-- Donald Trump may have briefly sidetracked Mitt Romney's campaign message in Las Vegas with his renewed "birther" talk, but it isn't the first time an opinionated supporter has put a candidate in an awkward position. In 2008, candidate Barack Obama had to distance himself from his former longtime pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, following the Chicago clergyman's incendiary rhetoric and contentious public appearances. Obama also faced questions about his relationships with 1960s radical Bill Ayers and convicted Chicago businessman Antoin "Tony" Rezko. John McCain had pastor troubles, too. The 2008 GOP nominee secured primary endorsements from pastors John Hagee of Texas and Rod Parsley of Ohio, but later disavowed them because of their controversial sermons. McCain also was partly upstaged by his lightly vetted running mate, then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Earlier this month, Newark, N.J., Ma

By Mark Whittington | Yahoo! Contributor Network 9 mins ago COMMENTARY | Once again, Sarah Palin has the power to influence political events. Witness the success Tuesday of former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz forcing a runoff for the U.S. Senate seat held by Kay Bailey Hutchison . Cruz and David Dewhurst will fight it out in a runoff campaign that will last until July 31, according to the Austin American Statesman. The result of that race will likely be seen as a test of Palin's king-making ability. Dewhurst still has a lot of advantages, including money, name recognition, and the support of much of the Republican establishment, including Texas Gov. Rick Perry . Cruz has the image of a tea party insurgent and the backing of such diverse personalities as Palin and erstwhile presidential candidate Ron Paul. The Hill newspaper notes, however, that the Perry endorsement may actually be hurting Dewhurst. A Public Policy Polling survey suggests that while 24 percent of resp

Worth Clicking: Obamacare ruling poses GOP challenge May 29, 2012 Politico : "This year, Palin has become almost irrelevant in the context of the presidential race she once had a chance to dominate, and is seen more than ever as a sideshow by the Republican establishment. But after seeing her celebrity peak last year, Palin has settled into a role as something of a strong Triple-A political ballplayer, picking well on down-ballot races and earning credit as she goes." "If she jumps into the right streams, the ex-veep nominee's backers will cite her endorsements as fresh evidence of her clout -- even if she's being carried by the tide. Yet her durability among the grassroots of the party, even with the tea-party movement diffusing in 2012, is clear."

Sarah Palin took to Facebook on Friday night to say , "Todd and I and our family would like to wish you all a happy Memorial Day weekend. We'd especially like to offer our best wishes to our friends in Rolling Thunder who will be taking part in their Ride for Freedom this weekend in D.C. as they do each year to honor our vets and specifically to bring awareness to POW/MIA issues. We were honored to join them last year." She continued, "We were both sad to learn that Preston 'Jay' Fairlamb, Jr., one of the organizers of Rolling Thunder and someone who made us so welcome last year, tragically died in an accident last week. Jay was a Vietnam vet, a retired New Jersey State Trooper, and a great American who will be dearly missed. Please keep his wife, his children, grandchildren and his innumerable friends in your prayers." The former Alaska governor included in her post a photograph of herself, Todd and Jay

WASHINGTON: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palins addition to the Republican ticket last month is credited with electrifying the Conservative party and drawing women voters away from Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama. After a brutal Democratic primary fight drove a wedge between women voters and Sen. Obama during the critical primary election period, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is working to repair the damage and stem the recent shift of white women voters to the Republican ticket. Barack and I may have started out on two separate paths, but we are on one journey now, she told an enthusiastic crowd this weekend in Ohio. White women played a big role in Clintons decisive victory over Obama in the Ohio primary, backing her 67 percent to 31 percent, according to exit polls. And many of those women are now expressing their unhappiness with Obama who did not choose Clinton as his vice presidential candidate by crossing over to the GOP. Palin is credited with exciting Republican women,

Sarah Palin took to Facebook on Friday night to say , "Todd and I and our family would like to wish you all a happy Memorial Day weekend. We'd especially like to offer our best wishes to our friends in Rolling Thunder who will be taking part in their Ride for Freedom this weekend in D.C. as they do each year to honor our vets and specifically to bring awareness to POW/MIA issues. We were honored to join them last year." She continued, "We were both sad to learn that Preston 'Jay' Fairlamb, Jr., one of the organizers of Rolling Thunder and someone who made us so welcome last year, tragically died in an accident last week. Jay was a Vietnam vet, a retired New Jersey State Trooper, and a great American who will be dearly missed. Please keep his wife, his children, grandchildren and his innumerable friends in your prayers." The former Alaska governor included in her post a photograph of herself, Todd and Jay

WASHINGTON: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palins addition to the Republican ticket last month is credited with electrifying the Conservative party and drawing women voters away from Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama. After a brutal Democratic primary fight drove a wedge between women voters and Sen. Obama during the critical primary election period, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is working to repair the damage and stem the recent shift of white women voters to the Republican ticket. Barack and I may have started out on two separate paths, but we are on one journey now, she told an enthusiastic crowd this weekend in Ohio. White women played a big role in Clintons decisive victory over Obama in the Ohio primary, backing her 67 percent to 31 percent, according to exit polls. And many of those women are now expressing their unhappiness with Obama who did not choose Clinton as his vice presidential candidate by crossing over to the GOP. Palin is credited with exciting Republican women,