The presidential campaign is getting more bizarre, and much more worrisome.

Here's what we've learned about Sarah Palin since John McCain picked her to run for vice president:

McCain has said that Palin hasn't sought federally funded earmarks in her time as governor of Alaska, but the Wall Street Journal says she has sought $453 million worth of them.

Her campaign said that on a trip to visit Alaska troops in Kuwait, she also visited Iraq. Now she agrees that she did not. Her campaign said she visited Ireland; "visit" is a bit of an exaggeration. National media report that she was on an airplane that made a fuel stop in Ireland.

She has made a big deal out of not using a taxpayer-paid chef in the governor's mansion, but the Washington Post reports that she billed Alaska taxpayers for per-diem expenses for 312 nights she spent in her own home - and billed Alaska taxpayers $43,490 for travel expenses for her family.

And yesterday, Palin's campaign said she's not going to cooperate with the investigation into her firing of her public safety commissioner.

All this is important both because of what it says about Palin and what it says about McCain.

But the polls are still close. And this morning's D&C reports that in New York State, Obama, who in June led McCain 51 percent to 33 percent, is now ahead by only 5 points - and is behind Upstate and in the New York City suburbs.

What's happening? Voters are paying more attention to the candidates than they were a few months ago, obviously. And undecided voters have begun taking sides. But it's hard to think that they're making their decision based on issues.

What's responsible? Race? Palin charisma? Anti-intellectual sentiment?

I don't know; maybe some of each. But I can't imagine how Barack Obama and Joe Biden can fight any of it.