College Journalists Uncover Voter Fraud in Ohio

Palestra.net's Tiffany Wilson and Shelby Holliday have been working a story that the professional national media has yet to pick up except for FOX News. Eighteen Obama supporters from out of state have cast votes in Ohio's early balloting.

The ballots are going to be withdrawn and no charges are going to be levied against the voters. An apology has been offered by a member of the group that brought the workers into the state.

Media Coverage of McCain More Negative Than Coverage of Obama, Study Says

Media coverage of Sen. John McCain has been heavily unfavorable since the political conventions, a study reports, more than three times as negative as the coverage of Sen. Barack Obama, Howard Kurtz of The Washington Post writes.

Fifty-seven percent of the print and broadcast stories about the Republican nominee were decidedly negative, the Project for Excellence in Journalism says in a report out today, while 14 percent were positive. The McCain campaign has repeatedly complained that the mainstream media are biased toward the senator from Illinois.

Obama's coverage was more balanced during the six-week period from Sept. 8 through last Thursday, with 36 percent of the stories clearly positive, 35 percent neutral or mixed and 29 percent negative.

McCain has struggled during this period and slipped in the polls, which is one of the reasons for the more negative assessments by the 48 news outlets studied by the Washington-based group. But the imbalance is striking nonetheless.

Sarah Palin's coverage ricocheted from quite positive to very negative to more mixed, the study says. Overall, 39 percent of the Palin stories were negative, 28 percent were positive and 33 percent neutral. Only 5 percent of the coverage was about her personal life. But McCain's running mate remains a media magnet, drawing three times as much coverage as the Democrats' VP nominee, Joe Biden. He was "nearly the invisible man," the group says, and his coverage was far more negative than Palin's. That may be because Biden tends to make news primarily when he commits gaffes.

The project says McCain's coverage started out positive after the GOP convention but nosedived with his frequently changing reaction to the financial crisis. McCain's character attacks against Obama hurt the Democrat but yielded even more negative coverage for the senator from Arizona.

Obama's coverage since the conventions represents a fall to earth from the early primaries of 2008, when the project found that, horse-race stories aside, positive narratives about Obama were twice as frequent as negative ones, 69 percent to 31 percent.

As Campaign Gets Uglier by the Hour, Obama Urges Supporters to Argue and Get Into Neighbors' Faces

A month ago, the American people were being told by both Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain that they should look forward to a campaign that emphasised issues and reject the negativity that marked recent presidential elections. Both campaigns had grabbed the mantra of offering a change in politics, and the way Washington does business.

Well, forget about it.

Both sides are snapping at each other, and on a very personal level. With about 46 days until we go to the polls, it has started to become a bloodbath. The trend starts at the top.

Today, Obama urged is supporters to get angry with McCain supporters on a personal level. Literally, urging hand-to-hand combat among neighbors. Kathleen Hennessey of The Associated Press reports this afternoon:

In Elko, Obama tried to anticipate his critics and called on the crowd of about 1,500 to sharpen their elbows, too.

"I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face," he said.

"And if they tell you that, 'Well, we're not sure where he stands on guns.' I want you to say, 'He believes in the Second Amendment.' If they tell you, 'Well, he's going to raise your taxes,' you say, 'No, he's not, he's going lower them.' You are my ambassadors. You guys are the ones who can make the case."

The nastiness doesn't start or end there. In the same AP report, McCain is quoted as saying Obama isn't interested in the country's future, he's interested in his future.

"Let's have some straight talk: Sen. Obama is not interested in the politics of hope; he's interested in his future. That's why he's hurling insults," McCain said as he and running mate Sarah Palin addressed a rally in Ohio.

But wait, there's more. While it's pretty ugly on the campaign trail, it gets worse among the hardcore supporters.

For instance, as we all know by now, an Obama supporter has hacked into Sarah Palin's private email account and through a sympathetic web site released her personal messages, family photos and her address book with contact information. Most, probably 99.9999999 percent of Americans both Democrat and Republican, would find this as an awful invasion of privacy. But there are vocal Obama supporters who are positively gleeful over this act of personal vandalism.

For example, David Lester Young writes in a blog on Democrats.org:

Now she know how it feels to have people in government as our political leaders to hack "At Will" into Confidential Personnel Files and Confidential Workman Comp files of Palin subordinates for the reason to Terminate them. That a innocent state employee got Terminated for opposing her "At Will" authority.

What an irony this is. She is getting the treatment she used that her Ethnic Lawyer warned her would have grave concerns.

If they prosecute the hackers it will be fun in court as they bring them into court, and say they want to be treated like Palin, special.

