SUNDAY ROUNDUP

The New York Times’ story about Wasilla, Alaska and its former mayor, Sarah Palin (R), provides fodder both for liberal bloggers wary of Palin’s management style and conservative bloggers wary of the press. Barack Obama’s record $66 million fundraising haul in August hasn’t convinced his conservative critics that he’ll have a spending advantage over John McCain. And a new poll showing McCain closing in on Obama in Minnesota raises conservative bloggers’ hopes of taking the blue state.

The story about Palin, the current Alaska governor and GOP veep nominee, shows that she abuses power and shouldn’t be let near the Oval Office, writes TalkingPointsMemo’s Josh Marshall. The Times, in doing the vetting of Palin that McCain didn’t, found that she relied on unqualified cronies and a heavy-handed governing style, writes TChris at TalkLeft. But Palin’s record easily holds up under the Times’ scrutiny, according to Contentions’ Jennifer Rubin, who finds nothing wrong with a leader who hires trusted people and runs a competent administration.

Though Obama raised more money in August than he had in any other month, he spent much of it on his fundraising apparatus and will have to pick up the pace if he wants to surpass the combined effort of McCain and the Republican National Committee, writes Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey. Obama needs to find a better use for the money than spending it on ads that criticize McCain for not using a computer, which is a message older swing voters may not appreciate, writes Joe Gandelman at The Moderate Voice.

Obama may also need to pour some of that cash into the must-win state of Minnesota, where he is tied with McCain in the latest Minneapolis Star Tribune poll, notes Power Line’s John Hinderaker. Obama had led McCain by double digits in the last Star Tribune poll, notes Hot Air’s Morrissey, who attributes the Republican’s gains to Palin and her ability to appeal to younger voters.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Truly Must-Read – Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
Vindictive, Secretive and Hypocritical – TChris, TalkLeft
Worse Than Bush – Steve Benen, Washington Monthly
Is This It? Really? – Jennifer Rubin, Contentions
Hit Piece on Palin in NYT – Mark Hemingway, The Corner
How Will Obama Use Money? – J. Gandelman, The Moderate Voice
Only $11 Million Gain in Cash on Hand – Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Can McCain Carry Minnesota? – John Hinderaker, Power Line
Battleground… Minnesota – Ed Morrissey, Hot Air

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes – NY Times
Group W/ Swift Boat Alum Readies Ads – Washington Post
Obama Raises a Record $66 Million in August – The Hill