Allen: Sarah Palin

Gill: The First Amendment Under Fire From The Left

Gaffney: The Democrats' 'Soft' Jihadist

Secrecy, surprise were goals of McCains VP search By Kiichiro Sato (AP)

John McCain's search for a running mate was remarkable in that it was carried out in secret, concluded with a bang and conducted in sharp contrast to the freewheeling style of his early presidential campaign or his hard-charging Navy days.

The Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting spirited his ultimate choice, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, first to Arizona and then to Ohio on a pair of secret corporate jet flights. When her family joined her Thursday night, they stayed in a hotel under an assumed name.

And when it came time to announce Palin's selection on Friday morning in Dayton, Ohio, the news came as a surprise not only to the public, but also to members of her own staff 4,000 miles away in Anchorage.

"Nobody knew about his announcement this morning except (a traveling aide) and the governor's chief of staff, who found out about this last night," said Sharon Leighow, a Palin gubernatorial spokeswoman. Read More...

Police with bullhorns plan to go street to street with a tough message about getting out ahead of Hurricane Gustav: This time there will be no shelter of last resort. The doors to the Superdome will be locked. Those who stay will be on their own.

Authorities issued the warning Friday as new forecasts made it increasingly clear that New Orleans will get some kind of hit _ direct or indirect _ as early as Monday.

And those among New Orleans' 310,000 residents who ignore orders to leave accept "all responsibility for themselves and their loved ones," said the city's emergency preparedness director, Jerry Sneed. Read More...