," Dickerson predicts.
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OPINION
Drilling won't make a difference in gas prices: Horne
Boston Globe Sep 2, 08 12:36 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Perhaps Americans could spare some domestic oil for the descendants they plan to saddle with a heavy federal debt, New Orleans-based author Jed Horne writes in the Boston Globe . Offshore oil reserves are "not something that should be plundered to keep all-American SUVs running," he says. Horne says the oil won't make a "whit of a difference" in current prices but could be invaluable years from now.
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Governor recorded video message for separatists this year
ABC News Sep 2, 08 10:16 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The latest surprise from Sarah Palin's past is her membership in the fringe Alaskan Independence Party, ABC News reports. A party leader says the governor and her husband were members in the 1990s. Though not strictly secessionist, the AIP is a "states' right party" that wants a vote on leaving the US. Its motto is "Alaska First, Alaska Always"—a far cry from the McCain slogan "Country First."
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Storm-altered lineup also features Thompson, Lieberman
Associated Press Sep 2, 08 9:59 AM CDT
(AP)
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George W. Bush will speak by satellite tonight at the Republican National Convention tonight, as the GOP struggles to regain its partisan bearings after yesterday's opener, which was kept politics-free in deference to Americans hit by Hurricane Gustav. Bush and Dick Cheney had canceled their convention appearances, as Bush headed to Texas to be nearer relief efforts.
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ANALYSIS
Polls see Obama's approval grow by below-average 3%-4%, then diminish over weekend
Politico Sep 2, 08 9:49 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Barack Obama enjoyed a noticeable, but below-average, bounce in opinion polls after last week’s Democratic National Convention, Politico reports—but the gains appear to be already diminishing. Obama has risen 4% in Gallup’s daily tracking poll, 3% in a CBS survey—smaller than the average 5-6% convention bounce. And while Gallup had Obama 8% ahead of John McCain on Saturday, his margin was 5% yesterday.
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Mac picked in haste after conservatives nixed his two faves: sources
New York Times Sep 2, 08 7:52 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The steady stream of stories emerging about John McCain's brand new running mate has some Republicans wondering how thoroughly Sarah Palin was vetted, the New York Times reports. McCain has said he was aware that her teen daughter Bristol was pregnant, although aides are vague about when he learned of it. GOP insiders say it's becoming apparent that the selection was made in haste.
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Tucker Eskew, part of party's 'darker side,' attacked Mac in 2000
ABC News Sep 2, 08 7:00 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Republican strategist Tucker Eskew, who helped smear John McCain in the 2000 primaries, is now on board the GOP candidate’s campaign and will prep Sarah Palin for her role, reports Jake Tapper on ABC News. “He's one of the best and most collaborative talents in Republican politics,” a McCain rep tells Politico. McCain’s 2000 team was less appreciative.
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Both support abstinence-only sex ed
Associated Press Sep 2, 08 6:03 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Pregnancies in 17-year-olds like Bristol Palin are something John McCain and his running mate, her mother, agree on: neither believes the government should support sex education and pregnancy-prevention programs, other than encouraging abstinence, in schools. "The explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support," Sarah Palin wrote in a 2006 questionnaire for gubernatorial candidates.
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With $10M since bringing Palin on board, GOP looking amply financed
Associated Press Sep 1, 08 8:37 PM CDT
(Newser)
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John McCain’s presidential campaign raised $47 million in August, its biggest monthly take yet, the AP reports. The campaign has apparently received $10 million in donations since McCain announced Friday that Sarah Palin would be his running mate. Officials say