What a gamble. McCain picks a virtually unknown woman who is currently the Governor of Alaska to be his choice for Vice President. I don't see how now, the GOP can continue to chide Obama for his supposed lack of experience when his V.P. pick has held office, for around 16 months to the best of my knowledge. I should imagine that in the debate with Biden, she is going to be eaten alive. Its clear based on this pick, he is still going after disaffected Hillary supporters.....story. The only thing I know about her is that she is from nearby Sandpoint, Id. originally.

Ya know what...this I didn't see coming and I actually have to give McCain props for being ballsy about this. He is basically betting the house that there will be enough disgruntled Hillary Clinton voters to come over to him now that he has chosen a woman. In addition, by picking the first female GOP candidate he takes some of the "change" attractiveness away from Obama. This is a surprise that people will be buzzing about which will also let some of the air out of last night's historic night with Obama. Its ballsy for sure. I have no clue who she is but she will probably appeal to conservatives since she apparently is pro life, member of the NRA, likes to fish and hunt and eat moose burgers. Ya know the conservatives will love that. So I mean I don't know...no Romney means that Obama should have an easier time with Michigan. But, women are a huge voting block. I think a lot went toward unity for the Dems this week, but this has to be appealing to many Democratic women who are Hillary sympathizers and pissed at Obama. Its a gamble and it will be real interesting to see if it pays off. Either way history will be made. Either we will have the first black president or the first female vice presidential candidate. I just hope Hillary sympathizers can see through this. At the end of the day she has these Republican values, obviously doesn't support a woman's right to choose. The Vice Presidential debate should be very interesting. I think Obama can handle his own with McCain. The story broke this morning about a charter plane from Alaska that was very secretive. I thought for sure it would be Romney. I wonder how the Republicans feel about this. She's an attractive lady but when I heard the pick and the speculation swirling this morning I said "Who???"

I can see the value based on gender, but based on policy it doesn't make sense if you are a woman who is pro-choice, pro-jobs, and pro-economy. Also the whole "Obama isn't ready thing" is crazy now because McCain looks like he could fall over at any moment leaving our country in the capable hands of the Governor of Alaska? I don't think that idea - that a young, inexperienced woman - will play well with many conservative and most importantly independent men, the same men who voted for Barack over Hillary.

Wow, the single worst pick for a vice president since Dan Quayle. Are you kidding me? Obama's going to win in a landslide now. A 72-year-old man who's had four bouts with cancer already in his life has selected a 44-year-old woman who has been the Governor of Alaska for only a year and a half, and as recently as 2 years ago was the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska (population: 8,000).

She was runner-up in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant. That is not the type of woman that represents the Hillary supporters.

Mccain messed up big time with that choice. Palin is also currently under investigation by her own state to see if she fired their Public Safety Commissioner because he refused to fire her ex brother-in-law, a state trooper. Apparently Palin instructed the state's safety commissioner to fire her former brother-in-law after he filed for divorce against her sister. And guess what else? Palin's husband works for.... you guessed it.. big oil. He works for BP.

Choosing a woman was a thing alot of people said would have been smart but is really doing it smart? Its someone predictable and desperate in a way. It would have been more "maverick" to do what he really wanted instead of doing something hip and cool - that shows he is trying to keep up with the buzz of the Obama campaign. It may be a bad move because he can't win that game. But I don't know. This is a country who voted for Bush for a second term. The whole "oh she's a working mother with children" may appeal to gullible idiots who can't see through what McCain is trying to do (i.e. going after Hillary voters that he doesn't give a damn about bcuz he doesn't support their ideas for policy). A lot of people are stupid yall. I mean common sense ain't so damn common.

Great pick! For the Democrats.

The oldest presidential nominee in American history picks the least experienced V.P. ever. She has zero foreign policy experience, but she gives conservatives exactly what they like: anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, lifelong NRA member. This is no maverick pick.

The more I think on it, this is a pretty scary choice in terms of our national security.

Apparently she is a creationist nutjob.

Plus the pick was so named to get in on the news cycle for the long weekend, that and to aim at disaffected Hillary supporters. Just saw an online poll on MSNBC asking if McBush made a good pick. 59% no, and 41% yes. See he couldn't pick Romney as they don't like each other, and Polenty like Palin is basically an unknown.

Let the debates begin.

I didn't know that he and Romney didn't like each other. I also wonder if he figured that Romney's whole Mormon thing would've been too much of an issue for this. At least this way he please conservatives and may get disgruntled women voters. Romney may not have settled well with evangelicals and wouldn't have brought a different dynamic to the ticket. But, he does lose a bit of the experience argument here. Its just a bit weird. Its like you're waiting to hear "You just got PUNK'D" or something.

