Anchorage Daily News

Palin and McCain come out swinging in Wisconsin. ABCNews.com reports that the Republican ticket made its first joint appearance in Cedarburg, Wis., today. Palin wasted no time in leveling criticism at Democratic contender Barack Obama over his admission on The O'Reilly Factor Thursday night that the troop surge had succeeded in ways that nobody predicted.

Palin: "I guess when you turn out to be profoundly wrong on a vital national security issue, maybe it's comforting to pretend that everyone was wrong, too. But I remember it a little differently. It seems to me there was one leader in Washington who did predict success, who refused to call retreat, and risked his own career for the sake of the surge and victory in Iraq, and ladies and gentlemen, that man is standing right next to me -- Sen. John McCain."

A Department of Labor report of 84,000 jobs lost in August got only a passing mention from McCain in his speech, but Todd Palin was singled out.

"Could I mention her husband Todd? That guy is crazy!" McCain exclaimed.McCain called his 2,000-mile treks in 40 degree-below weather "remarkable." "You'd have to be crazy to do that. But what a guy, a commercial fisherman, union member and a devoted father. What a family."

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Palin needs to flesh out what a “hockey mom” is. CNNPolitics.com writes that swing state voters may well like a “moose-hunting, gun-toting, hard-talking mother of five.” But she’s got to flesh out those details.

Voters will want to know more about Palin's social views, particularly her views on abortion, which are to the right of public opinion. Palin's decision not to abort her child after she learned that he had Down syndrome made her a favorite of anti-abortion advocates, but her opposition to abortion rights, including in the cases of rape and incest, may turn off suburban women, particularly those who supported Hillary Clinton.

And her sarcastic quip during her convention speech about community organizers -"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities,"- may not play well with independent voters, analysts say.

CNN political correspondent Paul Begala: “That sarcasm is very unappealing. Ronald Reagan never used sarcasm. You want your audience to like you. Sarcasm is rooted in an arrogance and superiority that is very off-putting.”

CNN senior political analyst David Gergen: "The question for me is whether she will also appeal in suburban America. I am not at all certain that she will. Her combative, anti-elitist style along with her staunch conservatism on issues like abortion may just leave a lot of voters cool, if not cold."

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Opposing view on Palin’s candidacy. The New York Times op-ed writer David Brooks liked the freshness he heard in Palin’s speech.

Her words flowed directly from her life experience, her poise and mannerisms from her town and its conversations. She left behind most of the standard tropes of Republican rhetoric (compare her text to the others) and skated over abortion and the social issues. There wasn’t even any tired, old Reagan nostalgia.

Instead, her language resonated more of supermarket aisle than the megachurch pulpit. More than the men on the tickets, she embodies the spirit of the moment: impatient, fed up, tough-minded, but ironical. Even in attack, she projected the cheerfulness of someone confident about the future.

Sullivan of Atlantic.com was having none of it, arguing Palin took on the Republican establishment after former Gov. Frank Murkowski passed her by as his U.S. Senate replacement, appointing his daughter, Lisa, instead.

Look: I understand the desire to look for the best. In the first hours of the news, I was dreaming she might even be good for gay rights. But reality is reality. Memo to David: Keep reading; stop dreaming.

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Polls show Palin is popular, but ... An ABC News Survey out this morning shows that Sarah Palin's rollout is highly partisan and half of those surveyed don't believe she has the experience to be president. In considering the Democratic ticket, 66 percent of those surveyed say Biden would be ready on day one.

See all the charts yourself here.

Half of Americans have a favorable first impression of Palin, 37 percent unfavorable, with the rest undecided. Her positive ratings soar to 85 percent among Republicans, 81 percent among her fellow evangelical white Protestants and 74 percent of conservatives. Just a quarter of Democrats agree, with independents in the middle.

The public divides by a close 43-38 percent on whether the choice of Palin makes them more confident or less confident in the kind of decisions McCain would make as president -- again along sharply partisan lines.

The Ivan Moore poll, backed by the Anchorage Press, the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, KTUU and KENI, echoes the Palin popularity numbers. Moore's numbers show Palin's approval at almost 82 percent, but if you ask whether her selection will help the McCain campaign, the positives drop to 65.2 percent.

