Wow. So much for conventional wisdom.

DENVER - John McCain tapped little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate on Friday in a startling selection on the eve of the Republican National Convention.

Instant reaction: This is a naked grab for disenfranchised Hillary voters. One drawback: Choosing a governor with two years in office certainly detracts from McCain's "Obama's not experienced enough" argument.

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The nation may have just discovered Tim Pawlenty, but City Pages has been writing about him since he first rose to power. Here's a compendium of articles that provide a critical look at John McCain's vice presidential frontrunner.

Governor No
Tim Pawlenty racked up more vetoes this year than any governor in Minnesota's history. Is this the man we want to be vice president?

Pawlenty flip-flops on Cuba just in time to cozy up to McCain
Is Gov. Tim Pawlenty's change of heart politically motivated?

VP Pawlenty Watch
Our ongoing horserace coverage of T-Paw's quest to be McCain's running mate

The Smiling Face of Pain
The "new" Tim Pawlenty looks a lot like the old one

A Portrait of the Governor as a Young Weenie
Husker Du's Grant Hart recalls his old classmate, Tim Pawlenty

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RNC politicos aren’t the only two-dimensional avatars gearing up to spew canned sales pitches at Twin Cities residents and visitors.

Mall of America’s recently opened Best Buy has tapped Stillwater-based company Modernistic, Inc. to create a built-to-scale holographic blueshirt, whose polished spiel is intended to coax mall visitors into Best Buy confines. Dude appears to be a helluva worker.

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With Barack Obama's speech just hours away, credentials for Invesco Field are the hottest ticket in town. Remember when people were questioning the wisdom of moving the speech to a huge outdoor stadium? Turns out Obama could have packed the Big House at the University of Michigan with no problems. The weather appears to be holding, too.

People without tickets are holding as well -- holding signs like this one:

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Keep hearing the words recession looming ? Tired of seeings homes for sale sit empty for months on your block? Try not to worry, thanks to local business, we here in Minneapolis don't have it that bad.

Forbes magazine recently named Minneapolis the second best place to earn a living.

If you're looking for a reason why the Twin Cities hasn't joined the cities of nearby Michigan and Ohio as economic casualties, look at some of its top companies: Target, Travelers Insurance, Pepsi Americas, St. Jude Medical, U.S. Bancorp and Cargill. This is no bygone manufacturing center.

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Floor passes are precious commodities, and in short supply. Not everyone who wants one can get one, even prominent politicos or media members, especially for anticipated events like Hillary Clinton's speech last night.

MPR's Bob Collins has a great catch: the GOP's Mitt Romney gained floor access on a press credential.

Unfortunately, the photo doesn't show whose press credential it is. But Las Vegas casinos are giving 8:5 odds that it was someone from Fox News.

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Hey, Twin Cities: It's a good time to put a hole in yourself.

I've been talking to tons of workers and business owners in Denver about whether the anticipated economic boost from the DNC has been as effective as people believed it would be. Short preview of that post: there's been more business, but not as much as as hoped.

In the body modification arena, however, there's a bit of a trend. Piercings: up! Tattoos: not so much! But there are ink opportunities, too.

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Minnesota Nice will have its day. But I just saw a display of Denver hospitality that'll be pretty hard to top.

A delegate emerged from the Pepsi Center with a packet of American Spirit tobacco -- but no rolling papers. Around here, it's tough to find Zig Zags at convenience stores. Without volunteers around, the delegate turned to Denver police.

You've earned that big wiggle, boys. More Denver street photos in the slideshow.

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On the day Senator Hillary Clinton is to address the Democratic National Convention in Denver to give her support to Barack Obama, and on the day dedicated to celebrating the right of American women to vote, members of the state's Green Party delivered a petition that will give two women access to the presidential and vice presidential ballots in this state.

On Tuesday, August 26th, supporters of Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney brought over 2,700 petition signatures to Minnesota's Office of Secretary of State In St. Paul to get McKinney and her vice-presidential running mate, Rosa Clemente, on the ballot for the 2008 presidential election. (A minimum of 2,000 certified signatures are required by the state in order to gain ballot access in the November 4th elections.)

The McKinney-Clemente presidential ticket is currently on the ballot in 25 states and organizers say there's a good chance the campaign will make it on several more. "[T]he Cynthia McKinney-Rosa Clemente presidential ticket is breaking new ground, and breaking down barriers in American politics," the campaign reports.

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The Wall Street Journal has a piece on how Denver and Minnesota papers are digging deep to find the resources to cover the political conventions.

According to the article, the Pioneer Press will devote more than 30 staffers to covering the RNC and $25,000 for equipment, telecom services, and food for those stationed inside the Xcel Center.

The Strib, meanwhile, will have 15 staffers roaming outside the convention center, with more on call to cover protests and/or riots.

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