Sarah Palin, 2012 Presidential Election | featured news

When Mitt Romney was searching for a ticket mate, Republicans pleaded: Don't pick another Sarah Palin. So it may come as a surprise that, in at least one important way, he ended up doing precisely that with Paul D. Ryan. Like Palin four years ago, the Wisconsin congressman has captured the heart of the Republican convention. The thunderous response to his speech Wednesday night was the latest indication.

Sarah Palin and George W. Bush won't be in Tampa, Fla. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Al Gore won't make the trip to Charlotte, N.C. And scores of other Republican and Democratic stars are taking a pass as their parties gather for this year's national conventions....

A senior political adviser to President Barack Obama is likening Mitt Romney's selection of Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate to John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin. David Axelrod tells "CBS This Morning" he recalls "that kind of excitement four years ago" when McCain presented Palin to the country as his choice for vice president. Axelrod says in Monday's interview he thinks the selection of Ryan, who is popular with tea party figures - as Palin was - is "not going to be a plus for Mr. Romney."

Former Vice President Dick Cheney says it was a mistake for Republican Sen. John McCain to pick Sarah Palin as his vice presidential nominee. Cheney says he liked Palin, but that she didn't pass the test of being ready to be president and that McCain's campaign didn't handle the vetting process well.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) "flatly rejected" to Politico the assertion that he didn't pick Mitt Romney as his running mate in 2008 because of what he saw in his tax returns. Said McCain: "Oh come on, because we thought that Sarah Palin was the better candidate. Why did we not take Pawlenty, why did we not take any of the other 10 other people. Why didn't I? Because we had a better candidate, the same way with all the others... Come on, why? That's a stupid question."

Gloria Borger says Romney is likely to have learned a lesson from McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate.

Arizona senator jokes Romney should pick Sarah Palin for his running mate as he calls for Santorum to make "graceful exit." "I think we have some very qualified candidate, obviously Marco Rubio is in the top tier, Chris Christie, there are a number of candidates we have out there, Bobby Jindal, Mitch Daniels. We have a wealth of talent out there and I am sure that Mitt will make the right choice," McCain said, referring the Florida senator, and three governors from New Jersey, Louisiana and Indiana, respectively.

Sarah Palin says it's not too late for someone to jump into the Republican presidential race. Asked by Fox Business Network's "Follow the Money" about the likelihood that she'd become a candidate, the former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee said it's not too late for "folks" to jump in. Said Palin: "Who knows what will happen in the future."

The headline on Democratic strategist Paul Begala’s recent Newsweek essay dodged subtlety: “The Stupid Party.” “Republicans used to admire intelligence. But now they’re dumbing themselves down,” was the subhead. Democrats couldn’t agree more. And quietly, many Republicans share the sentiment. They just can’t seem to stop themselves. [Snip] Scientific skepticism, the engine that propels intellectual inquiry, has morphed into skepticism of science fueled by religious certitude.