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The internets are abuzz with speculation that John McCain will name Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. To many in the country, Palin is something of a mystery. But thanks to the magic of Wikipedia, we can learn some interesting biographical information on the presumptive number two:

1. In 1984, Palin was runner-up in the Ms. Alaska beauty pageant.

2. In an earlier pageant, Sarah played the flute and won "Miss Congeniality."

3. She has tried marijuana, but says she didn't like it.

4. She's a lifelong member of the NRA.

5. She eats moose burgers.

6. Her husband works for BP (the oil company).

7. She wants to drill in ANWAR.

8. She's "strongly pro-life."

9. Doesn't want the gays to marry, but likes them just the same.

10. People like her.

11. She is female.

12. She's 43 years old--28 years younger than McCain, 3 years younger than Obama.

13, She's a champion of ethics reform.

14. Her administration is under investigation. Accused of trying to get a former brother-in-law fired from his law enforcement gig.

Given this list, it's easy to see why she's a contender. But could these rumors be just one more head-fake from the evasive John McCain? Not so, says Drudge, who has photoshopped a McCain/Palin campaign button to prove it. And to think, Mitt Romney just spent the last few months pretending he actually liked John McCain. And for what?

But wait, ABC just reported that Palin is still in Alaska, not on a plane approaching Dayton, Ohio. By the way, tickets are still available for McCain's rally in the 10,000 seat pep rally. How many people watched Obama last night?

We'll know for sure at noon, but CNBC just called it for Palin. Slap those moose burgers on the grill!

Have a look at what's brewing down south:



Rigs in the Gulf of Mexico are already being evacuated in anticipation of Gustav. We'll be looking at a split-screen Republican Convention alright, with landfall expected late Monday or early Tuesday.

On this, the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a storm responsible for the deaths of 1,836 people, President Bush has signaled that he might not want give his speech on the night that another big one comes ashore near New Orleans.

And Karl Rove wonders why GOP can't catch a break with the weather.

If reports about the cooperative relationship between convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and federal investigators are to be believed, "scores of other persons not yet charged," should be pretty nervous about the news that prosecutors are looking to reward Abramoff's cooperation by cutting his sentence.

From The Washington Post:

If a federal judge in Washington accepts the recommendation from the Justice Department, Abramoff would serve no more than another three years and three months in prison, not accounting for credit for good behavior awarded by the Bureau of Prisons. Abramoff's attorneys are seeking even more leniency that could have him released from prison by 2010.

So far, Abramoff's cooperation has resulted in prison time for former Republican U.S. Representative Bob Ney of Ohio and former Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles.

Given the politicization of the Justice Department during the tenure of the Bush Administration I would feel a lot more comfortable about rewarding Abramoff's good work after the "scores of other persons not yet charged" are charged.

Another day, another warning. Add Karl Rove to the chorus of conservatives dead-set against the notion of Joe Lieberman being added to McCain's ticket. In fact, according to Politico:

Republican strategist Karl Rove called Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) late last week and urged him to contact John McCain to withdraw his name from vice presidential consideration, according to three sources familiar with the conversation.

Rove, it seems, wants Mitt Romney. I guess if McCain picks Lieberman, he can claim he still has his old "Maverick" mojo working. But it sure seems that what little excitement conservatives have been able to muster for McCain will be swiftly deflated.

Tommy was worried, but Bill Clinton is delivering a methodical and persuasive case that Barack Obama is not just ready to lead, but is far and away the clear choice for president.

He's largely sticking to the night's theme of foreign policy, but weaving in economic issues as well. I'm liking the tone of this speech: Very controlled and analytical.

Bill offers kind words for John McCain, but says he is wrong on the two main issues framing the election: the loss of the American dream at home, and the disastrous erosion of the country's diplomatic alliances.

Tells audience to send Republicans a message from the Rocky Mountains: "Thanks but no thanks," and "the third time is not a charm."

