Where does the expression "lipstick on a pig" come from?
When Barack Obama told a crowd at a campaign event on Tuesday, "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig," the McCain campaign swiftly took offense, claiming the analogy was directed at vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Obama campaign spoke

Meghan McCain Is A Great Person To Be The Best Person The Republicans Have
On the one hand, it took a lot of courage for Meghan McCain to go on Bill Maher's show this weekend. She doesn't have the media training or experience or knowledge of who Ronald Reagan is to defend her point of view against these guys. On the other hand, Meghan McCain is, on some level, representing the women of her generation, so it would be nice if she didn't make a wittle pouty face and refer to her blondeness when she got (appropriately) zinged by Paul Begala. The worst part comes at 1:33,...

McCain vows to whip Obama’s ‘you know what’
AP - Republican John McCain vowed Sunday to "whip" Democratic rival Barack Obama’s "you-know-what" when the two presidential candidates meet Wednesday in their final televised debate. McCain made that pledge as top advisers said he is weighing new economic proposals to help the nation weather the financial crisis. The Arizona senator refused to answer a reporter’s question Sunday about what plans he might be considering. Addressing several dozen volunteers at his campaign headquarters outside

Palin's 'Bermuda Triangle' of a Campaign
Palin urged the McCain campaign to tout a story about a period of time where she and her husband, Todd, didn't have health insurance -- only to have that story shot down by Todd himself as inaccurate. The Note, authored by ABC News' Rick Klein, covers politics, the White House, Congress, Democrats, Republicans, and all latest political campaigning for the 2012 presidential race. Washington's first and most influential tipsheet, The Note will detail the administration of President Barack Obama...

Andrea Mitchell: John McCain Only Met Sarah Palin Once (VIDEO)
On MSNBC this evening Andrea Mitchell reported on how minimal John McCain's interactions with his choice for vice president, Sarah Palin , have been. According to Mitchell, McCain only met Palin once. Watch the clip: Politico has more on the short history of their encounters : John McCain on Friday announced a running mate whom he met only six months ago and with whom he spoke just once on the phone about the position before offering it in person earlier this week. McCain's first encounter with...

Meghan McCain Talks Book: Just Wrote Palin Chapter, Wants Hillary Duff For Movie Version
Daily Beast blogger spoke to the Daily News about her upcoming book — and the eventual movie version — Monday night at a benefit in New York. McCain — who has previously said Sarah Palin is the only topic she will not speak out on — told the newspaper that she just wrote a chapter about her dad's former running mate. "I just wrote a chapter about her, so she'll definitely be in [the movie], too. But I don't know who would play her," McCain said. The blogger and political...

BREAKING: SARAH PALIN TO STOP LYING WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER, MAYBE
So here’s the thing: we have the Branchflower report.  The whole world has the Branchflower report.  The findings are spelled out as clear as can be.   How then does Gov. Palin think she can get away with telling straight up lies about what the report actually says?  ABC News: “Palin Makes Troopergate Assertions that Are Flatly False.” At one point this weekend Palin said: “Well, I’m very very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing,” Palin said, R

August 2009: Todd S. Purdum on Sarah Palin
Despite her disastrous performance in the 2008 election, Sarah Palin is still the sexiest brand in Republican politics, with a lucrative book contract for her story. But what Alaska’s charismatic governor wants the public to know about herself doesn’t always jibe with reality. As John McCain’s top campaign officials talk more candidly than ever before about the meltdown of his vice-presidential pick, the author tracks the signs—political and personal—that Palin was...

Palin Campaign Emails!
Sarah Palin’s 2008 campaign emails are exposed in a new Vanity Fair issue. The Palin campaign emails are from the final three weeks before the 2009 Election. As CBS and Vanity Fair explain the eamils allegedly show frustration by Palin with McCain’s aides over treatment of her campaign. Yet, if you are expecting some great reads, they really aren’t. They just show Palin at times displeased. One such Palin email reads: “Pls get in front of that ridiculous issue...

Todd S. Purdum on Sarah Palin
Despite her disastrous performance in the 2008 election, Sarah Palin is still the sexiest brand in Republican politics, with a lucrative book contract for her story. But what Alaska’s charismatic governor wants the public to know about herself doesn’t always jibe with reality. As John McCain’s top campaign officials talk more candidly than ever before about the meltdown of his vice-presidential pick, the author tracks the signs—political and personal—that Palin was...

Todd S. Purdum on Sarah Palin
Despite her disastrous performance in the 2008 election, Sarah Palin is still the sexiest brand in Republican politics, with a lucrative book contract for her story. But what Alaska’s charismatic governor wants the public to know about herself doesn’t always jibe with reality. As John McCain’s top campaign officials talk more candidly than ever before about the meltdown of his vice-presidential pick, the author tracks the signs—political and personal—that Palin was...

