On the campaign trail John McCain routinely mocks Congress's lavish taste for earmarks by way of such jocular examples as an appropriation to study the DNA of Bears in Montana ... It turns out that Gov. Palin has requested federal funding to study the DNA of harbor seals (bears are so yesterday) and the mating habits of crabs.

According to Newsweek, in 2005 a judge repeatedly warned Sarah Palin ("Palin") and members of her family to stop disparaging Mike Wooten ("Wooten"), the Alaska state trooper who divorced Palin's sister ("Molly") and was alleged to have been targeted for termination by Palin when she became Governor.

Begala slams media for failing to challenge Palin's claim that she said "thanks but no thanks" to the infamous bridge to nowhere.

When Obama secured the Democratic nomination, John McCain pledged to run a civil campaign founded on the issues. While he almost immediately kicked that pledge to the curb, I must confess that I hadn't expected McCain's message to deterioriate into that which he had once condemned: the very Karl Rove politics of smear and deceit that doomed his candidacy in 2000. And I certainly hadn't expected him to best Rove at his own game. But he has.

While politicians have always taken certain liberties with fact and circumstance, the McCain-Palin ticket has, true to their newly discovered message of 'change,' taken it to a whole new level. In every speech given as McCain's running mate, the moose-hunting hockey mom from Alaska has boasted that she told Congress "thanks but no thanks on that bridge to nowhere." Palin, like McCain, has also criticized Obama's earmark requests as typical pork-barrel spending. There are just two problems with this line of argument: Palin championed the bridge to nowhere as a gubernatorial candidate and as Governor; and led the nation in earmark requests in her two years as Alaska's chief executive (it wasn't even close).

Palin's resume just keeps getting better. And by better I mean oh my god. First we learn that Palin's relevant experience consists of less than two years as Alaska Governor and service as Mayor of Wasilla, a town of 7,000 that she left $20 million in debt (that's $3,000 per resident.) Then we learn that she's under investigation by Alaska's GOP-controlled legislature for possible ethics violations. Then we learn that she was actually for the famed 'Bridge to Nowhere' before she was against it. Then we learn that she believes the prosecution of the Iraq War and the construction of an Alaska gas pipeline to be tasks ordained by God. Then we find out that she picked up her religious fanaticism from her radical pastor, who preaches, among other things, that the hottest part of hell is reserved for critics of President Bush and the 59 million Americans who voted for John Kerry.

As Sen. McCain wrapped up his acceptance speech, Sen. Clinton released the following statement: The two party conventions showcased vastly different directions for our country. Senator Obama and Senator Biden offered the new ideas and positive change America needs and deserves after eight years of failed Republican leadership. Senator McCain and Governor Palin do not...

Roger Simon of the Politico authored a fantastic piece today about the McCain campaign's brazen attempts to silence legitimate media inquiries about Gov. Palin's experience and record. The hypocrisy is palpable, as Simon illustrates. Here's an excerpt:

Gov. Palin's speech last night was well-delivered, but totally devoid of substance. While she seemed comfortable in the traditional attack dog role of a VP nominee, she did little to address doubts as to whether she is ready to be President should the need arise.

You may have heard that in June of this year, Gov. Palin told congregants at the Wasilla Assembly of God that the Iraq War and the construction of an Alaska gas pipeline are tasks from God. Well, now we have a better idea of where this radical crusader-mentality may have come from. If you think Jeremiah Wright was bad, just wait until you meet Palin's Pastor, Ed Kalnins.