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John McCain’s senior campaign strategist Steve Schmidt, who has become a central figure in the Republican Party, has drawn comparisons to Karl Rove, whom he worked with beginning around 2004.

But as Ana Marie Cox reported this week, those comparisons can be misleading. While Rove has hewed to the far right of his party over the course of his career, Schmidt has spent time working with candidates closer to the center, among them Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lamar Alexander and Matt Fong. While Schmidt was Fong’s spokesman, the candidate signed a pledge negotiated with the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay Republican group, to protect certain rights for gays and lesbians.

“This is not something a Rove protege would have done,” Cox wrote. “Rove's career has been based on a very different approach to politics, driven more by polls and a tightly controlled narrative designed specifically to appeal to social conservatives.”

Now comes news that on the day that McCain was giving his GOP nomination acceptance speech before the Republican base in St. Paul, Schmidt met with the Log Cabin Republicans.

“I just wanted to take a second to come by and pay my respect and the campaign’s respect to your organization and to your group,” Schmidt told the group, according to The Advocate. “Your organization is an important one in the fabric of our party.”

As The Advocate notes, “This convention marks the first in history that Log Cabin Republicans, an LGBT rights organization, have been fully credentialed official guests of the GOP host committee.” Sen. Alren Specter, RNC treasurer Tim Morgan, and McCain political director Mike DuHaime also addressed the group this week.

The McCain campaign has released the following excerpts ahead of Republican presidential nominee John McCain's speech tonight at the GOP convention:

"I’m very proud to have introduced our next Vice President to the country. But I can’t wait until I introduce her to Washington. And let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd: change is coming."

"The constant partisan rancor that stops us from solving these problems isn’t a cause, it’s a symptom. It’s what happens when people go to Washington to work for themselves and not you. Again and again, I’ve worked with members of both parties to fix problems that need to be fixed. That’s how I will govern as President. I will reach out my hand to anyone to help me get this country moving again. I have that record and the scars to prove it. Senator Obama does not."

"I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else’s. I loved it not just for the many comforts of life here. I loved it for its decency; for its faith in the wisdom, justice and goodness of its people. I loved it because it was not just a place, but an idea, a cause worth fighting for. I was never the same again. I wasn’t my own man anymore. I was my country’s.”

Read the whole speech here.

(ST. PAUL) Sarah Palin was unknown to the public just a week ago, but it's going to be hard to say that about her anymore. The ratings from her speech at the Republican National Convention are in, and it's now clear just how all the buzz about her translated big time into viewership for the Republican convention.

According to Nielsen, 37.2 million people watched the speech on six networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News Channel, and MSNBC). That is just 1.1 million less than watched Obama's speech last Thursday night. Compare that to the estimated 24 million who watched Democratic VP nominee Joe Biden's speech last Wednesday night. You can also compare that to the about 34 million who watched the opening of the Beijing Olympics last month, 32 million who watched this year's Oscars and 31.7 million who watched last spring's American Idol finale.

According to Nielsen, Palin also attracted 19.5 million women, which is 4.9 million more than watched Biden. And 1.4 million Hispanic viewers watched, which is more than the 1.2 million who watched day 3 of the Democratic convention, even though Univision and Telemundo did not carry Palin's speech last night. In fact, it's also of note that Palin's speech was carried by four less networks than Obama's speech (BET and TV One also showed Obama).

Palin has certainly gotten people's attention now. Now the question is whether that will translate into votes for the Republican ticket.

The Republican Party has released advance excerpts from several of the big speakers tonight, including vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and three of McCain's former rivals for Republican nomination -- Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee.

You can watch the video and read the text from more speeches at the convention here.

Sarah Palin

On her experience as a public servant:

"I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town. I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids’ public education better. When I ran for city council, I didn’t need focus groups and voter profiles because I knew those voters, and knew their families, too. Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities."

On why she is going to Washington, D.C.:

"I’m not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here’s a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this country."