Meghan McCain wants to be played by Hilary Duff
Meghan McCain is hard at work on a book about her life, complete with a chapter on Sarah Palin, and already knows who she wants to play her in the movie: Hilary Duff. I guess Megan wants to see more women with linebacker shoulders in film. Who knows? NY Daily News reports: "I want Hilary Duff to play me. I think she's really hot - hotter than me - but I'd still want her to play me," Sen. John McCain's daughter confided to us at the Trevor Project's summer gala on Monday night at Capitale. But...

McCain to Rectify Letterman Rejection
In what was a costly PR error in someone’s strategy judgment John McCain ditched the David Letterman show last minute a few weeks ago claiming that he was on his way to sort out the country’s financial crisis.  This advice had to have come from a rookie strategist because anyone with any sense would know the outcome given that David Letterman is a very sharp comedian who isn’t that fond of the Republican party, especially its current President, as it is.  Surely someone in the McCain camp has been w

The story behind the Palin surprise
McCain and Palin's first and only meeting before he offered the position came last February at the NGA conference. See also: Palin slideshow

Maureen Dowd Needs to Brush Up on Her Hollywood Classics [Mark Sanford]
Maureen Dowd fired up her patented pop-culture-meets-political-sideshow engine again yesterday to explore the resonances between The Holiday, the 2006 Cameron Diaz movie that Dowd thinks Mark Sanford recommended via e-mail to his Argentinian paramour, and Sanford's life. Wrong Holiday, MoDo.

Rep. Lewis clarifies controversial remarks about McCain, Palin
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Georgia Rep. John Lewis said Saturday that controversial remarks he made comparing the feeling at recent Republican rallies to those of segregationist George Wallace were misinterpreted. Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, and Sen. John McCain traded tough statements Saturday. The civil rights icon issued a statement Saturday evening which said a "careful review" of his remarks made earlier in the day "would reveal that I did not compare Sen. John McCain or Gov. Sarah Palin t

FRANK RICH: MASTER OF THE MOMENT
The NY Times Opinionator writes a devastating piece about the McCain-Palin campaign’s attempts in recent weeks to ”brand [Obama] as a potential killer and an accessory to past attempts at murder.” “By the time McCain asks the crowd ”Who is the real Barack Obama?” it’s no surprise that someone cries out ”Terrorist!” The rhetorical conflation of Obama with terrorism is complete. It is stoked further by the repeated invocation of Obama’s middle name b

Sen. John McCain visits 'Face the Nation,' 'Fox News Sunday'
Bob Schieffer has a way of generating headlines when he interviews major Republicans these days on " Face the Nation. " The CBS newsman did just that with former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Next up for Schieffer: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., this weekend. The topics will range from Iran and North Korea to health care and the Republican Party. "Face the Nation" airs at 10:30 a.m. Sunday on WKMG-Channel 6. McCain also visits "Fox...

John McCain “The Late Show With David Letterman” Appearance October 16
It looks like Senator John McCain and late night host David Letterman have kissed and made up. The Republican presidential candidate is scheduled to appear on The Late Show this Thursday, October 16. The interview will be McCain’s first with Lettermane since the comic publicly expressed his disdain with the senator for pulling out of his September 24 appearance on the show. SSenator McCain backed out of the appearance, citing a rush to fly to Washington to deal with the nation’s economic situation, on

McCain Hits Obama On Iran Again, Joe Klein Tells Him "Be Quiet" (VIDEO)
Sen. John McCain continued to rap President Barack Obama for his measured reaction to the crisis in Iran, which McCain said was inadequate in its support for the protestors of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's contested re-election. Appearing on C-Span's Washington Journal on Tuesday morning, the Arizona Republican said that when it came to Iran, Obama response "has not been enough." Saying that he expected Obama to "come out more strongly" during his press conference on Tuesday,...

Weekend in Review: Another Stimulus, McCain's Tone, the 'Lauder Clause'
Esteemed Congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis released a statement warning John McCain about permitting an "atmosphere of hate." McCain recently spoke publicly about how much he admires Lewis. Washington Post columnist Khaled Hosseini and pollster John Zogby are both critical of how McCain has responded to supporters who bring up Obama, Arabs or Muslims. The chairman of the Virginia State Republican Party compared Obama to Osama bin Laden. McCain had to disown another stateme

McCain set for 'Letterman'
NEW YORK---- David Letterman and Sen. John McCain will get a chance to make up.

Obama's campaign strategies get tested in NJ, VA - Yahoo! News
MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. – President Barack Obama sent an e-mail endorsing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds to hundreds of thousands of Obama supporters in Virginia last week, the latest indication that the lessons of Obama's 2008 presidential campaign are playing out in key state races in 2009. To boost Democrats, Obama has shown he's willing to tap the database of 14 million backers who helped him win his party's primary and defeat Republican Sen. John McCain in the general...

McCain: Obama Has Come Up Short On Post-Partisanship (VIDEO)
Barack Obama's rival in the 2008 election gave him good marks for the job he has done in the White House so far. But Sen. John McCain suggested Sunday that the president has come up short on one key campaign promise: His pledge to change the bitter partisanship in Washington.

Meghan McCain: I Speak for GOP on Gay Issues
Meghan McCain: I Speak for GOP on Gay Issues