ON THE RUN

Palin makeup artist paid $22,800

An acclaimed celebrity makeup artist for Sarah Palin collected more money from John McCain’s campaign than McCain’s foreign policy adviser.

Amy Strozzi, who also works on the reality show “So You Think You Can Dance,” was paid $22,800, according to campaign finance reports for the first two weeks in October. In contrast, McCain’s foreign policy adviser, Randy Scheunemann, was paid $12,500, the report showed.

In recent days, McCain and his running mate have tried to douse a furor over how their side spent their money. The Republican National Committee came under scrutiny after the party committee reported earlier this week that it had spent about $150,000 in September on wardrobe and cosmetics after Palin joined the GOP ticket.

In an interview with the Chicago Tribune and Fox News on Thursday, Palin said the clothes bought for the Republican National Convention were not worth $150,000 and said most have not left her campaign plane. She also said the family shops frugally.

Democratic sweep spells trouble, McCain says

Republican John McCain said Friday that if his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, is elected along with a Democratic Congress, the middle class is “going to be put through the wringer.”

McCain told a noisy rally in Denver, “The answer to a slowing economy is not higher taxes, but that is exactly what is going to happen when the Democrats have total control in Washington.”

Obama has proposed a tax increase on the 5 percent of taxpayers who make more than $250,000 a year and advocates tax cuts for those who make less.

The Arizona senator ridiculed the idea that any tax increases would be narrowly targeted, and at the same time sought to link Obama to the unpopular Congress.

“Anytime you hear talk of a targeted tax increase, you might want to double-check the skill of the marksman —- the U.S. Congress has been known to fire wildly,” McCain said. “America didn’t become the greatest nation on earth by giving our money to the government to spread the wealth around.”

McCain volunteer’s political attack story a hoax

A McCain campaign volunteer made up a story of being robbed, pinned to the ground and having the letter “B” scratched on her face in a politically inspired attack, police said Friday.

Ashley Todd, a 20-year-old college student from College Station, Texas, admitted Friday that the story was false and was being charged with making a false report to police, said Maurita Bryant, the assistant chief of the police department’s investigations division. Police doubted her story from the start, Bryant said.

Todd, who is white, told police she was attacked by a 6-foot-4 black man Wednesday night who saw her John McCain bumper sticker and told her “You are going to be a Barack supporter” before pinning her down and using a knife to scratch the “B” onto her cheek. Bryant said Todd cannot now explain why she invented the story.