BREVITAS

OUTLYING PRECINCTS

Radar- [There was the] bizarre spectacle of hired attack dog Rudy Giuliani, the thrice-married multimillionaire and former New York City mayor and current Chicago businessman sent to the RNC to decry the "cosmopolitan" tastes of Barack Obama while a picture of the New York City skyline waves behind him.

Two weeks ago our new Christian role model Sarah Palin was in her church listening to David Brickner of Jews for Jesus as he described terrorist attacks on Israelis as God's "judgment of unbelief " in Christianity.

Noam Scheiber, New Republic - First Fred Thompson rails against politicians who feel at home on the Washington cocktail party circuit. ("Ahem," as Fred would say.). . . Then Mitt Romney rails against East Coast elites. . . Now Rudy is making fun of Obama for prefering flashy, cosmopolitan cities to rural, out-of-the-way towns. And for his insensitivity to religious people. . . Good stuff. . . Sure to come: Sarah Palin accuses Barack Obama of lacking experience. Oh wait. . .

Same Facts - Palin said she would beg to disagree with candidate who said we can't drill our way out of our problem. Asked by Invester's Business Daily "Some politicians and presidential candidates say we can't drill our way out of our energy problem and that drilling in ANWR will have no effect. What's your best guess of the impact on prices?" Palin responded, "I beg to disagree with any candidate who would say we can't drill our way out of our problem or that more supply won't ultimately affect prices. Of course it will affect prices. Energy being a global market, it's impossible to venture a guess on (specific) prices."

Washington Post - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the running mate for GOP presidential candidate John McCain, wrote e-mails that harshly criticized Alaska state troopers for failing to fire her former brother-in-law and ridiculed an internal affairs investigation into his conduct. The e-mails were shown to The Washington Post by a former public safety commissioner, Walter Monegan, who was fired by Palin in July. Monegan has given copies of the e-mails to state ethics investigators to support his contention that he was dismissed for failing to fire Trooper Mike Wooten, who at the time was feuding with Palin's family. "This trooper is still out on the street, in fact he's been promoted," said a Feb. 7, 2007, e-mail sent from Palin's personal Yahoo account and written to give Monegan permission to speak on a violent-crime bill before the state legislature. "It was a joke, the whole year long 'investigation' of him," the e-mail said. "This is the same trooper who's out there today telling people the new administration is going to destroy the trooper organization, and that he'd 'never work for that b****', Palin'.)" Asked about the e-mails, Palin's campaign spokeswoman, Maria Comella, said that Palin was merely alerting officials to potential threats to her family and that there is no evidence that Palin ever ordered Wooten to be fired.

National Enquirer - Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin attempted to quietly have her daughter Bristol get married before news of her pregnancy leaked out, the National Enquirer is reporting exclusively in its new issue. Palin planned for the wedding to take place right after the Republican National Convention and then she was going to announce the pregnancy. But Bristol, 17, refused to go along with the plan and that sparked a mother-daughter showdown over the failed coverup. The ultra-conservative governor's announcement about her daughter's pregnancy came hours after The Enquirer informed her representatives and family members of Levi Johnston, the father of Bristol's child, that we were aware of the pregnancy and were going to break the news. . . The Enquirer has also learned that Palin's family is embroiled in a vicious war that is now exposing her darkest secrets, threatening to destroy her political career. Palin's ongoing war with her ex brother-in-law Mike Wooten, a state trooper, has caused multiple sources to come forward with shocking allegations about the governor.

US News - Two University of Kentucky student photographers and a Kentucky Kernel photo adviser were released from police custody after being arrested Monday afternoon in St. Paul, Minn., while taking photos of protests outside the Republican National Convention, the Kernel reports. The two students were charged with felony rioting, while the adviser was charged with rioting. The police continue to investigate the preliminary charges, although no formal charges have been filed so far. Including the three, police arrested 286 people Monday as protesting outside the convention turned to rioting that required officers to use pepper spray and rubber bullets to contain the crowd. Both student photographers work for the Kernel but weren't there on newspaper business. If convicted, the three would receive a minimum sentence of one year in jail and a minimum fine of $3,000.

LA Times - For much of his long career in Washington, John McCain has been throwing darts at the special spending system known as earmarking, through which powerful members of Congress can deliver federal cash for pet projects back home with little or no public scrutiny. He's even gone so far as to publish "pork lists" detailing these financial favors. Three times in recent years, McCain's catalogs of "objectionable" spending have included earmarks for this small Alaska town, requested by its mayor at the time -- Sarah Palin. . . This year, Palin, who has been governor for nearly 22 months, defended earmarking as a vital part of the legislative system. "The federal budget, in its various manifestations, is incredibly important to us, and congressional earmarks are one aspect of this relationship," she wrote in a newspaper column.

Political Wire - The Morning Call reports Hardball host Chris Matthews visited the Pennsylvania delegation at the Democratic convention last week and says that if it "was an attempt to work the state's political heavy hitters, it appeared to work." The speculation is that Matthews wants to run against Sen. Arlen Specter in 2010. When asked repeatedly if he was considering a run for Senate, Matthews responded: "You know what I do for a living. I have this job." Of course, the contract for that job expires in 2009

MONEY & WORK

Sacramento Business Journal - A survey of 7,192 by online job-search Web site CareerBuilder.com shows 47 percent of working Americans claim they always or usually live paycheck to paycheck just to make ends meet. This marks a jump from 43 percent in 2007. About 21 percent with salaries of $100,000 or more reported they also live paycheck to paycheck, the survey noted. A quarter of workers said they don't put any money aside for savings each month. Of those who do save, 34 percent set aside less than $100 a month for savings, and 18 percent save $50 or less.

JUSTICE & CIVIL LIBERTIES

Reason - In California, the law is copyrighted. Meaning copying and distribution are limited. Openness crusader Carl Malamud is displeased by this. So he's trying to get sued. On Labor Day, he posted the entire 38-volume California Code of Regulations, which includes all of the state's regulations from health care and insurance to motor vehicles and investment. To purchase a digital copy of the California code costs $1,556, or $2,315 for a printed version. The state generates about $880,000 annually by selling its laws, according to the California Office of Administrative Law.

FURTHERMORE. . .

Wired - The Department of Homeland Security should not use the user-generated Wikipedia to decide whether an asylum seeker can enter the United States, a federal appeals court ruled.

WSB - There's the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the NASCAR Museum. Now the Waffle House Museum has opened in metro Atlanta. A ribbon cutting for the new museum was held at the site of the original Waffle House which opened on East College Avenue in Avondale Estates some 53 years ago. On hand were the two founders, Joe Rogers Sr. and Tom Forkner, both neighbors in Avondale who decided to go into business together. . . The original restaurant closed in 1973 and became home to various other restaurants, even a tire store. Waffle House purchased the property again to turn it into a museum that includes original menus, uniforms, and other memorabilia. It also includes a replica of the original counter, stools, and kitchen.

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