AP: Obama mocks McCain as computer illiterate
John McCain is mocked as an out-of-touch, out-of-date computer illiterate in a television commercial out Friday from Barack Obama as the Democrat begins his sharpest barrage yet on McCain's long Washington career.

AP: Palin administration may fight subpoenas in court
Gov. Sarah Palin's administration is threatening to block any subpoenas by the Alaska Legislature as it investigates whether she abused her authority in trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper.

CNN: McCain, Obama find common ground on national service
Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama showed Thursday night that they have more common ground than differences when it comes to making national service a priority in their presidential administrations.

USA TODAY: Palin 'governed from the center,' went after big oil
Weeks after taking office as Alaska's governor in December 2006, Sarah Palin vetoed a bill that sought to ban benefits for the same-sex partners of state workers. It was unconstitutional, she said.

CNN Radio: Candidates come together, Palin answers tough questions
Joining together to remember America's darkest day. And Sarah Palin faces a media inquisitor! Bob Costantini has today's CNN Radio Political Ticker.

Washington Post: Palin Links Iraq to Sept. 11 In Talk to Troops in Alaska
Gov. Sarah Palin linked the war in Iraq with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, telling an Iraq-bound brigade of soldiers that included her son that they would "defend the innocent from the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the death of thousands of Americans."

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Bloomberg: Obama, McCain Put Politics Aside to Mark Sept. 11 Anniversary
Barack Obama and John McCain will put their presidential ambitions on hold today to make an unprecedented joint appearance at a commemoration marking the seventh anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

NYT: Squad of G.O.P. Aides Prepares Palin for Interviews
Two weeks ago, People magazine was granted an exclusive interview with Senator John McCain’s new running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, who spoke about motherhood and career, life in Alaska and the historic nature of her candidacy.

USA TODAY: Palin's town used to bill victims for rape kits
In 2000, Alaska lawmakers learned that rural police agencies had been billing rape victims or their insurance companies $500 to $1,200 for the costs of the forensic medical examinations used to gather evidence. They quickly passed a law prohibiting the practice.

AP: Coverage guarantee can hit young the hardest
Barack Obama's campaign promise should prove irresistible to the millions of uninsured: guaranteed access to affordable health coverage, regardless of illness or condition.

NYT: Palin’s Pipeline Is Years From Being a Reality
When Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska took center stage at the Republican convention last week, she sought to burnish her executive credentials by telling how she had engineered the deal that jump-started a long-delayed gas pipeline project.

Politico: Palin team stocked with Bush veterans
With Sarah Palin facing unrelenting press scrutiny and enjoying off-the-charts excitement from voters, John McCain’s campaign is quickly moving to augment her staff and put in place an infrastructure that can address the unexpected wave of interest.

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Chicago Sun-Times: Biden isn't afraid of Palin
Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden assured a crowd of donors in Lincoln Park Tuesday night that he would handle himself just fine in his debate with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

CNN: McCain ahead in national polls; Obama up in electoral votes
Sen. John McCain has inched ahead of Sen. Barack Obama in national polls, but the Democratic candidate holds a steady lead in the most recent Electoral College estimates.

Financial Times: Five swing states could hold key to the Oval Office
They said that a contest between Barack Obama and John McCain could redraw the electoral map in the US. However, as polling day draws closer and the campaigns reveal their priorities in where they spend their money and locate field offices, all of a sudden 2008 is starting to look like 2004.

CNN Radio: Open political warfare as troops are withdrawn and Truth Squads deployed
Iraq becomes a campaign issue again, Obama’s not worried about the Palin factor, and remember Ron Paul? Bob Costantini has more in today's CNN Radio Political Ticker.

CNN: Fact Check: McCain-lobbyist connections
Republicans say Sen. John McCain and his vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin, are mavericks. But in a new ad, Sen. Barack Obama's campaign says not so fast - they're no maverick reformers.