Not to spend a long time on what "at will" means, but Young doesn't seem to understand that a chief executive has every right to look into a personnel file and/or a Workman's comp file. It's not "hacking" when a chief executive looks into those files. But more importantly, it would seem that anyone who is concerned about civil liberties and privacy issues would be in an uproar about this, even to the point where they would defend someone who stands across the political fence. Unfortunately, for some on the left, winning is everything. And if it means putting aside your fundamental belief system in order to hurt a political adversary, so be it. For some liberals, civil liberties and privacy only matter if you are on the left. Those on the right are fair game.

If Palin can survive the next 47 days as the left throws everything at her, legal or not, then she is more than qualified to be "one heartbeat away" from the Oval Office. Nobody deserves the treatment she is getting. And it's only going to go downhill from here.

This campaign is getting scary. As long as Obama and McCain give their supporters the green light to attack by any means possible, even to the point where neighbors are urged to "get into the face" of neighbors, we are going to see a true bloodsport over the next few weeks on a very personal level.

McCain, Obama Fighting a Media Fog

Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain are wrestling with a new media dynamic in how national campaigns are conducted, as both candidates work through a media fog of blog postings, cable television headlines, television advertisements, speeches by other candidates and surrogates, video press releases, screaming e-mailed charges and counter-charges — not to mention the old-fashioned newspaper article or broadcast report on the evening news, writes Adam Nagourney of The New York Times.

Matthew Dowd, who was the chief strategist for President Bush’s re-election campaign in 2004, said that given a proliferation of news sources — and the fact that so many once-trusted news organizations are under attack — campaigns would be wise to discard the standard playbook.

Mr. Dowd went so far as to suggest that Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama were wasting their money on television advertisements, and that they would be better off preparing for the coming debates. Those encounters, he said, are likely to be the only chance the candidates have at capturing the undivided attention of the public.

“At this point, the ability to create and drive a message narrative is all but impossible,” he said. “There’s just so much stuff. The average person has 90 channels. They all get the dot-coms. They all get a newspaper. There is so much flow of information that they just to begin to discount it all.”

Beyond that, he suggested, in this increasingly partisan atmosphere — one in which the dueling campaigns are accusing each other of lying, and where Mr. McCain has made an orchestrated attempt to discredit news organizations — voters are no longer as apt to accept what they hear as truth.

“They distrust — more and more — the marketplace of the campaign,” Mr. Dowd said.

Obama Mocks McCain as Computer Illiterate; 2000 News Report: War Injury Prevents Him From Typing

GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain is mocked as an out-of-touch, out-of-date computer illiterate in the latest television commercial from Democrat Sen. Barack Obama's campaign. But what the ad doesn't note is that it has been reported years ago that McCain cannot physically use a keyboard because of injuries suffered as a POW in the Vietnam War.

The Associated Press reported late last night:

The new fighting spirit comes as McCain has been gaining in the polls and some Democrats have been expressing concern the Obama campaign has not been aggressive enough. Obama's campaign says the escalation will involve advertising and pushes made by the candidate, running mate Joe Biden and other surrogates across the country.

"Today is the first day of the rest of the campaign," Obama campaign manager David Plouffe says in a campaign strategy memo. "We will respond with speed and ferocity to John McCain's attacks and we will take the fight to him, but we will do it on the big issues that matter to the American people."

The newest ad showcasing their hard line includes unflattering footage of McCain at a hearing in the early '80s, wearing giant glasses and an out-of-style suit, interspersed with shots of a disco ball, a clunky phone, an outdated computer and a Rubik's Cube.

"1982, John McCain goes to Washington," an announcer says over chirpy elevator music. "Things have changed in the last 26 years, but McCain hasn't.

"He admits he still doesn't know how to use a computer, can't send an e-mail, still doesn't understand the economy, and favors two hundred billion in new tax cuts for corporations, but almost nothing for the middle class," it says. It shows video of McCain getting out of a golf cart with former President George H.W. Bush and closes with a photo of him standing with the current President Bush at the White House. "After one president who was out of touch, we just can't afford more of the same."

But in March 2000, Mary Leonard of the Boston Globe reported in a feature story on McCain that he could not even use a keyboard because of his war injuries:

McCain gets emotional at the mention of military families needing food stamps or veterans lacking health care. The outrage comes from inside: McCain's severe war injuries prevent him from combing his hair, typing on a keyboard, or tying his shoes. ...

