Friday afternoon, plastic tubs had been dumped among the rows of vines at Devaux Vineyard, a Mumm Napa property off Carneros Highway.

Talk about giving people a cynical reason to claim media bias.

At first glance, there appears to be much to admire in Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, Sen. John McCain’s choice as his vice presidential running mate. Just 44 years old, she is a talented and upbeat person who excelled in basketball and beauty pageants, music and moose hunting. Since entering politics she has shown independence and a clear moral compass. On Alaska’s oil and gas commission, she blew the whistle on a fellow Republican’s conflict of interest. Her 2006 campaign for the state’s highest office began as an insurrection against her party’s old guard. In choosing her, McCain said that Palin’s experience equips her to help “shake up Washington.”

Editor’s note

Dear editor,

Dear editor,

The whole world weighed in Thursday night on Barack Obama’s speech — along with the Democratic convention — so here’s mine, let me know yours.

Barack Obama chose Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate ... what do you think of the choice?

(Editor's note: The comments on this crashed about 9:30 a.m Friday, right after McCain's announcement. We were able to rebuild most but not all of the comments)