USA TODAY: McCain raises cash while limited to public funds
Republican John McCain is asking donors to give far in excess of what they can contribute to him directly, even as he is limited to taking only public funds for the fall campaign.

AP: No questions, please; Palin sticks to her script
John McCain took a risk in picking little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as a running mate, but now the campaign's playing it safer. She's sticking to a greatest hits version of her convention speech on the campaign trail and steering clear of questions until she's comfortable enough for a hand-picked interviewer later this week.
 

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CNN: Palin shoves Biden out of the spotlight
With Gov. Sarah Palin getting so much attention these days, Sen. Barack Obama's running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, is being elbowed out of the vice presidential spotlight.

Washington Post: Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at Home; Taxpayers Also Funded Family's Travel
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.

WSJ Op-ED: Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin: We'll Protect Taxpayers From More Bailouts
The bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is another outrageous, but sadly necessary, step for these two institutions. Given the long-term mismanagement and flawed structure of these two companies, this was the only short-term alternative for ensuring that hard-working Americans have access to affordable mortgages during this difficult economic period.

CNN Radio: The polls have it...the race is a dead-heat
Not a lot of undecideds! Sarah Palin still tethered to John McCain! Obama slipping! Bob Costantini has today's CNN Radio Political Ticker.

WSJ: In Palin's Past, the Personal Got Political; An Aide's Affair May Have Become Grounds for Firing
Sarah Palin and John Bitney go way back. They were in the same junior-high band class. Mr. Bitney was a key aide in Gov. Palin's 2006 gubernatorial campaign. When she took office, she gave Mr. Bitney a job as her legislative director, and a few months later stood beside him at a news conference and praised his work.

AP: A Hillary vs. Sarah smackdown? Don't bet on it
Anyone wanting a Hillary vs. Sarah smackdown might be in for a letdown. First, Sarah Palin launched her Republican vice presidential campaign with praise for the strides Hillary Rodham Clinton made in her quest for the Democratic presidential nomination. On Monday, Clinton spoke in kind.

NY Times: Forgoing Subsidy, Obama Team Presses Donors
After months of record-breaking fund-raising, a new sense of urgency in Senator Barack Obama’s fund-raising team is palpable as the full weight of the campaign’s decision to bypass public financing for the general election is suddenly upon it.
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USA TODAY: Poll: Convention lifts McCain over Obama
The Republican National Convention has given John McCain and his party a significant boost, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken over the weekend shows, as running mate Sarah Palin helps close an "enthusiasm gap" that has dogged the GOP all year.

CNN: McCain vows to have Democrats in Cabinet
Promising a "very bipartisan approach" to how he'll run his administration, Sen. John McCain said in an interview broadcast Sunday that he would appoint Democrats to his Cabinet.

WSJ: Alaska Officials Weigh Subpoenas For Palin Staff Over Firing
An Alaska state investigation into Gov. Sarah Palin's firing of her public safety commissioner is turning into a power struggle between the state's executive and legislative branches.

NYT: MSNBC Takes Incendiary Hosts From Anchor Seat
MSNBC tried a bold experiment this year by putting two politically incendiary hosts, Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews, in the anchor chair to lead the cable news channel’s coverage of the election. That experiment appears to be over.

CNN: Kennedy plans to return to Capitol Hill in January
Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, who underwent surgery in June for a brain tumor, will not return to Capitol Hill this week when Congress returns from its August recess.

CNN: Palin to give first television interview to national media
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Sen. John McCain’s surprise pick for the VP spot on the Republican ticket, has agreed to her first television interview with a national media outlet since being named as McCain’s running mate.

CNN Radio: Red (and blue) alert!
Battleground Stations! Battleground Stations! That's the call for the major party candidates now, eight weeks before the election. Bob Costantini has today's CNN Radio Political Ticker.

CNN: Obama, Bill Clinton to sit down for a private lunch
Sen. Barack Obama and former president Bill Clinton will share a private lunch together on Thursday, September 11, CNN has confirmed.

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