After Vietnam, McCain had Ann Lawrence, a physical therapist, help him regain flexibility in his leg, which had been frozen in an extended position by a shattered knee. It was the only way he could hope to resume his career as a Navy flier, but Lawrence said the treatment, taken twice a week for six months, was excruciatingly painful.

"He endured it, he wouldn't settle for less," said Lawrence, who rejoiced with McCain when he passed the Navy physical. "I have never seen such toughness and resolve."

British PM Brown Voices His Endorsement for Obama

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has indicated he supports Sen. Barack Obama as the next president of the United States. In giving his support, Brown said Obama's plan to get the United States out of its housing slump is the key.

"Around the world, it is progressive politicians who are grappling with these challenges....In the electrifying US Presidential campaign, it is the Democrats who are generating the ideas to help people through more difficult times. To help prevent people from losing their home, Barack Obama has proposed a Foreclosure Prevention Fund to increase emergency pre-foreclosure counselling, and help families facing repossession."

Brown wrote the statement in an article published in The Monitor magazine. A report on that article is here, as Paul Waugh writes in a blog for the Evening Standard

McCain Outdraws Obama in TV Ratings

James Hibberd's blog the Live Feed reports tonight that John McCain has beaten Barack Obama, at least in the television ratings race.

The Republican nominee beat Democratic challenger Barack Obama's record-setting convention speech viewership by 500,000.

McCain's address at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night was seen by about 38.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. Obama received 38.4 million.

That means McCain's speech is now the most-watched in convention history -- 41% higher than President Bush's acceptance speech four years ago, and 1% higher than Obama's address last week.

Looking at the speech's audience demographics, McCain drew significantly more male viewers than Obama (16.2 million). McCain also drew more white viewers (32.2 million), while Obama was seen by more African Americans.

The numbers for the McCain speech (10 p.m.-11:15 .m.) are as follows:

FOXNEWS 9.2 MILLION
NBC 8.7 MILLION
ABC: 6.0 MILLION
CBS: 5.3 MILLION
CNN 4.8 MILLION
MSNBC 2.5 MILLION

Rasmussen: Palin More Popular Than Obama, McCain

Sarah Palin may not be popular with some in the national news media, but she is scoring well with Americans. Rasmussen Reports says that she is viewed more favorably than Obama and McCain in its latest poll released today:

A week ago, most Americans had never heard of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Now, following a Vice Presidential acceptance speech viewed live by more than 40 million people, Palin is viewed favorably by 58% of American voters. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 37% hold an unfavorable view of the self-described hockey mom.

The figures include 40% with a Very Favorable opinion of Palin and 18% with a Very Unfavorable view (full demographic crosstabs are available for Premium Members). Before her acceptance speech, Palin was viewed favorably by 52%. A week ago, 67% had never heard of her.

The new data also shows significant increases in the number who say McCain made the right choice and the number who say Palin is ready to be President. Generally, John McCain’s choice of Palin earns slightly better reviews than Barack Obama’s choice of Joe Biden.

Perhaps most stunning is the fact that Palin’s favorable ratings are now a point higher than either man at the top of the Presidential tickets this year. As of Friday morning, Obama and McCain are each viewed favorably by 57% of voters. Biden is viewed favorably by 48%.

Mixed Reviews on McCain's Speech

Most pundits followed the expected line after John McCain's acceptance speech last night at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. The ones who you would expect to like it praised the speech, and the commentators who are backing Barack Obama did't see much to get excited about it. Clearly, McCain had a tough act to follow after Sarah Palin's performance.

In my book, Chuck Todd said it best when he said that McCain was probably happy it was over with, and is eager to get to the more intimate settings of the debates.

David Gergen gives high marks on CNN:

A few thoughts as John McCain takes his bows: one cannot leave that speech without having enormous respect for him as a war hero and patriot. His retelling of his story tonight was extremely moving. I have long been a fan of John McCain the human being and I came away even more impressed tonight. It is worth remembering that a McCain has fought in every American war since 1776.

In terms of addressing America's big challenges, however, I found the speech much less compelling. It was a very general recitation of fairly standard Republican approaches (how is he really different from Bush on policy?), and it did not address many issues such as getting us out of an economic ditch, heading off the worst financial crisis since the Depression, exploding health care costs, and more. Overall, I thought that part of the speech was thin.

Kudos to McCain for leaving personal partisan rancor out of the speech. Personally, I wish that he had curbed some of that earlier in the convention.

Overall, I came away believing that the McCain-Palin ticket will be very formidable this fall. And even though the speech was long, I thought that when one judges its political impact, I would give it an A.