On energy policies that the McCain-Palin administration will implement:

"Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America’s energy problems - as if we all didn’t know that already. But the fact that drilling won’t solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all. Starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we’re going to lay more pipelines...build more nuclear plants...create jobs with clean coal...and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal, and other alternative sources. We need American energy resources, brought to you by American ingenuity, and produced by American workers."

On John McCain:

"Here’s how I look at the choice Americans face in this election. In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change."

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The White House released the following excerpts of President Bush’s speech tonight via satellite to the Republican National Convention:

Read the whole thing here.

On Hurricane Gustav:

We are thankful that the damage in New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast was less than many had feared.

I commend the Governors of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas for their sure-handed response and seamless coordination with the Federal government. I thank all of the wonderful volunteers who stepped forward to help their brothers and sisters in need.

On Senator McCain Being Prepared To Make the Hard Decisions That Fall Solely to the President:

John McCain’s life has prepared him to make those choices. He is ready to lead this Nation.

We live in a dangerous world. And we need a President who understands the lessons of September 11, 2001: that to protect America, we must stay on the offense, stop attacks before they happen, and not wait to be hit again. The man we need is John McCain.

On Senator McCain’s Courage and Vision:

John McCain’s life is a story of service above self.

John is an independent man who thinks for himself. He’s not afraid to tell you when he disagrees. ... No matter what the issue, this man is honest and speaks straight from the heart.

Last year, John McCain’s independence and character helped change history. The Democrats had taken control of Congress and were threatening to cut off funds for our troops. In the face of calls for retreat, I ordered a surge of forces into Iraq. Many in Congress said it had no chance of working. Yet one Senator above all had faith in our troops and the importance of their mission – and that was John McCain. Some told him that his early and consistent call for more troops would put his Presidential campaign at risk. He told them he would rather lose an election than see his country lose a war. That is the kind of courage and vision we need in our next Commander-in-Chief.

On Americans Choosing the McCain-Palin Ticket:

I am optimistic about our future, because I believe in the goodness and wisdom of the American people. I am optimistic because I have faith in freedom’s power to lift up all of God’s children and lead this world to a future of peace.

And I am optimistic about something else: When the debates have ended, and all the ads have run, and it is time to vote, Americans will look closely at the judgment, the experience, and the policies of the candidates – and they will cast their ballots for the McCain-Palin ticket.

(ST. PAUL) Several thousand people gathered in the shadow of the St. Paul capitol building this morning to rally ahead of a protest march to the Xcel Energy Center, where the Republican National Convention kicked off (in abbreviated form, due to Hurricane Gustav) today.

Most of the protesters had come to express their desire for U.S. troops to leave Iraq, though their methods were wildly different: Teamsters dressed in blue union t-shirts lounged on the grass as Code Pink protesters, dressed in elaborate pink dresses and costumes, danced and waved; young men in black t-shirts, bandanas over their faces, held their fists in the air and chanted slogans while two men wearing giant Bush and Cheney heads danced to a song called “Insane In The McCain Brain” condemning the administration.

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Photo Essay: See Images Of The Rally

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More muted were members of Iraq Veterans Against The War, who, clad in stark black t-shirts, gathered in small groups away from the protest theatrics.

Vincent Emanuele, a member of the group and Indiana native, served eight months in Iraq, and said he didn’t oppose the war when it started. But after seeing the “killing of innocents, abuse of prisoners, destruction of civilian property,” he said he became disillusioned.

“This of course was completely contradictory to the mission that we were originally sent to do which was that quote unquote winning hearts and minds,” Emanuele said. He spoke of “watching contractors handing out business cards to infantry guys as they were leaving Iraq, as in here was a job for you to do when you’re done.”

Melida Arredondo Alexander brought a coffin to the protest, as well as a photograph of her stepson, Corporal Alexander Arrredondo, who was killed in Iraq at age 20. She handed out copies of one of the letters Arrredondo sent from Iraq, which read in part, “I am not afraid of dying. I am more afraid of what will happen to all the ones that I love if something happens to me.”