Brilliant rhetorical flourish when he reminds the audience of GOP criticism that he himself was too young and inexperienced when he ran for president.

Overall, a fantastic, forward-looking speech.

It seems that Robert Novak still has a scoop or two left in him. Today, he whipped up a column to deliver the news of yet another conservative naysayer to the idea of John McCain selecting pro-choice Joe Lieberman as his VP. That conservative? Why it's none other than "Traitor Joe" himself:

Influential McCain backers, plus McCain himself, would pick the pro-choice liberal from Connecticut if they thought they could get away with it.

But they can't get away with it--and this has been made clear to McCain by none other than Joe Lieberman himself.

What else can't McCain "get away" with? Altering the GOP platform so that it permits abortion in cases of incest, rape, and when the life of the mother is in danger.

UPDATE: Ugh. Why is no Novak story ever true? Lieberman says the "prince of darkness" is full of it, and that he never told McCain not to pick him. Was this story payback for when McCain's team duped Novak into some free publicity?

The political career of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens is not dead yet. The 84-year-old Republican facing seven felony charges won the state's Republican primary yesterday with 63 percent of the vote.

Stevens recently lost a motion to move his upcoming trial to Alaska. The trial is scheduled to begin in Washington, D.C., on September 22, potentially keeping Stevens off the campaign trail for weeks.

Despite these challenges and a recent poll which show him behind Democratic challenger Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich by 17 points, yesterday Stevens defiantly called his re-election prospects a "piece of cake."

The fate of Stevens's troubled fellow state Republican Don Young, Alaska's sole U.S. representative, remains unclear. His primary battle with Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell is still too close to call.

As I wrote yesterday, the dramatic tension between Barack Obama and the Clintons made for nifty little page-turner. But Hillary's big speech, to my mind, gave Democrats the moment of denouement they've been yearning for, and vanquished the notion of party strife to a mere footnote to the campaign of '08. Yes, there will be the rather insignificant squabbles as to whether Hillary "did enough," but that media narrative was already getting pretty tired before the convention even began. I have but one quibble with Clinton's powerful remarks: Due to an excess of negatives, the literal meaning of "No way, now how, no McCain!" (the way CNN's website is transcribing the slogan) is that the country can't live without McCain. I believe Clinton meant for it to be read, "No way. No how. No McCain!" But you get the point (Hillary eats, shoots, and leaves).



You can watch the whole speech after the jump.

11:38 - Again, Senator Clinton did what needed to be done - in the way only Hillary can - with grace and passion. This is one of the best speeches she has given.

There are some that will not hear her words or heed them and go against what their candidate wishes. That's reflected in the comments below. NBC's Andrea Mitchell interviewed a delegate immediately following the speech who had been on the fence about what to do. She, quite emotionally, stated her resolve to do as her candidate asked.

11:09 - As the convention closes for the evening with the ending convocation, the MSNBC hosts Olbermann and Tweety rave about the speech. I have to agree. Those who still are holding back doing Hillary's bidding at this point should just leave us now. I know some will be very disappointed that there were no dog whistles or a rallying of the troops for anything but voting for Barack Obama.

Thanks all who joined the discussion or just read along.

On the heels of Hillary Clinton's announcement that she will formally release her delegates to Barack Obama tomorrow, The Political Machine has learned that the entire Ohio delegation, save one, has decided to vote for Barack Obama.

A source with firsthand knowledge told me that the lone holdout was in tears at the news, and still intends to cast her vote for Hillary.

This portends well for a strong showing of support for Barack Obama during the roll call, which may help Obama pick off some more of Hillary's holdouts.

This may also mean an easier night for Hillary's "whip team," responsible for keeping her supporters in line during the roll call.

The same source told me that there are a few delegates who are leaving Thursday morning, a sort of protest "staycation."

A near-unanimous showing for Obama is not the only hurdle he has to clear, but it is an important one.