Peter Baker of The New York Times says McCain is not running to the center, he's running to become the opposition:

The effort to position Mr. McCain and the Republicans as the true agents of change benefited this week from his selection of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate. Known for taking on her own state party over corruption and wasteful spending, Ms. Palin projects the image of the ultimate Washington outsider, literally from more than 2,800 miles outside the Capital Beltway. And she would be the first woman to serve as vice president.

But as a matter of history, it is easier to run as the opposition party if you actually are the opposition party.

“When the president of the United States is from your own party, to present yourself as a change agent is not the easiest thing to pull off,” said Joe Trippi, a Democratic strategist. Referring to Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, Mr. Trippi added, “All Obama has to do is say, ‘Bush-McCain, Bush-McCain.’ ”

Chuck Todd said McCain missed the mark. "the convention will not be remembered for this acceptance speech. It will be remembered for Sarah Palin." He also noted there was no humor in the speech and that McCain is probably relieved that it's over. He said McCain is probably looking forward to the debates, where he might fare better.

Chris Matthews said McCain was separating himself from the party and George Bush. "This crowd is applauding his divorce from this administration." He went on to say that the delegates might not like the tone of his tact, but they may see a winner here.

David Gregory said that in the course of three days that McCain gave the Republicans the picture that he is a fighter, and that he has some fight in him left.

Excerpts of Palin's Speech Tonight

Drudge has these excerpts of Sarah Palin's speech tonight:

On her experience as a public servant:
"I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town. I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids’ public education better. When I ran for city council, I didn’t need focus groups and voter profiles because I knew those voters, and knew their families, too. Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities."

On why she is going to Washington, D.C.:

"I’m not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here’s a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this country."

On energy policies that the McCain-Palin administration will implement:
"Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America’s energy problems - as if we all didn’t know that already. But the fact that drilling won’t solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all. Starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we’re going to lay more pipelines...build more nuclear plants...create jobs with clean coal...and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal, and other alternative sources. We need American energy resources, brought to you by American ingenuity, and produced by American workers."

On John McCain:
"Here’s how I look at the choice Americans face in this election. In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change."

Palin, Pregnancy and Politics

Sarah Palin gives her speech tonight in accepting the nomination as the Republican vice president candidate, and the media is still pounding her on a number of fronts.

First Argument: She can't be a vice president be cause she is a mother of five.

Above, on CBS' Early Show today, Sally Quinn of The Washington Post is asked by co-host Maggie Rodriguez, "The question, can a mother of five, including an infant with Down's syndrome, be an effective vice president?" Quinn's answer is "it's interesting that here I am, supposedly part of you know, the -- what one would call the liberal elite media. That's what we've been all -- the critics of Sarah Palin have been called. And yet, taking the position that a woman with five children, including one with special needs, and a daughter who is a 17-year-old child who is pregnant and about to have a baby, probably has got to rethink her priorities. It seems to me that there is a tipping point, and I think that she's crossed the tipping point. I believe that it's going to be very difficult for her ... I think this is -- this is too much."

So yes, it is a liberal's argument that there is a tipping point (maybe a glass ceiling?) as to how high a woman can go in the business world. According to Quinn, a women with five children cannot succeed in high levels of government. But in my book, anyone who has raised five kids is most certainly capable of serving as vice president. There is no underestimating the amount of work it takes to handle the responsibilities of such a family, and at the same time achieve the position of governor.

Second Argument: She's not ready to be Vice President.

Well, actually, who is? What exactly is needed to be President of the Senate, besides swinging a gavel and breaking ties?

Now, the role of the vice president has changed the past eight years. Dick Cheney has wielded more power and influence than most vice presidents ever. But that doesn't mean that role will continue. The vice president's role is chiefly designed by the president. The president can have a potted plant if he wishes, or he can assign tasks to the vice president, or as in the case of George Bush, rely on an active vice president in the day-to-day affairs of the country. Either way, it will be up to Barack Obama or John McCain to define the roles of either Joe Biden or Sarah Palin. Obama and McCain will most likely use their vice president in roles that play to their strengths.

Argument Three: Sarah Palin's resume is not up to snuff on the national stage.

Once again, so what? Look at some other presidents. Harry Truman was a congressman before becoming vice president. Ronald Reagan was a governor and an actor. Gerald Ford was a congressman as well. Calvin Coolidge was a one-year governor. Grover Cleveland was mayor of Buffalo, then briefly governor of New York. Bill Clinton was governor of Arkansas. Abraham Lincoln served only one term in Congress. The list goes on.

Argument Four: Sarah Palin's a hypocrite because she stands for family values and her unwed teen daughter is pregnant.

