Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's (R) first television interview as the GOP veep nominee went fairly well and is being unfairly attacked by Barack Obama's supporters, according to conservative bloggers. But Palin showed in the interview that she wasn't ready to lead when she unnecessarily rattled the saber toward Russia, write liberal bloggers. With Palin dominating the news and John McCain ahead in polls, Barack Obama needs to figure out a way to take back control of the race, and his backers online suggest how he can do it.

Though Palin faced "fair but hard fastballs" from ABC News's Charles Gibson, she managed to answer tough foreign policy questions, avoid stumbles and still display her charisma, writes Townhall's Hugh Hewitt. While her critics said she stumbled when asked about the Bush Doctrine, she was fair to press Gibson for clarification since even conservative thinkers can't decide whether it refers to democracy promotion or preemptive strikes, writes The Corner's Andy McCarthy. But Palin seemed nervous when asked about foreign policy, as she resorted to platitudes when talking about Islamic extremists in Pakistan and the September 11 terror attacks, writes Hot Air's Allahpundit.

Liberal bloggers are keying on Palin's suggestion that the United States should go to war with Russia if it again invades Georgia. Her stance is the logical extension of McCain's "unhinged policy" on Russia, writes TalkingPointsMemo's Josh Marshall. Palin's readiness for war raises questions over whether she's ready to lead and reflects poorly on McCain, who has been sending "horrifying signals" about fighting wars in the Middle East and with Russia, writes Ilan Goldenberg at The Huffington Post. Palin's apparent confusion on foreign policy reminds Daily Kos's georgia10 of the time Palin acknowledged that she hasn't focused on the Iraq war because of her state government duties.

Since Obama has fallen behind as McCain's "maverick" persona has proven powerful with conservative populist voters, the Democrat should stress his own values, character and leadership capabilities, writes linguistics professor George Lakoff at Truthout. But, according to Democratic consultant Joe Trippi, Obama should focus on McCain and instead of himself or Palin. According to TalkLeft's Big Tent Democrat, Obama should just go back to tying McCain to President Bush.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Palin A Sharp Contrast With Obumble - Hugh Hewitt, Townhall
'Didn't Know Bush Doctrine' Is Canard - A. McCarthy, The Corner
Maybe Palin Was Nervous - Allahpundit, Hot Air
Not Ready - Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
Moose In The Headlights - georgia10, Daily Kos
Palin's Dangerous Saber Rattling - I. Goldenberg, HuffPo
Don't Think of A Maverick - George Lakoff, Truthout
Obama's Next Move - Joe Trippi, The Plank
Obama on Offense - Big Tent Democrat, TalkLeft

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Obama Plans Sharper Tone As Party Frets - New York Times
Palin Links Iraq to 9/11 in Talk to Troops - Washington Post
Palin Talks Tough to Iran, Russia in ABC Interview - LA Times
Boehner in the Balance - The Hill

Former Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R.I.) finds himself the target of conservative bloggers after calling Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) a "cocky whacko." Former president Bill Clinton is stepping back on to the campaign trail and Democratic Gov. Rod Blagovich (Ill.) thinks Dems are making a "tactical mistake" in going after Palin.

Chafee's comment attacking Palin just seems intended to belittle a self-confident conservative woman, Michelle Malkin writes. NewBusters' Ken Shepherd takes the media to task for identifying his as a "former GOP senator" without mentioning his "leftist voting record."

Clinton said he expects Barack Obama to win "handily" come November, Political Ticker reports. Clinton's statement coincides with the announcement that he will head back out on the campaign trail, this time for Obama, MyDD's Jonathan Singer points out.

And Blagojevich thinks Democrats should back off from attacks against Palin's executive experience, The Swamp reports. The Corner's Byron York is happy to see that at least the one Democrat thinks Paln

Bloggers remember the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 today, posting personal stories and sharing what the attacks meant to them. A story alleging President Bush gave secret orders allowing U.S. forces to operate in Pakistan, meanwhile, earns the president praise from conservatives.

The World Trade Center attacks barely missed taking Dan McLaughlin

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) has helped close the gap in enthusiasm between supporters of Barack Obama and John McCain, according to bloggers who attended a McCain-Palin campaign event. To push back against Palin and McCain, Obama should show outrage and use their own attacks against them, according to liberal bloggers. But while Palin is dominating the news, Obama's running mate, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), has done little to help his ticket, conservative bloggers write.

