Election campaign articles worth reading:

1) "The State of Sarah Palin," Philip Gourevitch's thoughtful article in the current New Yorker. It's primarily a study of both Palin and Alaska, a region that obviously has had a strong influence on her. But Palin critics will take sadistic pleasure in some parts of the article.

For instance: Gourevitch says Palin initially promised "full cooperation" with the commission investigating her firing of the public safety commissioner. "Hold me accountable," Gourevitch quotes Palin as saying. "We would never prohibit, or be less than enthusiastic about, any kind of investigation. Let's deal in the facts."

Yesterday, though, CNN reported that Palin's staff "won't comply with subpoenas" in the investigation.

CNN also reported that Republicans in the Alaska state legislature have filed suit to stop the investigation.

2) Elizabeth Drew's "How John McCain Lost Me" on Politico. Most of the piece focuses on McCain's backing away of what Drew thinks have been principled positions. But Drew also included this quote from "Worth the Fighting For," McCain's 2002 memoir:

"I didn't decide to run for president to start a national crusade for the political reforms I believed in or to run a campaign as if it were some grand act of patriotism. In truth, I wanted to be president because it had become my ambition to be president."

McCain was reflecting on his 2000 run for the Republican presidential nomination. This time around, though, he says he's running to bring about reform. Has he changed his mind?

3) John Dickerson's "What, Me Worry?" on Slate. Obama, says Dickerson, is acting like he's 10 points ahead in the polls - perhaps with good reason. Maybe he and his campaign leaders are confident that the Palin phenom will fade and that staying the course is the right course. (And maybe they're right. RealClearPolitic's poll average this morning has Obama back in the lead - OK, by only 1 point, but a few days ago, McCain was ahead by 4.)