This is so below the belt that it astounds me that anyone with any sense of decency can put forth this nonsense. Palin has demonstrated that she is living her faith through actions by carrying her Down's syndrome child to birth and opting for life. She's doing the same for her daughter, providing her with the love and support she will need to get through this. If anything, it has provided more support for Palin from evangelicals and social conservatives.

In the end. it's not a matter of words on a resume, it's a matter of leadership skills. That's what we need from our elected officials in Washington. Tonight is the first big test for Sarah Palin. If she can prove on a big stage that she can lead a party into action, she'll go a long way in fighting the barrage of insulting counterattacks from the left in the coming months.

Bush: Angry Left Won't Break McCain

President George Bush opened the Republican convention 1.1 tonight stirring the party faithful with a heart-felt endorsement of the GOP ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin. Bush spoke via a video link from the White House, where he is monitoring developments from Hurricane Gustav.

At one point the president gave the statement of the night: "If the Hanoi Hilton could not break John McCain’s resolve to do what is best for his country, you can be sure that the angry left never will." The convention roared its approval. A video clip can be found here.

"In these past eight years I've sat at the Resolute desk and reviewed the daily intelligence briefings, the threat assessments and the reports from our commanders on the front lines," Bush told the delegates. "I've stood in the ruins of buildings knocked down by killers and promised the survivors I would never let them down. I know the hard choices that fall solely to a president. John McCain's life has prepared him to make those choices. He is ready to lead this nation."


Fred Thompson spoke of McCain's devotion to country and his ability to fight the status quo. He described how McCain's experience as a prisoner of war help mold his character.

"On October 26, 1967, on his 23rd mission over North Vietnam, a surface-to-air missile slammed into John's A-4 Skyhawk jet, blowing it out of the sky. When John ejected, part of the plane hit him -- breaking his right knee, his left arm, his right arm in three places. An angry mob got to him. A rifle butt broke his shoulder. A bayonet pierced his ankle and his groin. They took him to the Hanoi Hilton, where he lapsed in and out of consciousness for days. He was offered medical care for his injuries if he would give up military information in return.

"John McCain said 'No.' After days of neglect, covered in grime, lying in his own waste in a filthy room, a doctor attempted to set John's right arm without success and without anesthesia. His other broken bones and injuries were not treated. John developed a high fever and dysentery. He weighed barely a hundred pounds. Expecting him to die, his captors placed him in a cell with two other POWs who also expected him to die. But with their help, John McCain fought on. He persevered.

"So then they put him in solitary confinement. For over two years. Isolation. Incredible heat beating on a tin roof. A light bulb in his cell burning 24 hours a day. Boarded-up cell windows blocking any breath of fresh air. The oppressive heat causing boils the size of baseballs under his arms. The outside world limited to what he could see through a crack in a door.

"We hear a lot of talk about hope these days. John McCain knows about hope. That's all he had. For propaganda purposes, his captors offered to let him go home. John McCain refused. He refused to leave ahead of men who'd been there longer. He refused to abandon his conscience and his honor, even for his freedom. He refused, even though his captors warned him, 'It will be very bad for you.' They were right. It was. The guards cracked ribs, broke teeth off at the gums. They cinched a rope around his arms and painfully drew back his shoulders. Over four days, every two to three hours, the beatings resumed. During one especially fierce beating, he fell, again breaking his arm.

"John was beaten for communicating with other prisoners. He was beaten for not communicating with so-called 'peace delegations.' He was beaten for not giving information during interrogations. When his captors wanted the names of other pilots in his squadron, John gave them the name of the offensive line of the Green Bay Packers. Whenever John was returned to his cell -- walking if he could, dragged if he couldn't -- as he passed his fellow POWs, he would often call out to them. He'd smile, often give them a thumbs-up.

"For five-and-a-half years this went on. John McCain's bones may have been broken but his spirit never was. Now, being a POW certainly doesn't qualify anyone to be President. But it does reveal character. This is the kind of character that civilizations from the beginning of history have sought in their leaders. Strength, courage, humility, wisdom, duty, honor. It's pretty clear there are two questions we will never have to ask ourselves, 'Who is this man?' and 'Can we trust this man with the Presidency?'"

Joe Lieberman closed the night as a registered Democrat and the former vice presidential candidate for the opposition eight years ago. He was well-received, and spoke of why he is supporting a Republican for president. Noting that while Obama was voting to cut off funds for troops in Iraq, McCain took the politically unpopular position to support a surge in troops. "Because of that, today, our troops are at last beginning to come home, not in failure, but in honor.

