McCain picks Alaska Gov. Palin as running mate

(CNN) -- Sen. John McCain has picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, a senior McCain campaign official told CNN on Friday.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, here in February, will be Sen. John McCain's running mate, a campaign official says.

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Palin, 44, who's in her first term as governor, is a pioneering figure in Alaska, the first woman and the youngest person to hold the state's top political job.

She catapulted to the post with a strong reputation as a political outsider, forged during her stint in local politics. She was mayor and a council member of the small town of Wasilla and was chairman of the state Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which regulates Alaska's oil and gas resources, in 2003 and 2004.

The conservative Palin defeated two so-called political insiders to win the governor's job -- incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski in the GOP primary and former two-term Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles in the 2006 general election. iReport.com: What do you think of McCain's VP pick?

Palin made her name in part by backing tough ethical standards for politicians. During the first legislative session after her election, her administration passed a state ethics law overhaul.

Palin's term has not been without controversy. A legislative investigation is looking into allegations that Palin fired Alaska's public safety commissioner because he refused to fire the governor's former brother-in-law, a state trooper.

Palin acknowledged that a member of her staff made a call to a trooper in which the staffer suggested he was speaking for the governor.

Palin has admitted that the call could be interpreted as pressure to fire state trooper Mike Wooten, who was locked in a child-custody battle with Palin's sister.

"I am truly disappointed and disturbed to learn that a member of this administration contacted the Department of Public Safety regarding Trooper Wooten," Palin said. "At no time did I authorize any member of my staff to do so."

Palin suspended the staffer who made the call.

Palin has focused on energy and natural resources policy during her short stint in office, and she is known for her support of drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, a position opposed by McCain but supported by many grass-roots Republicans.

Her biography on the state governor's Web site says one of the two major pieces of legislation passed during her first legislative session was a competitive process to construct a gas pipeline.

Palin started Alaska's Petroleum Systems Integrity Office, an oversight and maintenance agency for the state's oil and gas equipment, facilities and infrastructure. She created the Climate Change Subcabinet that would forge a climate change strategy, according to the biography.

Palin chairs the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a multistate panel "that promotes the conservation and efficient recovery of domestic oil and natural gas resources while protecting health, safety and the environment," the biography says.

She has been named chair of the National Governors Association's Natural Resources Committee. That panel is focused on legislation to ensure that federal policies take state priorities into account in agriculture, energy, environmental protection and natural resource management.

She is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and takes part in two of Alaska's popular pastimes -- fishing and hunting.

The governor's biography says Palin's other priorities have been "education and workforce development, public health and safety, and transportation and infrastructure development."

The biography touts her other achievements as governor as the investment of $5 billion in state savings, overhaul of educational funding and implementation of a program to help low-income elderly Alaskans.

Born in Idaho, she is a longtime Alaskan and a Protestant. Her biography says she arrived in Alaska in 1964 "when her parents came to teach school in Skagway."

She graduated from Wasilla High School in 1982 and received a bachelor of science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987.

Her husband is Todd Palin, an oil production operator on Alaska's North Slope. They have five children, including a son who enlisted in the Army last year.

Congressional Quarterly notes Sarah Palin's other past occupations, including commercial fishing company owner, outdoor recreational equipment company owner and sports reporter.

Palin also made an unsuccessful run for lieutenant governor in 2002, Congressional Quarterly said.

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Obama: John McCain doesn't get it

DENVER, Colorado (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama laid out his plan for change in America as he accepted the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday night, securing his place in history as the first African-American to lead a major party ticket.

Sen. Barack Obama accepted his party's nomination for the presidency Thursday night.

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"Change happens because the American people demand it -- because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time. America, this is one of those moments," he told supporters at the Democratic National Convention. "I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming."

Obama pitted himself against John McCain, repeatedly countering attacks from his Republican rival while casting the election as a choice between change and failure, as he addressed tens of thousands of cheering people and millions of primetime TV viewers.

McCain would continue the policies of the Bush administration, Obama said.

"We are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight. On November 4, we must stand up and say: 'Eight is enough,' " he told the Denver throng.

In addition to slamming McCain on Iraq, energy policy and health care, Obama said his rival for the White House is out of touch with the concerns of the average American. Watch Obama's entire speech: Part 1 » | Part 2 »

"He said that our economy has made 'great progress' under this president. He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. And when one of his chief advisers -- the man who wrote his economic plan -- was talking about the anxiety Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a 'mental recession,' and that we've become, and I quote, 'a nation of whiners,' " Obama said, eliciting boos from the crowd.

"It's not because John McCain doesn't care," Obama said. "It's because John McCain doesn't get it." Watch Obama blast the status quo »

The speech marked the culmination of the four-day convention in Denver, during which party leaders pushed to heal the rift from a bitter and prolonged primary battle between Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton. By Thursday, Obama had received clear endorsements from Clinton and her husband former President Bill Clinton.

By early evening, the line of people seeking to get into Invesco Field to hear Obama's address stretched for six miles, and the crowd that filled the stadium was more than 80,000 strong.