As for the effect "down-ticket," the poll shows a significant narrowing between U.S. Senate candidates Ted Stevens and Mark Begich. In the last poll, Begich had 55.5 -38.5 percent over Stevens. Now, only a window of three points separates them, with Begich coming in at 48.9-45.6 percent. In the U.S. House race, Don Young got no help but Sean Parnell moved ahead of Ethan Berkowitz by 11 points.

And the presidential contest? The poll shows it's McCain/Palin in Alaska by almost 20 points.

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National media try to write the textbook on Alaska. Who is Sarah? What kind of place is Wasilla? What sorts of women vote for Palin? And what about Todd, anyway? All these story lines are emerging fast and furious as the rest of the country tries to understand the Palin family and the place they call home.

> They raise children, pray and support Palin (The New York Times)

Former Daily News reporter Kim Severson, now reporting for the Times, delves into women voters and why Palin draws them.

"She didn't create this, but she showed up at the right time," said Darla Shine, whose Happy Housewife Club franchise includes a talk radio show, a book and a Web site that receives millions of hits a month. "She represents a huge pocket of women who have been the ignored community for so long."

And:

"Sarah Palin is a different kind of feminist," said Joy Ng, who lives in Kodiak with her husband of 35 years. "She is a strong woman who can wear a skirt and be proud of it."

But there are detractors. Another familiar name to Alaska readers, Mike Doogan: "There is no more unlikely hockey mom on this planet. They are usually not this politically ambitious or cutthroat."

And from a Wasilla mom who's issued a letter of information on Palin posted now at the Alaska Politics blog:

Anne Kilkenny, who said she voted for Ms. Palin in city elections, said she became disillusioned with her after participating in Wasilla city government and seeing Ms. Palin up close.

"You've got to remember," Ms. Kilkenny said, "we are not much bigger than a high school and she is the homecoming queen."

> Sarah Palin's real soul mate (Salon.com)

That would be George. W. Bush.

Last night's official unveiling of Sarah Palin as their presumptive veep proved that the only change they're offering is savvier packaging. In Gov. Palin, the GOP has its new Bush, same as the old Bush, but more polished, more presentable, more user-friendly than the original ever was -- and, they hope, still fresh and unencumbered enough to run as a "maverick" against the legacy of Dubya 1.0's failures.

Not sure about that? Take Salon.com's quiz of quotes - who said what, Bush or Palin?

> Christian publisher issues new Palin biography (Marketwatch.com)

In "Sarah Palin: A New Kind of Leader", author Joe Hilley explores traits from Palin's background and experience, including her maverick integrity, electrifying communication style, career agility, and perpetual education, to establish his argument for Palin as an exemplary leader in our rapidly changing cultural landscape. By exploring the leadership principles that have catapulted Palin into the national spotlight, Hilley explains how she models a fresh paradigm of leadership that will guide the United States through the 21st century.

> The movie that defines Sarah. (Washington Post, PostPartisan blog)

The more I read about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the more I keep thinking of Eve Harrington.She is the struggling and striving actress who befriended star stage actress Margo Channing and used that association in an aggressive climb to the top of the theater world in the 1950 movie "All About Eve." Anne Baxter played Eve. Bette Davis played Margo.

A quote from Eve on the virtues of action and applause. Substitute politics for acting, the writer suggests. "It's like, like waves of love coming over the flood lights and wrapping you up. They want you. You belong. Just that alone is worth anything."

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Todd Palin gets his day in the sun. Suddenly reporters seem to be noticing the "First Dude." Republican delegates already had.

> "He's the hottie." (National Post of Canada)

"He's the hottie!" said Sharon Day, a Republican delegate from Fort Lauderdale. Ms. Day and other female delegates from Florida had just met Todd Palin, the oil-field-working, snowmobile-racing, self-proclaimed "first dude" husband of the Alaska Governor and nominee for vice-president. In yet another surreal moment surrounding the convention, Mr. Palin found himself at a luncheon yesterday eating chilled strawberry champagne soup and introducing Cindy McCain to about 1,700 adoring GOP supporters. "Is it just me or do things move quickly around here?" he asked the crowd. Just days ago, "I was at work on the North Slope, working the night shift."

> Sure honey, go ahead and join the PTA. (SignonSanDiego.com)

Palin's husband can be forgiven if his head is spinning just a little.

"If I had a crystal ball five years ago, I might have asked a few more questions when Sarah decided to join the PTA," he said.

