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Washington Post
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Aug 31, 08 6:11 AM CDT
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Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was a strong contender to be John McCain's running mate all along, his campaign has revealed. Looking to diffuse speculation that Palin was a hasty, last-minute choice, aides told the Washington Pos t that she was high on McCain’s list since their first meeting in February. Advisers also divulged that Cindy McCain played a major role in the veepstakes.
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Weekly Standard
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Aug 30, 08 2:52 PM CDT
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Democrats will launch one patronizing strike after another on Sarah Palin in the coming weeks, but make no mistake: Liberals are—and should be—terrified of the GOP veep pick, William Kristol writes in the Weekly Standard . Palin is “a compelling and mold-breaking example for lots of Americans,” with hard-core conservative values and a gripping story that could win the election for John McCain—if his campaign lets her be herself.
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National Post (Canada)
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Aug 30, 08 10:56 AM CDT
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As a political move, John McCain’s VP choice makes sense: Sarah Palin’s social conservatism should appease the party base, while her “maverick status” and gender may help the ticket win centrist voters and working-class women. But as “bold” and “shrewd” as the choice may be, it’s less “clear that she is a responsible pick, or a wise one,” argues David Frum, the former speech writer for George W. Bush, in the National Post.
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Time
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Aug 29, 08 2:02 PM CDT
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John McCain certainly turned some heads by selecting Sarah Palin as his vice president. Here’s what people are saying: Given how perfectly Palin fits his needs, it’s surprising that this is so surprising, write Mark Grunwald and Jay Newton-Small of Time. McCain needed to prove he was independent, but also socially conservative, while also appealing to women. Tah-dah! Andrew Sullivan finds the pick revealing: McCain doesn’t think he can win without disgruntled Clinton voters.
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Wall Street Journal
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Aug 29, 08 11:22 AM CDT
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Sarah Palin is an unconventional vice presidential pick for John McCain, the Wall Street Journal notes. Her selection seems like the latest ploy to lure Hillary Clinton supporters to the Republican ticket, while simultaneously appeasing McCain’s conservative base and burnishing his reformer credentials. But Palin also lacks experience, undermining one of McCain’s main criticisms of Democratic nominee Barack Obama.
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MSNBC
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Aug 29, 08 10:04 AM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain has chosen Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his VP choice, NBC reports; McCain is expected to make the announcement at a rally in Ohio at noon today. Palin is a socially conservative mother of five who is both the state’s first woman governor and, at 42, its youngest.
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MSNBC
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Aug 29, 08 8:11 AM CDT
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been told he won’t be John McCain’s running mate, MSNBC reports. The governor told listeners to his radio show that “I'm not going to be” at the nominating rally planned for today in Ohio. “I plan to be at the state fair. You can draw your conclusion from that.” Meanwhile, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has moved to the top of the rumor list after a secretive charter plane landed near Dayton from her state. Mitt Romney, meanwhile, has no plans to be in Ohio, NBC notes.
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Politico
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Aug 28, 08 12:41 PM CDT
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John McCain has a top-secret ad scheduled to run during or just after Barack Obama’s acceptance speech in battleground states—and the campaign could leak news of the Republican’s running mate even earlier, Mike Allen writes on Politico. Little is known about the ad, save that McCain will address Obama personally, speaking directly into the camera.
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Associated Press
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Aug 28, 08 11:00 AM CDT
(AP) -
John McCain has yet to decide on a running mate, the Republican told a Pittsburgh radio station today. The presidential nominee-in-waiting was expected to name his vice presidential pick later this week, in the hopes of curbing Barack Obama's convention bounce. McCain and his running mate then are expected to appear together at one or more rallies, including one planned for Saturday in Pennsylvania.
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Politico
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Aug 28, 08 8:00 AM CDT
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Preaching to the GOP from his Fox News seat isn't enough for Karl Rove, Politico reports. The ex-Bush strategist called Joe Lieberman last week to convince him to withdraw his name from VP consideration; Lieberman laughed off the call and hasn't called it quits just yet. Rove's guy is Mitt Romney. “Rove is pushing Romney so aggressively some folks are beginning to wonder what's going on,” says one GOP strategist.
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Politico
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Aug 27, 08 10:20 PM CDT
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John McCain has picked his running mate, but he's not telling just yet, Politico reports. McCain will reportedly inform his vice-presidential pick tomorrow, then unveil his choice to the nation on Friday. The two are then expected to campaign in battleground states this weekend, ahead of the GOP convention on Monday. Speculation remains centered on Mitt Romney, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and political chameleon Joe Lieberman.
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Washington Post
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Aug 27, 08 3:57 AM CDT
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Behaving more and more like John MCain's still-unnamed running mate, Mitt Romney yesterday tore into Joe Biden, reports the Washington Post . “His record being wrong on foreign policy is as long as his years in foreign policy,” zinged Romney. When asked if he was ready to debate Biden, Romney called the senator an "impenetrable thicket of words. I don't know if anyone is ready to debate him."
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Politico
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Aug 26, 08 4:49 PM CDT
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From the way Democrats are acting, they might believe Mitt Romney is the front-runner to become John McCain’s running mate, Alexander Burns writes in Politico. Denver is abuzz with attacks on the former Massachusetts governor: Barack Obama’s campaign manager called Romney a “job-killing machine,” and Deval Patrick, who has Romney’s old job, pointed out the Republican’s neglect of that position.
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Politico
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Aug 24, 08 2:08 PM CDT
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Decorated general and former secretary of state Colin Powell might add another title to his resume, reports Politico, citing a McCain adviser who says his candidate's failure to rule out a running mate who supports abortion rights points to Powell as a possible pick. But Mitt Romney—whose father was a Michigan governor—is still a more likely choice if McCain decides a win in the state is crucial.
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Wall Street Journal
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Aug 22, 08 2:35 PM CDT
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John McCain’s been making the Republican base mighty uneasy with hints of a pro-choice running mate, the Wall Street Journal reports. Though McCain touts his “proud pro-life record,” pro-choice potentials Tom Ridge and Joe Lieberman have been on the receiving end of McCain's praise recently, a move that had conservative Laura Ingraham "literally imploring" McCain to uphold his "great pro-life record."
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National Review
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Aug 19, 08 9:20 AM CDT
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John McCain's campaign has been pitching the idea of a pro-choice running mate to key state GOP officials around the country, reports the National Review . McCain wants to know how hostile conservative grass-roots activists would be and whether he can win their support if he selects a pro-choice VP such as ex-homeland security secretary Tom Ridge.
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Politico
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Aug 19, 08 8:00 AM CDT
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John McCain will name his VP running mate at a huge Ohio rally on Aug. 29—the senator’s 72nd birthday and a day after the Democratic convention, Politico reports. McCain won’t finalize his choice—widely considered by GOP experts to be Mitt Romney or Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty—until Obama announces his own running mate.
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