MORNING READ

Barack Obama has opened up a big lead in two respected national polls, liberal bloggers eagerly note. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s performance as the GOP vice presidential nominee has hurt John McCain, and the news that Republican National Committee spent $150,000 on her convention wardrobe isn’t helping, bloggers note. Palin, however, could be a formidable candidate for president in 2012, according to two political blogging pundits.

Obama leads 52 percent to 38 percent in the Pew Research Center’s survey of registered voters and 52 percent to 42 percent in the NBC/Wall Street Journal survey. Obama is getting more support that is solid and positive than McCain, whose judgment and temperament is being questioned by voters, who are disappointed with his choice of Palin as a running mate, writes Democratic Strategist Ed Kilgore. Obama’s lead is similar to the ones held by the victorious candidates in 1980 and 2004, Ronald Reagan and President Bush, respectively, notes MyDD’s Todd Beeton. The good news for McCain is that Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) is nervous enough about his state that he has asked Obama to campaign there, writes The Corner’s Kathryn Jean Lopez.

Republicans have e-mailed Marc Ambinder about their disgust with the RNC’s decision to spend $150,000 to outfit Palin during the convention. They can’t understand how their party could do “something this stupid” in the middle of the financial collapse, Ambinder writes. Palin, however, was treated unfairly by CNN when a correspondent took a National Review quote out of context to suggest that conservatives had called Palin “incompetent” and “stupid,” writes The Corner’s Rich Lowry.

Palin has hinted that she’ll be a presidential candidate in 2012 by going on “Saturday Night Live” and by noting her disagreements with McCain over a same-sex marriage amendment and attacks on Obama, writes The Fix’s Chris Cillizza. If Obama wins, the GOP primaries in 2012 will be all about catering to the conservative base, which already loves Palin, writes Ambinder.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Two Big Polls Show Big Obama Lead – Ed Kilgore, Dem Strategist
Four Years Ago – Todd Beeton, MyDD
Pennsylvania Might Just Be in Play – joe24pack, RedState
The Good News Is… – Kathryn Jean Lopez, The Corner
Republicans Disgusted By RNC Spending on Palin – Marc Ambinder
Clothes Spending Has Republicans Livid – Sam Stein, Huffington Post
CNN’s Rank Dishonesty – Rich Lowry, The Corner
Palin 2012 Contender or Pretender? – Chris Cillizza, The Fix
Thinking About 2012 – Marc Ambinder
Conservatives Don’t Need to Endure Obama – M. Medved, Townhall

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Early Voting a Boost for Dems – USA Today
Obama Opens Double-Digit Lead – Wall Street Journal
Big Donors Drive Obama’s Money Edge – Washington Post
Sen. Stevens’s Fate Now Rests in Jury’s Hands – The Hill