Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times
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GOP nominee says he will look past party labels for the good of the nation.

latimes.com
Daniel Congiolosi is sure it won't be long before energy is so expensive he won't be able to pay the bills. When that happens, he will be ready. This spring, he tripled the size of his garden. He's rushing to install a hand pump on the well, build a concrete-lined root cellar and get an ice house ready before next summer. >>

GOP seeks to portray itself as in sync with America and the Democrats as on the fringe. In bad economic times, that may be risky. >>

After the GOP attacks the media over stories about the vice presidential nominee's family, TV networks and newspapers deny bias and say Republicans opened the door to coverage. >>

CAUSE CÉLÈBRE
Jon Voight and Pat Boone become her fans. 'She's the new star we're looking for,' one studio chief says. >>

DECISION TIME
The governor says she knows how to be a leader. >>

WATCHING PALIN
It's a challenge for John McCain to attract at least as many viewers for his acceptance speech. >>

EXCERPTS OF McCAIN'S SPEECH
Tonight, I have a privilege given few Americans -- the privilege of accepting our party's nomination for president of the United States. And I accept it with gratitude, humility and confidence. . . . >>

He tells the conservative Fox talk-show host that the Iraq troop increase succeeded 'beyond our wildest dreams.' >>

Like 20 years ago, a young conservative is plucked from obscurity to bolster the ticket's election chances. >>

Campaigning in the Rust Belt, the Democratic nominee says Republican speeches lack ideas for working Americans. >>

TOP OF THE TICKET
Sarah Palin turns Rush to mush over the McCain ticket >>

In the convention's last day, authorities set up roadblocks to stop a march from the Capitol. >>

The corporate jet she found wasteful did go up on the auction site, but it didn't sell there. An entrepreneur later bought it. >>

CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
None of the Republican speakers, including McCain, seemed to catch fire. >>

September 4, 2008
A code of honor guides McCain, yet he readily admits to breaking it. >>

John McCain's running mate shakes off controversy and mocks Barack Obama in her introduction to the nation. >>

A hard-line supporter of state controls, she's earned public acclaim, angered industry giants, allied with Democrats and alienated fellow Republicans. >>

NEWS ANALYSIS
The hard work will come when the Republican vice presidential nominee sets off on her own. Yet to be resolved are family and political issues. >>

'It's so disappointing,' says a former Maryland lieutenant governor of the dramatic decline in African American delegates. >>

CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
Controversy over daughter Bristol Palin's pregnancy gave Republicans an opportunity to rail at the media Wednesday night. >>

ON THE MEDIA
The mystery woman of the great white north, Sarah Palin, introduced herself to the nation last night as a regular "gal." And now Americans craving more information about the would-be vice president of the United States will turn to . . . >>

Outside the convention hall, questions are raised about the pro-life working mother's family responsibilities. >>

Alaska official who says he was dismissed for not firing her ex-brother-in-law gives copies to state ethics investigators. >>

Fully ully 20% of Hollywood's Republican celebrities are gathered in St. Paul, Minn., this week to officially nominate John McCain for president and to make Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin his vice presidential running mate. >>

The appearance at the Republican convention by McCain's two active-duty sons and two Navy SEALs forces the Pentagon into an uncomfortable position. >>

The GOP celebration heats up with help from Fred Thompson, Pat Boone and LeAnn Rimes. >>

DEMOCRATS
The "unity" convention in Denver is over. But some Hillary Rodham Clinton delegates are back home in California stewing over what they describe as pressure from Barack Obama allies to create a false image of overwhelming support for the Democratic presidential nominee. >>

STARRING HIMSELF
If all had gone according to plan, California Republicans would have been rubbing elbows with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at the swank Nicollet Island Pavilion in Minneapolis. But the Governator, who supports the McCain-Palin GOP presidential ticket, was a no-show. Citing wrangling over the budget as his priority -- putting state first -- the governor stayed in Sacramento. >>

BLAME THE LIBERALS
Almost two years after Republicans lost control of Congress, two party leaders who were washed away by the voter backlash remain convinced that voters did not give a mandate for Democratic policies in the midterm elections. >>

He promises to push legislation that would ensure equal pay for women should he win the White House. >>

September 3, 2008
McCain's running mate has been out of sight ahead of her crucial convention speech while a team coaches her for the spotlight. >>

President Bush and Joe Lieberman tell the convention that McCain has always put country above party. Fred Thompson attacks Barack Obama's policies and experience. >>

Three times in recent years, the Arizona senator's lists of 'objectionable' pork spending have included earmarks requested by his new running mate. >>

His 'Rally for the Republic' draws as many as 12,000 disillusioned Republicans and independents, organizers say. >>

McCain says the process was thorough, but others describe a more cursory examination. >>

The McCain campaign denies his running mate supports the party's separatist bent. >>

The 2008 Republican platform says the makeup of Congress should be determined by counting only legal residents in the next census, not illegal immigrants. >>

COMMENTARY / ON THE MEDIA
The questions raised about Sarah Palin and her daughter Bristol allow those attending the convention to attack a familiar enemy, trying to score political points in the process. >>

CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
Fred Thompson gives a speech both folksy and moving as the convention revs up after being overshadowed by Hurricane Gustav. >>

September 2, 2008
TELEVISION / POLITICS
Katie Couric, Charlie Gibson, Brian Williams and their cable counterparts switch focus from Hurricane Gustav to GOP meeting. >>

CAMPAIGN '08
The Palin family announces that teenager Bristol will marry the father. The news raises questions about John McCain's vetting of his running mate. >>

Delegates adopt a platform, but the focus is on Hurricane Gustav. Laura Bush and Cindy McCain speak briefly. >>

More than 280 people are arrested after groups of anarchists set fires, throw rocks and break windows. >>

A call for abstinence

Here is the portion of the Republican platform that deals with abstinence and education: >>

Television coverage

The broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) will offer coverage of the convention from 7 to 8 p.m. each day. >>

NEWS ANALYSIS
Details emerge one after another, and the campaign can't be sure what will capture and hold public interest. >>

CAUSE CÉLÈBRE
Even if the lineup of entertainment isn't quite as A-list in Minneapolis as it was in Denver. >>

Shrimpers Neang Pum and Sobong In fled Cambodia and survived Hurricane Katrina. Now they're forced to leave the boat they call home, with little gas and no place to go. >>

September 1, 2008
The event will be more subdued and less political. It's not even clear when John McCain will arrive. >>

He details the visit to Jackson, Miss., at a rally in O'Fallon, Mo., a conservative community west of St. Louis. 'I think for John to want to find out what's going on is fine,' Barack Obama says. >>

The president says he must focus on preparations for Hurricane Gustav, which may hit New Orleans. Republican strategists are relieved that the president, and his low ratings, won't attend. >>

The governor's past practice on earmarks stands in contrast to the views of her running mate, a researcher at a watchdog group says. >>

Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, Brian Williams and other anchors head south. It might mean less coverage for the GOP, but 'the prevailing story right now is this storm,' one news executive says. >>

Welcome parties are subdued; some Gulf Coast delegates return home. Those from other states struggle with how to react. While expressing sympathy, many said the show must go on. >>

Nigerian anti-graft police have seized $629,834 raised at a gala dinner in support of Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign, authorities said Sunday. >>

Like Hillary Clinton before him, McCain decides the experience argument is not the way to beat Obama. Palin helps personify his new message. >>

National officials worry that Ron Paul supporters will vote for Libertarian nominee Bob Barr, potentially handing the swing state to Barack Obama on Election Day. >>

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Updated Jan. 31, 2008
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