At a campaign rally in Virginia, thousands, many wearing Palin shirts and carrying signs, turned out to see the Republican ticket, notes Mark Hemingway at The Corner. The word of the day was, ironically, "hope," as in Palin has given Republicans hope that they'll win this year, writes The Corner's Byron York. After Palin left for Alaska, McCain had a tough time by himself at a Philadelphia event, which was cut short because of protests, reports Jason Szep on Reuters's Tales From The Trail.

To undermine Republican attacks, Democrats should actually embrace the "lipstick on a pig" idiom and use it to describe McCain and Palin's campaign, which talks about reform but is run by lobbyists, writes TalkingPointsMemo's Josh Marshall. Just as McCain has mocked a $3.2 million earmark for seal DNA, the Alaska office of his running mate, Palin, has requested that money, notes MyDD's Josh Orton. Obama should release his "righteous rage" about McCain and President Bush, according to Arianna Huffington, whose site lists all the economic and foreign policy woes facing the country despite the campaign focus on

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) is the target of conservative attack after comparing Barack Obama to Jesus during a speech on the House floor. Liberals cheer Obama for hitting back at what he calls "phony outrage" and Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) comes under fire from conservatives for not going far enough in admitting that he failed to report rental income on his tax returns.

Cohen's remarks - saying that Obama was a community organizer,

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) was warned by a judge warned against making disparaging remarks about her brother-in-law, leaving one blogger to declares her image taking a hit. Meanwhile Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton

Barack Obama didn't call Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) a pig, according to the traditional media and liberal bloggers, but conservative bloggers believe otherwise. It's John McCain who is guilty of smearing, according to Obama's online backers, who note the Republican's new ad accuses Obama of supporting sex education for kindergartners.

Obama used the "lipstick on a pig" idiom when trying to undermine McCain and Palin's case for change Tuesday. While McCain surrogates said that the pig Obama was talking about was Palin, Marc Ambinder reminds readers that it's a common analogy that Obama has used before. McCain himself has used the "lipstick on a pig" remark in the past, when he was arguing against the healthcare plan of then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, notes ABC's Jake Tapper. The McCain campaign is playing the gender card and is falsely claiming that Obama is being sexist, writes The Huffington Post's Ari Melber.

But neither Obama's "pig" remark nor his remark about an "old fish" was an accident, according to Townhall's Carol Platt Liebau, who thinks that Obama had both Palin and McCain in mind. Even if he wasn't talking about Palin, Obama has made a "bad gaffe" since many people believe that he was referring to her, writes The Corner's Yuval Levin.

McCain is the one unfairly attacking Obama by suggesting in a new ad that Obama, the father of two young daughters, voted to teach sex education to kindergartners, writes Daily Kos's georgia10. The bill Obama voted for in Illinois aimed to scare kids about sex, not teach them about it, notes TalkingPointsMemo reader JM. Even conservative blogger Allahpundit on Hot Air thinks that McCain has taken it too far, noting that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) has supported similar policies.

FROM THE BLOGS:
A Piggish Debate - Jake Tapper, Political Punch
Obama Did Not Call Palin a Pig - Marc Ambinder
Phony Lipstick Charge Won't Fly - Jeralyn, TalkLeft
McCain Plays Gender Card - Ari Melber, Huffington Post
It's A Bad Gaffe - Yuval Levin, The Corner
'Pig' Remark No Accident - Carol Platt Liebau, Townhall.com
Obama Camp's Very Bad Day - Mark Hemingway, The Corner
Grand Old Perverts - georgia10, Daily Kos
McCain's Sleazy Campaign - Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
Defending The One - Allahpundit, Hot Air

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Palin Bounce Have Democrats Off Balance - LA Times
Palin Lifts McCain's Support - Wall Street Journal
As Campaign Heats Up, Untruths Can Become Facts - Wash. Post
Bailout Hurts Charities - The Hill

Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) is accused by conservative bloggers of going too far Tuesday suggesting Republicans who care about special needs children should support stem cell research. Liberals attack Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) for again saying that she fought against the "Bridge to Nowhere" and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) may finally get the boot from Senate Democrats.

Biden's comments are "offensive and ignorant," especially for a senator who believes life begins at conception, The Corner's Kathryn Jean Lopez writes. Hot Air's Allahpundit doesn

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin