US presidential race could be tighter than polls show
Business Times - 22 Oct 2008 By LEON HADAR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT FIRST, it was the hockey mom from Alaska who was going to help Senator John McCain get his groove back as he was trying to slow the momentum of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Mr McCain and his aides had hoped that being an attractive and young female politician and a working mother, Sarah Palin would be able to draw support from Hillary Clinton Democrats, while her conservative social views would help energise the Republican political base. Ms Palin did deliver a great convention speech, helped rally the conservative Republican activists and ignited the interest of many voters. But then following her dreadful performance in several television interviews which helped turn her into the butt of jokes and late-night television comedians, Ms Palin's approval rating started plunging. So then came the 'washed out terrorist', which is the way that Mr McCain described Bill Ayers, a former political ...