"Tonight, I ask you, whether you are an independent, a Reagan Democrat or a Clinton Democrat, or just a Democrat: This year, when you vote for president, vote for the person you believe is best for the country, not for the party you happen to belong to,"

Dems' Research on Palin Reveals Her Phone Number and Part of Her Social Security Number

Ben Smith and John Bresnahan of Politico have posted the internal Democrat memo on research in Sarah Palin's political and personal life, including a partial release of her Social Security number, a list of vehicles she has owned with VIN numbers, her home address, former addresses and phone number. The pdf file is here. The 63-page document includes subsections called "Vindictive, Firings", "Creating Bureaucracy", "Powerful Mayor" and "Can't Handle Criticism" under a management style section.

Democrat Tony Knowles, her opponent in the 2006 Alaska gubernatorial race, put together a detailed, 63-page research document — obtained by Politico — cataloging Palin’s strengths and weaknesses. And the Obama campaign, in particular, knows Palin well: A key Obama consultant, Anita Dunn, worked on Knowles’ campaign.

“We’re running against John McCain — the issues raised around his decision and the fact that he clearly bowed under to the right wing of his party and let them exercise veto power over his vice presidential pick,” Dunn said, suggesting the Obama campaign wouldn’t be recycling the 2006 Democratic criticism of Palin.

“Whether it was Sarah Palin or Tim Pawlenty or Mitt Romney or somebody else, fundamentally that wasn’t going to alter the dynamic — which is that John McCain believes we don’t need to change the fundamental economic policies in this country,” Dunn said.

The Democratic opposition research document, which was not obtained from Dunn or from the Obama campaign, is largely a catalog of the day-to-day decisions of a small-town mayor. It contains examples of her sometimes confrontational tenure and colorful details of an ordinary woman who was thrilled to meet Ivana Trump and who began the process of opening a marketing company whose name — Rouge Cou — was supposed to be a French version of “redneck.”

Palin's Earmark Total: $27M in Pork

Paul Kane of The Washington Post reports today that Sarah Palin hired a lobbying firm to secure almost $27 million in federal earmarks for a town of 6,700 residents while she was its mayor.

There was $500,000 for a youth shelter, $1.9 million for a transportation hub, $900,000 for sewer repairs, and $15 million for a rail project -- all intended to benefit Palin's town, Wasilla, located about 45 miles north of Anchorage.

In introducing Palin as his running mate on Friday, Sen. John McCain cast her as a compatriot in his battle against wasteful federal spending. McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, hailed Palin as a politician "with an outstanding reputation for standing up to special interests and entrenched bureaucracies -- someone who has fought against corruption and the failed policies of the past, someone who's stopped government from wasting taxpayers' money."

McCain's crusade against earmarks -- federal spending sought by members of Congress to benefit specific projects -- has been a hallmark of his campaign. He has said earmarks are wasteful and are often inserted into bills with little oversight, sometimes by a single powerful lawmaker.

Father of Palin's Grandchild: I Don't Want Kids

The New York Daily News researched the background of 17-year-old Levi Johnston, who is the father of Bristol Palin's unborn child. Its story notes that Johnston described himself as "a f*in' redneck" hockey player who "doesn't want kids" on his myspace page, which has been taken down.

Besides his hard play on the ice, Levi Johnston was also a bit of a hell-raiser off it - another reason Bristol may have been smitten.

State troopers popped Johnston last year for snagging some king salmon out of season in Moose Lake, records from Alaska wildlife enforcement show. He had to pay $370 bail.

On his MySpace page, Johnston proudly declares: "I'm a f---in' redneck."

"I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing," he says on the site.

He also warns that if anyone messes with him, "I'll kick ass."

The Web site, before it was removed, appeared not to have been accessed for a year.

On it, he admits to having a girlfriend.

On the part where it asks about children, he wrote, "I don't want kids."

Video of Palin Speaking at Wasilla Church

UPDATE, 9:09 p.m. Eastern, Sept. 8: Olbermann, Maddow paint Palin's faith as extreme.

Sarah Palin at Wasilla Assembly of God (Part 1)

Sarah Palin at Wasilla Assembly of God (Part 2)

Nico Pitney and Sam Stein, writing for the Huffington Post, uncovered a video of Sarah Palin appearing in June at Wasilla Assembly of God, the church she was a member of for many years. The full video is available at the Huffington Post.

Speaking before the Pentecostal church, Palin painted the current war in Iraq as a messianic affair in which the United States could act out the will of the Lord.

"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."