“The Bush administration will not show the caskets, will not show the dead, and will not show how it affects the families,” said Alexander, a photo of her stepson on her t-shirt.

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John McCain’s campaign raised $47 million in the month of August, including $10 million raised since the presumptive nominee tapped Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate, the AP reports.

Because he is accepting public financing for his campaign (unlike Democrat Barack Obama), McCain can not keep any money he had left as of this week when he will receive about $84 million in public money. According to CBS News, McCain plans to give any leftover campaign money to select state parties.

Meanwhile, the AP reports that Palin has hired a private attorney to defend herself and members of her staff in an investigation into the firing of a state employee. The Alaska state legislature has appointed an independent investigator to look into complaints that Palin inappropriately used her office to remove her former brother in-law from his job as a state trooper.

(ST. PAUL) Shortly after the RNC briefing announcing the suspension of most activities at the convention tomorrow, I caught up with chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer and senior political correspondent Jeff Greenfield for some reaction:

“This is the last thing Republicans expected would be happening on the opening of their convention,” Schieffer said. “But John McCain has really come in and taken charge. He says we’ve got to take off our party hat and put on our American hat, and we’ve got to all be on the same team. John McCain was one of the first people who stepped out and criticized the Bush administration for its slow reaction to Katrina. He’s going to make damn sure that that doesn’t happen this time around.”

“He’s also going to make sure that there’s no pictures going out on television of people dancing around with funny hats on while this tragedy is unfolding down on the coast,” he continued. “I think it speaks well of McCain. He reached out and got a hold of this thing, and made sure they are focused on what they ought to be focusing on, and that is those people down on the coast.”

Greenfield said that the situation gives McCain a chance to underline his message.

“If you go out on the convention floor and look around, the slogan of this convention, and the slogan of McCain’s campaign, is Country First," he noted. "That’s his whole basic argument – I put country first. Surely, by this accident of fate, McCain has a way to demonstrate what he means by postponing all the political activities here and only doing what is legally required."

"Now, had McCain and the Republicans gone on with a convention, and had this hurricane hit with as bad a force as we fear, you’d have had split screen pictures of delegates in funny hats and lots of buttons partying while there was great stress in New Orleans," Greenfield added. "So there was no choice. But as it happens, this does tend to underline the basic theme of the McCain campaign.”

When The White House announced this morning that President Bush and Vice President Cheney will not be attending the Republican National Convention on Monday, as previously scheduled, the president and vice president joined a long list of Republican leaders who will be conspicuously absent in St. Paul.

Bush and Cheney are skipping the big event because of the serious threat to the Gulf Coast that Hurricane Gustav poses, but many other prominent GOPers never planned on making the trip to Minnesota, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Perhaps the biggest name of all other Republican non-attendees—California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger—had vowed that he wouldn't attend if a state budget dispute wasn't settled. The budget is still in limbo, and Schwarzenegger remains in California.

The Times reports that at least 10 incumbent senators won't attend the RNC, and only three incumbents in tight reelection races planned to be there.

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(ST. PAUL) St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman defended police raids and arrests Saturday night as the city prepares for the GOP convention which kicks off Monday. Dozens of people were handcuffed and released in the wake of the raids and at least five people were jailed, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

The target of the police raids has been a ground called the RNC Welcoming Committee, a group which states on its Web site: “Together we can derail this purely ceremonial show of this repressive system and remake it with our own hands.”

Coleman said the raids were conducted to help keep other protestors at the convention safe. “We are making sure that people here to legitimately protest have the right to do that, but people engaging in criminal activity are not going to be able to do that," Coleman said.

The mayor said police seized dangerous items in the raids, including Molotov cocktails, a book called "Recipe for Disaster" and tools aimed at disabling busses. “I think we have done absolutely everything we can to accommodate First Amendment rights. But the weapons recovered as a result of these operations make it very clear that there are people here planning to engage in criminal behavior," Coleman said.