In V.P. Debate, Palin Goes Folksy, Biden Gets Emotional – and Nothing Changes the Game

By: Associated Press

Even before she reached the podium, the first words out of Sarah Palin's mouth set the tone for her debate night: "Hey, can I call ya Joe?"

It was an unabashedly, one might even say relentlessly folksy and down-home Palin that greeted Americans Thursday night, with phrases like "Doggone it," "You guys," "Darn right" and, one she must have been saving 'til the end, "Say it ain't so, Joe!" You became "ya," change was "comin'" and a class of third-graders even got a "shout-out" from the Alaska governor.

And whether viewers loved or hated it -- a result likely to split down party lines -- it was clear this was a much more comfortable candidate than the one who faced CBS News' Katie Couric in those painful interviews.

In V.P. Debate, Palin Goes Folksy, Biden Gets Emotional – and Nothing Changes the Game....

Barack Obama Taps Joe Biden to Be Running Mate

By: Liz Sidoti and Nedra Pickler, Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama named Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware as his vice presidential running mate early Saturday, balancing his ticket with a seasoned congressional veteran well-versed in foreign policy and defense issues.

Obama announced the pick on his Web site with a photo of the two men and an appeal for donations. A text message went out shortly afterward that said, "Barack has chosen Senator Joe Biden to be our VP nominee."

Biden, 65, has twice sought the White House, and is a Catholic with blue-collar roots, a generally liberal voting record and a reputation as a long-winded orator.

Across more than 30 years in the Senate, he has served at various times not only as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee but also as head of the Judiciary Committee, with its jurisdiction over anti-crime legislation, Supreme Court nominees and Constitutional issues.

In selecting Biden, Obama passed over several other potential running mates, none more prominent than former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, his tenacious rival in dozens of primaries and caucuses.

Barack Obama Taps Joe Biden to Be Running Mate....

Obama Set to Announce Running Mate, Says McCain ‘Doesn’t Know What He’s Up Against’

By: Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. - A combative Barack Obama said Tuesday that Republican John McCain "doesn't know what he's up against" in this election and challenged his rival to stop questioning his character and patriotism.

Obama, campaigning in a state where he hopes to become the first Democratic presidential candidate to win in more than three decades, implored his supporters to fight for the presidency.

"Our job in this election is not just 'win,' although I'm a big believer in winning," Obama said during the rally. "I don't intend to lose this election. John McCain doesn't know what he's up against."

"He can talk all he wants about Britney (Spears) and Paris (Hilton), but I don't have time for that mess," Obama said.

His remarks carried forward a theme of feisty campaigning he debuted earlier in the day.

Addressing the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Orlando, Florida, Obama reaffirmed his early opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq and said the strategy of sending in 30,000 additional troops last year had not produced the political reconciliation necessary to achieve lasting peace in the country.

McCain supported the Iraq invasion and was an early champion of the surge.

Obama Set to Announce Running Mate....