MSNBC's Family Feud

MSNBC finished last for the week, but it is attracting more viewers than in the past, along with some unwanted attention.

"Until recently, MSNBC didn't count," Olbermann says. "We didn't move the needle. We do now, and then some. And this scares people, especially people who work for Rupert Murdoch."

Moving right along: Yes, Gus has washed out at least the first part of the GOP convention here. I've got the lowdown on how the networks are dealing with what's become a split-screen world. And why not everyone thinks this is terrible news for McCain.

On the stupidity watch, the Chicago Tribune reports:

"It seems Michael Moore, the radical filmmaker, isn't the only one who sees God's hand in Gustav.

"Don Fowler, a former Democratic National Committee chairman, suggested that the hurricane's predicted landfall on the day the Republican National Convention opens 'just demonstrates that God is on our side.'

"But unlike Moore, who said in an MSNBC interview that Gustav proves 'there is a God,' Fowler has apologized."

There's still a huge buzz about Sarah Palin, and whether she's an underqualified, ice-fishing, mooseburger-eating mom or simply the victim of sexist and biased coverage. Why wouldn't the former mayor of Vasilla, pop. 6,700, be prepared for National Security Council meetings?

McCain's line: "John McCain claimed that his running mate -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin -= is more qualified to be president than Barack Obama," the New York Post reported.

" 'As governor, she has enormous responsibilities, none of which Senator Obama had. When she was in government, he was a community organizer,' McCain said on 'Fox News Sunday.' "

At Politico, Jim VandHei and John Harris say McCain is "desperate":

"Let's stop pretending this race is as close as national polling suggests . . . Voters seem very inclined to elect Democrats in general this election -- and very sick of the Bush years. McCain could easily lose in an electoral landslide. That is the private view of Democrats and Republicans alike.