IN THE HEADLINES

McCain selects Alaska's Gov. Sarah Palin to be vice presidential nominee ... Obama camp hits, then praises McCain's choice of a female running mate ... Secrecy, soundings and surprise marked McCain's tightly controlled search for running mate

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McCain taps Alaska governor for VP

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) _ Republican John McCain introduced first-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate Friday, a stunning selection of a fellow maverick designed to get an edge in the increasingly competitive White House race.

"She's exactly who I need. She's exactly who this country needs to help me fight the same old Washington politics of 'Me first and country second,'" McCain declared as the pair stood together for the first time at a boisterous rally in Ohio just days before the opening of the party's national convention.

Palin, the first Republican woman on a presidential ticket, promised: "I'm going to take our campaign to every part of our country and our message of reform to every voter of every background in every political party, or no party at all."

"... Politics isn't just a game of competing interests and clashing parties," added Palin, 44, who has built her career in large measure by challenging fellow Republicans.

In the increasingly intense presidential campaign, McCain made his selection six days after his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, named Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware as his No. 2 on the ticket.

The contrast between the two announcements was remarkable _ Obama, 47, picked a 65-year-old running mate with long experience in government and a man whom he said was qualified to be president. The timing of McCain's selection appeared designed to limit any political gain Obama derives from his own convention, which ended Thursday night with his nominating acceptance speech before an estimated 84,000 at Invesco Field in Colorado.

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Obama camp hits, then praises McCain's VP choice

MONACA, Pa. (AP) _ Barack Obama's spokesman fired off a fast criticism of Republican John McCain's new running mate Friday, but the Democratic candidate himself quickly stepped in to offer her congratulations and praise.

Obama, who is eager to win over female voters who backed his rival Hillary Rodham Clinton in the primaries, blamed the mixed messages about McCain's choice, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, on campaign aides with a "hair trigger."

He and his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, followed up with congratulatory phone calls to Palin.

McCain made his surprise announcement moments before Obama flew from Denver with Biden and their wives. Fresh off Obama's nomination acceptance speech before 84,000 people Thursday night, the foursome launched a three-day bus tour of crucial industrial states, which began with a visit to a biodiesel fuel plant near Pittsburgh.

As the plane was lifting off from Denver, Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton issued a statement calling Palin an abortion-rights opponent and "the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience."

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Secrecy, surprise were goals of McCain's VP search

BOSTON (AP) _ John McCain's search for a running mate was remarkable in that it was carried out in secret, concluded with a bang and conducted in sharp contrast to the freewheeling style of his early presidential campaign or his hard-charging Navy days.

The Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting spirited his ultimate choice, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, first to Arizona and then to Ohio on a pair of secret corporate jet flights. When her family joined her Thursday night, they stayed in a hotel under an assumed name.

And when it came time to announce Palin's selection on Friday morning in Dayton, Ohio, the news came as a surprise not only to the public, but also to members of her own staff 4,000 miles away in Anchorage.

"Nobody knew about his announcement this morning except (a traveling aide) and the governor's chief of staff, who found out about this last night," said Sharon Leighow, a Palin gubernatorial spokeswoman.

That was precisely McCain's intention.

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DAILY TRACK

Democrat Barack Obama has an 8-percentage-point lead over Republican John McCain _ he has 49 percent to McCain's 41 percent _ among registered voters in the presidential race, according to the latest Gallup Poll daily tracking update.

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THE DEMOCRATS

Barack Obama and Joe Biden campaign in Beaver, Pa.

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THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain held a rally in Dayton, Ohio.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"It was rightly noted in Denver this week that Hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America, but it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all." _ Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the first Republican woman on a presidential ticket.

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STAT OF THE DAY:

72: The age John McCain turned on Friday, his birthday.

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Compiled by Ann Sanner.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.