> "First Dude" digs into job creation (Associated Press)

Todd Palin joined state officials on the two mining trips, and the costs of his travel were disclosed by his wife as gifts in compliance with state ethics laws. The excursions coincide with a mini metals boom in Alaska fueled by high prices. Two new hard-rock mines are scheduled to open soon, and three more are on the drawing board. There are only four large metal mines active in Alaska now.

John Bitney, a childhood friend of the governor's who worked on her campaign and served as her legislative liaison until last summer, said Todd Palin was a common fixture in her office on the third floor of the state Capitol when he was in Juneau. But his role wasn't a formal one.

Bitney said that besides workforce development, Todd Palin showed interest in oil and gas issues and the shooting of wolves from aircraft to boost caribou and moose herds.

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A little matter of foreign policy education. There's a Facebook group with 26,000 members called "I have more foreign policy experience than Sarah Palin." Members talk about living next to Greeks or studying Spanish. You need an account to visit the spot.

The Washington Post reports on the team that is briefing Palin on world issues, including Sen. Joe Lieberman.

Washington Monthly.com and Politico.com report that Palin is headed back to Alaska and away from the national media. They both cite this video report from Howard Fineman, in which he says the campaign will be using "the plane time and time on the ground to begin the education of Sarah Palin." No Sunday talk shows are planned just yet.

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Gov. Palin and the oil industry. A column by the Wall Street Journal offers the different histories of former Gov. Frank Murkowski and Palin with the state's three powerful oil companies.

Every state has its share of crony capitalism, but Big Oil and the GOP political machine have taken that term to new heights in Alaska. The oil industry, which provides 85% of state revenues, has strived to own the government. Alaska's politicians-in particular ruling Republicans-roll in oil campaign money, lavish oil revenue on pet projects, then retire to lucrative oil jobs where they lobby for sweetheart oil deals. You can love the free market and not love this.

Alaskans have long resented this dysfunction, which has led to embarrassing corruption scandals. It has also led to a uniform belief that the political class, in hock to the oil class, fails to competently oversee Alaska's vast oil and gas wealth, the majority of which belongs to the state-or rather, Alaskan citizens.

The Globe and Mail of Canada describes how "Big oil went from friend to foe in Alaska."

Doug Reynolds, an oil and gas economist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, said Ms. Palin's populist stand has made great optics for the voters. But it's unclear whether the state is any closer to extracting commitments to kick-start new oil and gas development and build the pipeline - or, as some fear, has pushed the industry further away.

"On the surface, it looks like she's standing up to the oil companies. But it only means she's standing up if we actually get something, if we've negotiated something better. We don't have anything yet."

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Other headlines of interest to Alaskans:

> Palin detractors, watch out. (National Review)

In short, Sarah Palin is the emblem of what feminism was supposed to be all about: an unafraid, independent, audacious woman, who soared on her own merits without the aid of a patriarchal jumpstart, high-brow matrimonial tutelage and capital, and old-boy liaisons and networking.

Instead this entire sorry episode of personal invective against, and jealousy toward, Sarah Palin is surreal. Given the rising backlash, Palin Derangement Syndrome may prove to be the one thing, fairly or not, that sinks Barack Obama.

> Dr. Laura is "extremely disappointed"with Palin as VP. (dr.laurablog.com)

I'm stunned - couldn't the Republican Party find one competent female with adult children to run for Vice President with McCain? I realize his advisers probably didn't want a "mature" woman, as the Democrats keep harping on his age. But really, what kind of role model is a woman whose fifth child was recently born with a serious issue, Down Syndrome, and then goes back to the job of governor within days of the birth?

> Palin and Obama both have padded resumes. (Associated Press)

Exaggeration is a fact of American life. The reality of a hyper-competitive global economy leads some people to stretch the truth to get ahead. Some 80 percent of all resumes include misleading information, Callahan says, and a review of 2.6 million job applications in 2002 found that 44 percent of them contained "at least some lies."

So nobody should be surprised when McCain exaggerates the significance of Palin's command of the Alaska National Guard. Nor should we be shocked by Obama's liberal interpretation of his public service. Both candidates are, after all, Americans - and American politicians to boot.

> Palin gives and saves amid big Alaska surplus (Los Angeles Times)

This is reported out of Delta Junction.

Palin's stern veto pen at a time when the state is swimming in cash has helped establish her credentials as a fiscal conservative, economic analysts here say -- although critics complain that she has failed to use the state's unprecedented oil bounty to help tackle perennial issues of domestic violence, alcoholism and inadequate child healthcare.

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