Morning Palin round-up

Well, the campaign is interesting again. :-)

A few articles and commentaries I read this morning:

• Jonathan Alter at Newsweek
• Gail Collins at the New York Times
• Andrew Sullivan quotes an article that suggests she may not be as gay-friendly as early reports suggested
• The Washington Post wonders about her readiness and notes that Karl Rove had previously suggested that Tim Kaine (who has governed a larger state than Palin for a longer period of time) was too inexperienced to be Obama's VP (yesterday Rove told Fox News he approved of McCain's pick)
• The Los Angeles Times says:

  Though John McCain clearly concluded that Palin could attract female voters and grab his campaign some Barack Obama-style media buzz, he also is taking a risk that in elevating a largely unknown figure, he undermines the central theme of his candidacy that he puts "country first," above political calculations.

  For a candidate known to possess a quick temper and an unpredictable political streak, the decision raises questions about how McCain would lead -- whether his decisions would flow from careful deliberations or gut checks in which short-term considerations or feelings outweigh the long view.

  "Americans like risk-takers, but they also want to know that in times of crisis, you're going to be calm," said Matthew Dowd, who was a senior campaign strategist for President Bush but is neutral in the McCain-Obama race.

  "Americans don't necessarily want somebody in a time of crisis to be overly emotional," Dowd said. "That's the balance that John McCain's going to have to show the public."

• The Portland Oregonian has some fun facts on Wasilla, Alaska, where Palin used to be mayor

Having said all that, I do know that Americans will often surprise me... should be very interesting to see how the polls react in a week or so once the Republican Convention is over and Palin's novelty has worn off. Interestingly, I've checked out several of those online "polls" which ask the question, "Did McCain make the right pick?" A majority of them reported 50-50 results.

(Video link)

And yes, there is some Obama-Biden coverage, too. :-)