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- Sarah Palin's acceptance speech was viewed by over 37 million people last night, just shy of Barack Obama's 38 million one week ago. This is unsurprising given that a CBS poll taken before her appearance found that fully 66 percent had no opinion -- i.e., knew nothing -- about her.
- An introductory video scheduled to run between Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin's speeches was canceled due to America's Mayor running a little too long last night. The video, for those who are interested, can be seen here.
- Unsurprisingly, the Palin speech was a hit back in Wasilla, AK, although independent and Democratic voters who participated in a post-speech focus group in Michigan were not too impressed. (Unsurprising given the speech was targeted to the conservative base.) In addition, Gallup finds that the number of swing voters available to each candidate has dwindled from 30 percent of the registered electorate prior to the conventions to just 21 percent. Meanwhile, Hotline discovers that male delegates on the floor of the RNC were replaced with female alternates in anticipation of the speech.
- Yesterday I asked if the media honeymoon for McCain is over. Well, if the Politico's Roger Simon is in any way representative of "the media," then this humorous and sarcastic piece on "why the media should apologize" ought to answer my question in the affirmative.
- It might be impossible to fact check all of Huck, Mitt, Rudy and Palin's various lies and exaggerations from last night, but this and this ought to get us started.
- Karl Rove is making sense, observing that John McCain better start addressing Americas' economic woes if he wants to stand a chance of winning November. Recall this Pew poll from April which found that by a 69-28 percent margin Americans agree that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.
- Quotables: A Democratic reader emails Politico's Jonathan Martin: "Mrs. Palin needs to be reminded that Jesus Christ was a community organizer and Pontius Pilate was a governor." Ouch.
- The Guardian digs up some interesting comments from Joe Biden, buried in the news cycle under the Palin avalanche. Asked whether an Obama administration would pursue criminal charges against members of the Bush administration, the running mate responded "If there has been a basis upon which you can pursue someone for a criminal violation, they will be pursued -- not out of vengeance, not out of retribution, out of the need to preserve the notion that no one, no attorney general, no president -- no one is above the law."
- Conservatives bashing "elites" at the RNC: tired and predictable. Finding out Cindy McCain wore a $300,000 outfit last night: (almost) priceless.
- And Finally, John McCain remarks, yet again, that he, and he alone, knows how to capture Osama bin Laden. I'd expect nothing less from the man who would "rather lose an election than lose a war."
--Mori Dinauer