Alaska's governor asked the audience to pray for another matter -- a $30 billion national gas pipeline project that she wanted built in the state. "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that," she said.

The church runs a number of ministries providing help to poor neighborhoods, care for children in need, and general community services. But Pastor Kalnins has also preached that critics of President Bush will be banished to hell; questioned whether people who voted for Sen. John Kerry in 2004 would be accepted to heaven; charged that the 9/11 terrorist attacks and war in Iraq were part of a war "contending for your faith;" and said that Jesus "operated from that position of war mode."

It is impossible to determine how much Wasilla Assembly of God has shaped Palin's thinking. She was baptized there at the age of 12 and attended the church for most of her adult life. When Palin was inaugurated as governor, the founding pastor of the church delivered the invocation. In 2002, Palin moved her family to a nondenominational church, but she continues to worship at a related Assembly of God church in Juneau.

Moreover, she "has maintained a friendship with Wasilla Assembly of God and has attended various conferences and special meetings here," Kalnins' office said in a statement. "As for her personal beliefs," the statement added, "Governor Palin is well able to speak for herself on those issues."

Newsweek's Lisa Miller and Amanda Coyne looked at her current church, Wasilla Bible Church, and reported the following this afternoon:

Except for the national spotlight, Wasilla Bible Church resembles thousands of conservative evangelical churches across the country. Its statement of faith says its members believe that the Bible is the "inspired, inerrant word of God." It offers a half a dozen ministries devoted to children and families, including a chapter of MOPS, a popular nationwide support group for Christian mothers of preschoolers. The sermons of its ministers steer clear of politics and hot-button social issues and dwell instead on scripture. Its membership is largely conservative.

Another Storm for McCain

Hanna could strike the U.S. coast on Friday, but may impact the Florida coast Thursday night, just about the same time Sen. John McCain is scheduled to speak to the GOP convention in St. Paul.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has already declared a state of emergency, saying the state should prepare for flash floods and winds up to 111 mph.

Should Palin Step Aside?

Republican Party insiders are reeling over the cloud storms that have gathered over John McCain's decision-making process in choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate. While the party is unified in her defense concerning the controversial pick, George Stephanopoulos of ABC News wrote this morning that there are three questions the party faithful are asking themselves at the convention:

1) What else is out there about Palin? Monday brought the announcement that Palin's 17-year-old daughter is pregnant; news that Palin was once a member of the fringe Alaska independence party; and the revelation that Palin's husband was arrested for a DUI in the 1980s. The news about Palin has continued to come this morning, with the Washington Post reporting that Palin hired a lobbying firm during her time as the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, to lobby for millions in earmarks for the small town.

2) Was the vetting process complete and professional? Reports in Tuesday's New York Times and Alaska Daily News both suggest the McCain campaign's vetting of Palin was swift and superficial, although the McCain campaign continues to insist that Palin was thoroughly and professionally vetted.

3) And most significantly, what message will voters hear about McCain's judgment that he chose someone to be his running mate who has almost no national security experience and who is so much of an unknown quantity?

The answers to these questions could be deal-breakers, not only for Palin's political future but for John McCain's chances in the election.

For question No. 1, if there are no new revelations, she should survive the political storm. A DUI by her husband two decades ago is nothing to be concerned about. And despite the left's insistence that Palin is a hypocrite because of her stance on family values, evangelicals and social conservatives will see her actions in her daughter's pregnancy as a sign that she lives what she believes. That is, life is sacred at conception.

In regards to question No. 2, there is no real answer. Who is to say what is required in the vetting process? A presidential candidate can request thousands of documents from a potential vice presidential pick but there is always a chance something will fall through the cracks.

But question No. 3 might have produced the most damage for McCain. Clearly, this is a window into his decision-making process and ultimately his judgment. When Americans make their decision this fall, they will want someone in the Oval Office they can have confidence in to make the right call. Rash judgments and ill-advised decisions could lead to disaster for a president. McCain's reputation has clearly suffered in this regard. Palin may be the right person for the vice presidency, but her selection is seriously degrading McCain's chances in being elected. McCain may be forced to ask her to step aside. He could spin it by saying with new revelations, it's become clear that it's time for a midstream adjustment. She could say that she has decided for the good of her family and the party she is not going to run.

One thing is clear, if a move is to be made, it has to be soon, and that means during the convention. That would give him and the party time to recover from this political mistake, and rebuild his reputation for someone who normally has sound judgment.

Palin's Daughter Pregnancy Stuns Political World

Rick Klein and Jennifer Parker, writing for ABC News, examine the ramifications of the news that Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is five months' pregnant and will marry her boyfriend.

