Her rapid rise as the first-ever woman vice presidential candidate of the Republican Party has also rattled Barack Obama, the first would-be black presidential candidate of the Democratic Party.

He has sharpened personal attacks on Palin, specially after, at this writing, the latest series of polls showed McCain leading by a 10 points among likely voters, registered and independents alike. This came in the wake of Palin's fighting acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention three Fridays ago, attacking Obama, his fellow Democrats, and even the media that had first ridiculed her choice by McCain. The USA Today and Gallup and other polls also showed McCain winning among white women voters 52 percent to Obama's 41 percent.

No wonder Obama and top Democratic allies were concerned that the Obama camp campaign was losing its stride. Apparently, they sensed that his aura has been eclipsed by the stunning emergence of Palin as a political force in the presidential race. And they have become so aggressive in TV ads and campaign rallies, sarcastically attacking her presence in the Republican ticket, particularly her contention that she's a "political reformer who'll take on the Washington establishment," a role that he claimed as his alone, as though it was patented for his own sole use.

Obama was so incensed that he's trying to tarnish Palin's image, and that of McCain, a bemedalled Vietnam War hero. Both have cast themselves as the genuine "harbingers of change" in America's old politics, and not Obama.

Unfortunately, Obama's aggressive attacks have enhanced Palin's appeal to American voters and has given McCain's campaign a major boost that all but erased Obama's lead before the governor of Alaska was picked by McCain. Not only this, Obama and his strategists have only created a kind of "Palinmania," just like the "Obamania" that helped him wrest the Democratic nomination from his then formidable rival Hillary Clinton.

As many political observers and analysts have pointed out, if they are not careful their hurling hard-hitting verbal stones at Palin could trigger the same kind of backlash that followed their attacks on Hillary during the bitter nomination campaign.

Significantly, Hillary, now helping Obama campaign, has not attacked Palin at all, and her loyal women backers have even come out in defense of Palin, denouncing the "media sexism" and the Democrats' "misogynist smear" against her.

So the outrageous attacks have produced the exact opposite of their insidious aim to discredit Palin. Instead of wilting her, she has emerged a new political star, a fighter, and, in one pundit's term a "Sarah Baracuda." Not only that, Obama has found himself in the awkward position of sounding as if he's running against the vice presidential nominee of the Republicans.

And, this time around, as another media commenter glowingly put it, "We're crazy about her . She touches all the bases with courage and grace. She's a Ronald Reagan in a dress - or the brains of Margaret Thatcher (the former British Prime Minister who was dubbed the "Iron Lady") in a more attractive package."

How long will the media frenzy over Sarah Palin and her glowing bright star last? And what big moments does Barack Obama, who seems to be running out of steam, need to rekindle his fire that won for him the nomination as the Democratic Party's first black presidential candidate in the historic race to the White House?

We'll soon know the answers during the last two months remaining before millions of Americans cast their votes on Nov.4 for the next President of the United States of America.

***

Here in the even with over two years to go before the 2010 presidential elections, the first verbal volley has been fired by a still would-be candidate against another would-be candidate for the presidency.

The first one - Senator Panfilo Lacson of Cavite - gleefully announced to the press that he "discovered" double budgetary appropriations for what he called " road to nowhere" in the 2008 national budget. And in doing so he unsubtly dragged the second one into the picture. He didn't mention the name, but obviously he had in mind Senate President Manny Villar of Las Piñas and Muntinlupa, who, in answer to a question of a persistent reporter, had earlier admitted that he was indeed ready to run for the presidency in 2010.

(Oh, by the way, that term of Lacson "road to nowhere" looks like a copy of the "bridge to nowhere" charge hurled by the Democrats against Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who's now running for the vice presidency in the Republican ticket of Senator John McCain for the U.S. presidential election on November 4, just two months from today.)

Why is there so much fuss in the Senate, especially from senators with whispered presidential ambitions in 2010, over Lacson's discovery"? Is it because Manny Villar, who has the highest public approval rating among members of the august chamber, pushed for the C-5 Road Extension Project and wanted a bigger budget for it?

But the real issue is whether Secretary Rolando Andaya of the Department of Budget and Management, will allow the release of the funds, if indeed allocated. Under the DBM system, no funds are allowed to be released for an item with double appropriation.

Anyway, the way we see it, the only substantive issue that really matters is what tangible benefits will taxpayers derive from this project. What is its actual cost? What are the cost specifications? What is the estimated completion time? With its full completion, it is expected that the road extension will ease the worsening traffic problem in the Parañaque, Las Piñas and Muntin-lupa areas, travel time to the industrial parks of Cavite and the rest of that province will be shortened, not to mention fuel savings for the motorists. And those with business enterprises in Parañaque, Las Piñas, and Muntinlupa will benefit.