David Gergen

If she's going to be in the White House, there's got to be a sense of readiness.

Every day that's about Sarah Palin is a good day for the McCain campaign.

I think it's important for Obama to put down Sarah Palin, to get beyond that. He does not -- that lowers him, when he gets into that.

If she's going to be in the White House, she's got -- there's got to be a sense of readiness.

I think the McCain campaign is absolutely delighted. Every day that it's about Sarah Palin is a good day for the McCain campaign.

I'm surprised that they're continuing on that. I'm surprised that they're not letting her speak to the public.

If you can do this in a way that it's sort of being quietly done, it's not up on the big radar screen, that women in the suburbs feel really frightened by it, it makes a huge difference in energizing and getting people in more rural areas…

If you can do this in a way that is sort of being quietly done -- it's not up on the big radar screen -- that women in the suburbs feel really frightened by it, it makes a huge difference in energizing and getting people in more rural…

The Republicans have very successfully reignited the culture wars which have been sort of bubbling under the surface for a long time.

He's largely erased Barack Obama's advantage on change. He hasn't caught up with him yet but it's a much narrower margin.

Just very briefly, on Obama today, what we heard today was him talking about a 6.1 percent unemployment rate, the worst in five years.

I don't think Barack Obama has sharpened his message enough. He needs more surrogates on the economic front and he needs a sharper, stronger, more compelling economic message.

I think she will have -- you know, when she goes out, she will get more coverage. I -- she's made it clear she's not going to take on Sarah Palin personally. She will go after John McCain and what the lack of real change that she thinks he…

It sounded like, on Thursday night, John McCain was ready to reach across the aisle.

The person, the candidate who can convince the American people that he's got a plan for the economy that's compelling, and that he will have a team that's new, that's fresh, that will change things, not just to talk change but show people…

I think the Obama camp, they do need to sort of ignore her and get back to the issues.

But you know Barack Obama cannot afford to let this not be about issues. That's what bothering voters. And he's got to get it back on the issues because we want to hear more about the issues.

It is imprudent, in fact, it's reckless, to put the commander in chief role in the hands of someone with little experience like Barack Obama.

The biggest single gamble in modern political history, Anderson. On one hand, she's firing up the evangelicals and many of the social conservatives because of her pro-life, pro-gun sort of view, lifetime NRA. She's also very popular in…

He's thrown down the gauntlet on this abortion issue.

I think Roland is right that he came out swinging last night.

I think reform has been one of the four main themes of the Republican Convention all along.

I think when people get ready, they'll go and beat up on Barack Obama next week at the Republican convention and we know they will. It's going to sound rather hollow when they say we can't turn national security over to someone who has…

This is the biggest gamble I've ever seen a presidential candidate take in modern history because John McCain was in a situation where he was closing rapidly.

If he does not go that way, if he does not go for a pro-choice candidate, if he goes for a pro-life candidate, then, in effect, he will have allowed the Rush Limbaughs of the world to veto what he otherwise might have wanted to do.