Over the next week you will see some new dynamism in the Presidential race. Much of the past several days have been a focus on the lies told by the McCain campaign about themselves and Senator Obama.
Of particular note is the "Bridge to Nowhere" and earmark discussion where McCain was trying to campaign one way, so he had to change the narrative history of his running mate, only to have it blow up in their faces because of all the earmarks Palin went after as mayor and Governor. Typically, politicians like to brag about these types of accomplishments but the frame of the McCain campaign makes that a bad thing so they lie until the din from the press makes them pull back.
Another good one is her foreign travel, claiming she went to Ireland, Germany, Kuwait and Iraq. Turns out Ireland was only to refuel and she peered into Iraq from Kuwait, never venturing foot there. Now it is far from clear why she would need to go into Iraq anyway, but the campaign claimed it. (I really think our soldiers deserve more respect than being props in people's campaigns. The McCain campaign/RNC went so far as to hire actors to play soldiers at a military funeral to be backdrop during their convention. So apparently there are worse ideas.) Charlie Gibson got her to say she also visited Mexico so now they have to find some evidence that she actually did do something there.
The large city newspapers have been brutal on the McCain campaign regarding their advertisements particularly the one about Obama and sex ed. Paul Krugman tells a story about how in 2000 when got his oped column in the NY Times he wanted to write about Bush lying on taxes and budgets. The editorial staff asked him to shy away from using such direct language. So he called Bush's action dissembling. Friday he came right out and called McCain a liar. (It was one of many such discussions in newspapers at the end of the week.) At the same time the newspaper ran an editorial (not the first sone this week) concluding he made a huge mistake in picking Palin.
All this will take a toll on the initial excitement of the Republican convention and the Palin pick. What the press giveth (celebrity) they will take away (target). And the Obama campaign will take back control of the messaging giving them the chance to retake a slight but significant lead in the campaign.