Palin is an outspoken opponent of abortion, opposing the termination of a pregnancy in all cases except when the mother's life is in danger. Palin also opposed sexual education programs in schools, other than an abstinence-only curriculum, during her 2006 Alaska gubernatorial campaign.

Given all that as a backdrop, the tag of hypocrite may soon appear from the left. That tag is a political death sentence for anyone.

So far, the reaction has been predictable along party lines. Obama told reporters after a campaign event in Monroe, Mich., that “people’s families are off-limits and people’s children are especially off-limits. This shouldn’t be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin’s performance as a governor or potential performance as a vice president. So I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories.”

But fallout has started, and there will be no let up in the coming days.

Richard Gizbert, writing for the Huffington Post, says Palin is the new Thomas Engleton, and predicts she will step away from the race within next week or so. He pins the potential move on reaction from evangelicals.

But what hurts Palin's candidacy more than anything else is the breaking news about her daughter.

It hurts because Sarah Palin was a bone John McCain threw at the Republican right.

He had problems with evangelicals and thought she could help him there. And, for a news cycle or two, it worked.

But what are the evangelicals thinking now? A teen pregnancy for a prospective vice-president's unmarried daughter?

Even though some will say the decision to keep the baby is consistent with their beliefs on abortion, it's still not the news they want to hear.

Evangelicals are socially conservative. How many of them are calling members of their congregations today, asking whether this kind of thing would have happened had Sarah Palin given up her career to be there for her children?

Bart Jones of Newsday interviewed Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf who said that the revelation shows that McCain stubbed his toe on the selection process, and that ultimately it will doom his candidacy.

The selection showed a "major lack of judgment" and a "major failure to comprehend what the reaction would be," Sheinkopf said.

"You cannot excite the base of fundamentalist Christians by telling them your daughter is pregnant out of wedlock," he said. The entire episode "makes the McCain people look stupid."

McCain supporters have been spending the day defending her. Liz Halloran of U.S. News and World Reports, met with evangelicals today and discussed the issue.

"I don't think it [hurts] at all," said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, who hailed Palin's nomination.

The media's breathless reaction is proof that "you just don't get it," Land said during a U.S. News lunch roundtable here that also included Jim Wallis, president and executive director of Sojourners; Randy Brinson, founder of Redeem the Vote; and Chuck Donovan, executive vice president for the Family Research Council.

"We need to take the Juno option," Wallis said, referring to last year's popular movie about a pregnant teenager who gives her baby up for adoption. Said Donovan: "It doesn't matter if it's a conservative, liberal, or an apolitical family—these things happen."

Donovan and Land both referred to the national efforts by evangelicals to encourage women and girls to do what Bristol Palin, now five months pregnant, has done and keep the child. "Pro-life people don't see a baby as a punishment," Land said.

Carla Marinucci, the political writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, talked to Republican delegates in St. Paul, Minn., about their concerns. Most everyone was supportive of Palin and her family.

Most staunch Republicans in St. Paul, hearing the news, aimed to accentuate the positive: Palin's daughter is keeping the baby and getting married, a plus - the embodiment of family values, they said.

"I'm not a feminist, never have been, and I opposed the Equal Rights Amendment because it was bad law," said Jo Ellen Allen, a delegate from Newport Beach. "But women ought to be applauding her. ... This happens to the best of families."

"As a delegate, and as a woman, I respect them even more now,' said Miryam Mora, 26, a GOP delegate from Los Angeles, whose reaction mirrored many inside Xcel Energy Center. "It's a family with real issues and real problems ... but it's an amazing family."

Daily Kos Bloggers and Palin Rumors

At least one poster at the Daily Kos is trying to set the record straight in regards to the awful mudslinging that has been going on over there concerning Sarah Palin.

OK, there is a visibly-pregnant Sarah Palin talking with a CBS 11 (Dallas Juneau) reporter at the Governor's meeting in Texas end of the Alaska legislative session. She clearly appears to be pregnant.

Unless someone has counter evidence, we can drop this crap now. Yes, there are still some interesting questions, such as why she flew to Dallas and back when she was this pregnant, and why the Alaska Airlines crewmembers insisted that she was not visibly pregnant on the flight. Nevertheless, until this photo is debunked, we look stupid pushing this rumor.

That is all.

This was posted last night (11:50 p.m. Eastern), before I posted my remarks earlier this morning (1:10 a.m. Eastern). I had originally posted it in the same file as the Palin investigation, but I split them later at 8:46 a.m. Eastern.

This is still a new low in American politics.