"I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring," Obama told the audience. "What the naysayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's about you." Watch Obama accept the historic nomination »

In a statement issued immediately after the speech, the McCain campaign called the speech "misleading" and said it was "fundamentally at odds with the meager record of Barack Obama."

"When the temple comes down, the fireworks end, and the words are over, the facts remain: Sen. Obama still has no record of bipartisanship, still opposes offshore drilling, still voted to raise taxes on those making just $42,000 per year, and still voted against funds for American troops in harm's way. The fact remains: Barack Obama is still not ready to be president," said a statement from the campaign. The "temple" is a reference to the columns that formed the backdrop for Obama's speech. Grade Obama's speech

Obama also outlined his promises for the nation -- vowing to cut taxes, end the country's dependence on oil from the Middle East and offer affordable healthcare for all Americans. He also pledged to end the war in Iraq responsibly, and "finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan." iReport.com: Watch and share your thoughts on Obama's speech

He wrapped up his speech by telling the crowd, "America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future." Watch as fireworks mark the end of the convention »

The crowd gave Obama a roaring welcome and met lines of his speech with chants of his catchphrase, "Yes, we can." Many political pundits said Obama hit it out of the park with his nearly 50-minute speech, and those in attendance agreed. See what CNN analysts have to say about Obama's speech »

"It was an excellent home run," said Matt Besser, an Obama representative to the DNC platform committee. "He did everything he needed to do. He gracefully dissected John McCain and then set out his own vision, and clearly everyone got it."

In the hours leading up to the speech, a star-studded line up of musicians performed, including Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Sheryl Crow and Will.i.am. Watch musicians perform at the convention »

The scene was much like a rock concert, with the foot-stomping, flag-waving crowd dancing and bouncing beach balls as they awaited Obama's arrival.

When Obama officially locked in his party's nomination on Wednesday, delegates sobbed, cheered and hugged in celebration of the historic moment.

The Democratic candidate's address fell on the 45th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech.

In an emotional tribute to the slain civil rights leader earlier in the evening, King's children paid respect to their father and said he would have been proud of the party and the generation that would realize his dream. Civil rights hero Rep. John Lewis and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., son of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, were seen hugging each other and weeping.

McCain also honored Obama's achievement in a television ad that aired during the convention.

Earlier in the evening, former presidential candidate Al Gore turned the focus to the environment, an issue that received little attention earlier in the week. He also invoked the bitterly disputed 2000 presidential election to argue that Americans should elect Obama in November. Read about Gore's address

"Eight years ago, some said there was not much difference between the nominees of the two major parties and it didn't really matter who became president," he told delegates. "But here we all are in 2008, and I doubt anyone would argue now that election didn't matter," he said.

Next week, it's the Republicans turn. Their four-day convention gets underway Monday in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.

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Google CEO: Internet spurred Obama's nomination

Posted by Declan McCullagh

Eric Schmidt fields questions from liberal talk show host Rachel Maddow (and the audience) about politics, online journalism, and privacy.

(Credit: Declan McCullagh/News.com)

DENVER--Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt said on Thursday that the Internet gave presidential candidate Barack Obama the ability to bypass traditional media and claim the Democratic nomination.

Schmidt showed up at the Democratic convention here on Thursday to field questions about politics, how Google is influencing online journalism, and the company's policies on privacy.

During an appearance at the literal and figurative Big Tent, a blogger workspace sponsored by Google and Digg.com, Schmidt said that Web sites like YouTube allow politicians to connect more directly with voters.

Here are some highlights of Schmidt's nearly hour-long conversation on stage with Rachel Maddow, a liberal talk radio and MSNBC host:

(Credit: Declan McCullagh/News.com)

* Privacy: "We do worry that as this information gets collected it becomes a treasure trove. You can imagine that in the worst possible case... we know everything you're doing and the government tries to track you." Schmidt said that some solutions are a judicial system that limits government overzealousness, the ability to discuss the topic openly that didn't exist a few decades ago, and his company's policy of limiting what data they collect beyond 18 months.

* Ted Stevens: The recently-indicted Republican senator, who previously headed the committee that drafted Internet-related laws, became famous for his mangled description of a "series of tubes." Schmidt said, in response to a question about what he thought of Stevens: "There's always a person who's first. And there's always a person who's last. And we found him."

* Recruiting: Google studied the way its recruiting process worked for male vs. female engineering hires, and made changes. It turned out that the male rating of possible hires was predictive of future performance, but the rating for women wasn't. "We had actual data that showed a bizarre bias that existed in our system. We changed it to correct that." Schmidt indicated in response to a question that Google engages in affirmative action for racial and sexual minority hiring.

* Journalism and the Internet: "We've got a major national crisis around journalism, particularly investigative journalism." Schmidt said that the three factors are higher costs of newsprint, loss of print ad revenue and effectiveness, and the shift of classified ads online (in part going to Google.) He said Google is "working hard to try things" including partnerships with media organizations in conjunction with Google News, but acknowledged that it's unclear what will work.

Alan Davidson, one of Google's Washington representatives, said the company is planning a sizable presence at the Republican convention next week as well.

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