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You’ve probably never heard of Brandon Darby. The former community organizer who saved American lives by undermining a left-wing terrorist plot at the 2008 Republican convention used to be a proud member of the radical left. He called for the overthrow of the U.S. government. He hated cops. He consorted with eco-terrorist tree-spikers, radical feminists and black nationalists. He was approached to rob an armored car and asked to commit arson to fight gentrification. He mouthed politically correct slogans about the Bush administration. Government didn’t care about people, and he thought the botched response to Katrina proved it. When he...

Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain has gotten a jolt of support right where he wanted it - from the independent voters whom he courted so aggressively at last week's convention - and now holds a healthy lead over his Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama, in the chase for that key constituency. A Gallup Poll to be released Tuesday shows that Mr. McCain's backing among independent voters jumped 12 percentage points in recent days, providing welcome news for a Republican candidate who has been torn between nurturing his maverick appeal to independents and trying to appease the party's conservative base......

If there was any doubt that John McCain's surprise pick of Sarah Palin has grabbed the attention of many Republicans, Barbara Falk, a retiree born and raised in this quaint small town, put it to rest yesterday: "I came out to see her." So did Falk's friend Pat Mantel, who said, "I do enjoy that vice president that McCain picked." And so did Mantel's sister Carol Eberhardt, a retired lab worker and single mother of three, who said, "She speaks my language." A day after McCain gave what many critics panned as a flat acceptance speech, Palin proved to be...

Here is a tag cloud of the top 100 words used last night in John McCain’s speech.

Ramsey County sheriff's deputies found weapons and devices to disable buses - among other items - in searches in the Twin Cities last night and today. Authorities said the items came from "key members of the RNC Welcoming Committee," a self-described anarchist group. Five people have been arrested and four properties have been searched, according to the sheriff's office. At 8 a.m. today, the sheriff's office executed search warrants at three Minneapolis homes - 2301 23rd Ave. S., 3500 Harriet Ave. and 3240 17th Ave. S. The FBI, Minneapolis police and the Hennepin County sheriff's office assisted them. "The 'Welcoming...

DENVER -- In anticipation of whether or not the weather will cooperate for Barack Obama's open-air political concert at Invesco Field, The Wall Street Journal did a breakdown of weather patterns that have occurred on tomorrow’s date, Aug. 28. Four years ago on that date, the temperature dipped to 42 degrees. Winds as high as 53 miles per hour have also been clocked on that date. But a repeat of the biblical swarm of locusts that darkened the skies and destroyed the land in Aug. 28, 1875, would make for great television.

The Confluence: Clinton Delegates are pi*sed. The Clinton National Delegate Network, a grassroots movement of delegates is on the streets of Denver collecting signatures from Hillary delegates. This eleventh hour effort is being organized to ensure that delegates who were elected to represent the voters of each state can and will vote for the candidate they were pledged to. The DNC and Nancy Pelosi, the Chairman of the Democratic Convention, are doing everything in their power to make sure that does not happen. With Obama’s flagging support, according to the polls, running neck and neck with McCain, they are very...

The war in Iraq will be a major issue during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, DNC chairman Howard Dean told several hundred people at the west entrance to the Pepsi Center this afternoon. "Every single one of the Republicans running for president thinks we ought to stay in Iraq, maybe for as long as 50 years," said Dean. "Every Democrat thinks we ought not to be there." The gathering was held to mark the one-year countdown to the 2008 convention.

Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) is asking appropriators for $50 million to cover security costs at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. That amount is twice as much as New York and Boston got from the federal government for the conventions they hosted in 2004. DeGette spokeswoman Brandon MacGillis said she is asking for more to ensure that the host cities have everything they need. “The hope is they won’t use all this money,” MacGillis said. New York wound up spending about $50 million on security, and Boston spent $35 million, according to figures provided by DeGette’s office. DeGette was...

More than two dozen cities have been invited to submit bids to explain why they would be the best choice for the 2008 Republican National Convention. The 31 cities were announced Wednesday by the Republican National Committee, which also has asked to hear from cities not on the list but interested in playing host to the convention. The committee's site selection committee will hold individual meetings in Washington with representatives of all interested cities to discuss the choice of a convention city. The RNC has several basic requirements for the host city. _A main convention facility capable of seating at...

DNC Chairman Howard Dean unofficially endorsed a move by gay Democrats to require the party to guarantee that 5 to 10 percent of their '08 convention delegates are gay or lesbian. "Of course that's a good idea," Dean said during a meeting with the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender caucus Friday evening.