Piling On Palin

"Her sense of personal mission may be rooted in her religious upbringing. She was raised in a tradition that tended to emphasize an intimate connection with God, through the Holy Spirit -- a tradition that puts the believer at the center of the spiritual drama, in direct communion with the Lord."

Palin appears to have a very, ah, personal style of governing, according to this WashPost piece, with her husband Todd sitting in on key meetings:

"When Todd's stepmother, Faye Palin, ran in 2002 for the mayoral job Palin was vacating, the incumbent withheld her endorsement. Locals noted that her mother-in-law supported abortion rights.

"And last year she fired her top legislative aide, John Britney, after he confessed to an affair with the wife of a friend of Todd's."

Clearly a bad career move.

LAT: "Some lawmakers were so perplexed by her absence from a recent debate over sending oil rebate checks to Alaskans, for example, that they sported buttons at the state Capitol reading 'Where's Sarah?' "

The Boston Globe's Joan Vennochi doesn't see Hillary voters flocking her way:

"Taking a page from the Clinton campaign handbook, the first-term governor of Alaska and former mayor of Wasilla skillfully turned the criticism into a sexist attack by Washington elites.

"It worked in the convention hall. But once the novelty of Palin's candidacy begins to rub off, she still must answer for her weak resume and right-wing ideology.

"And how long can she play the attack dog, before reminding voters of that famous Barbara Bush assessment of Geraldine Ferraro: 'rhymes with rich'? . . .

"Despite the bravado, it's hard to see how Palin's beliefs attract a critical mass of core Clinton backers. Palin opposes abortion. She's a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. She was for pork before she was against it. She describes the war in Iraq as 'a task from God.' And those are just the highlights of a political agenda that resonates strongly with evangelicals."

Hillary campaigns, but doesn't say much about Palin.

Jeremiah Wright praises Obama from the pulpit -- and somehow I don't think it's going to help.

Finally, now that the conventions are over, MSNBC has reversed course and agreed with critics who say that Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews shouldn't anchor live political events.