The GOP Convention: Maverick in Name Only | Newsweek Politics: Conventions

Are Legal Bills To Blame?
Mark Hosenball 7/18/2009 12:00:00 AM
One of the main reasons Sarah Palin is stepping down as governor, say associates, is her large, unpaid legal bill. Her successor, Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, says she is worried about "the cost of all the ethics investigations and the like." But is that really the reason? John Coale, a Washington lawyer who helped Palin set up a legal-defense fund and PAC, tells NEWSWEEK the fund is "well on its way" to paying off $500,000 in legal debt from the campaign and another $100,000 in bills incurred later, leaving questions about how big a part money woes played in her decision to resign.
CHAPTER 5
Center Stage
Evan Thomas 11/6/2008 12:00:00 AM
The next day, the Obama headquarters had two visitors: from the FBI and the Secret Service. "You have a problem way bigger than what you understand," said an FBI agent. "You have been compromised, and a serious amount of files have been loaded off your system." The Feds were cryptic and did not answer too many questions. But the next day, Obama campaign chief David Plouffe heard from White House chief of staff Josh Bolten. "You have a real problem," Bolten told the Obama aide. "It's way bigger than you guys think and you have to deal with it."
THE REPUBLICANS
Looking To The Future
Jessica Bennett 11/5/2008 12:00:00 AM
It was the typical stuff of a college frat party: pepperoni pizza, cheap beer, a big-screen television and a vigorous game of the drinking game Beirut. But on this night, friends of Sigma Alpha Epsilon had gathered for a different kind of party. "Dude, Obama's got Florida!" someone shouted during the final moments of the 2008 campaign. "Turn the volume up!" bellowed another.
OPINION
Worst Campaign Ever?
Julian E. Zelizer 11/5/2008 12:00:00 AM
To be fair, the odds were stacked against any Republican. The economy has suffered while the incumbent president was phenomenally unpopular. Democrats were well organized and well financed. They found, in Barack Obama, an exceedingly charismatic and dynamic candidate.
THE REPUBLICANS
Palin's 2012 Playbook
Karen Breslau 11/5/2008 12:00:00 AM
When conservative leaders gather in Virginia on Thursday to assess the fallout from the presidential election and start planning their comeback, they will also be taking a closer look at their new potential standard-bearer, Sarah Palin. Most national conservatives have never met the Alaska governor selected as John McCain's running mate on Aug. 29. Says longtime conservative activist Richard Viguerie. "She doesn't know us and we don't know her."
PERSPECTIVES
Quotes From the Week of 11/10/08