Does anyone on here know a woman that voted for Hillary they actually believe would now vote for McCain because of Sarah Palin? Any woman who voted for Hillary would never vote for Palin, no matter how bitter. Especially after last night's speech by Obama.

McCain had to make a pick that he is hoping shakes up the race. Obama has had a 10-point swing in the Gallup tracking poll in the last 72 hours. He trailed McCain 46-44% on Tuesday morning. By this morning, Obama is now up by 8% nationally (49-41). Worst of all for the Republicans is this: according to Gallup, the polling in this newly released poll was completed before Obama's speech last night. And MSNBC is reporting that insiders say McCain decided on his VP pick, but then changed his mind and selected Palin "within the last 36 to 48 hours." The Republicans are running scared. OMG I just read the names of her 5 children: Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and Trig. I guess Shotgun and Breeze were already taken.

CNN's Paul Begala said it well: "Suddenly, McCain's age and health become central issues in the campaign, as does his judgment. In his first presidential decision, John McCain has shown he is willing to endanger his country, potentially leaving it in the hands of someone who simply has no business being a heartbeat away from the most powerful, complicated, difficult job in human history."

Wow! I'm practically in catatonic shock. Who is this woman? Ok, I've heard of her, but only because last spring, she raced home to Alaska from a meeting in Washington, to deliver a child.

But again, who is this woman? The choice certainly seems idiotic. The notion that she will appeal to cross-over or independent women voters? I don't see it happening. Why? What strong segment of voters might she appeal to? Catholics? Mormons? Hispanics? Men??? Certainly not to people who have NEVER heard of her before, which I bet is MOST voters.

The question of judgment comes into play here, doesn't? I believe John McCain may have had an honest chance in this election with Romney or Lieberman. But, I don't envision it now. And, I'm glad about that.

TRL

She is 44 years old. Two years ago she was pregnant and pre-natal testing showed the fetus had Downs Syndrome. She carried the baby to term; as a staunch pro-lifer she would not consider any alternative. I guarantee you we will hear about that as much as we've heard about Joe Biden's wife and daughter dying, and it will make every right-to-lifer turn out and vote for McCain in the fall, whereas before they might have stayed home. In '04 Bush won by energizing that base and making sure they had an emotional reason to vote; McCain is hoping to dulicate that success.

Just a few observations about the DNC convention and McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate:

1) Obama's speech was very good last night. Was it his best? No. It should not have been in Mile High Stadium. The Convention site was a far better locale to connect with the audience more and the backdrop did veer toward an expression of hubris. What he did best in the speech was in offering an alternative vision of the US. He almost lost that when he began to attack McCain a tad much. You don't win elections by being the anti-candidate, i.e. smearing the other guy. You win by offering viable visions of a future bridging differences. He did so by a big tent approach...his speal on NRA (supporting hunters, going after AK47s in city streets), abortion (pro-choice but reducing unwanted pregnancies), and same-sex marriage (does anyone want to deny visitation rights to life partners). Now, he has to be more specific in his plans. The best speech at the DNC was given by Bill Clinton. That line..."the power of our example, not the example of our power"...was brilliant.

2) Sarah Palin: It is outside the box, helping to restore an image of McCain as a maverick, while shoring up the base of his party's support. Good political move. It is obvious too that he is appealing to disaffected HRC supporters. Will he win them over? For the most part, no. But this move could appeal to independent voters, who are the key swings in this tight election. She is "outside the Beltway." Does she have problems? Well, she's under investigation for the firing of some public employee, but the case is not so cut and dry. The Obama campaign immediately attacked the choice. They have a point that McCain has taken experience out of the mix. But they should have waited. Last night was a profound historical moment for this country. McCain acknowledged that. The Obama campaign should have been gracious in reply. This is also a first for te Republican party. You can start attacking tomorrow. McCain waited until the day after Obama's acceptance to announce his choice. The way the Obama campaign announced the choice of Biden at 3 AM had the appearance of a slap at HRC.

3) The election is still tight. My two cents...whoever is leading Sept. 21 will win in November.

For the Hillary supporters, it's not about voting for a woman...it's about voting for the right woman.

This is an outside-the-box play borne of desperation. It takes the "experience" argument out of play for McCain and points toward a completely character- and race-based smear campaign. Should be an interesting two months ahead.

Just heard on my local news she is anti-abortion, pro-NRA, anti-gay marriage. Can you tell she comes from Idaho???? Idaho is a one state party and has been forever.

I wonder if this is the first time a person has been picked for a V.P. slot while also under investigation. I'm sure the Obama team is readying those ads as we speak. I can't think of a single state in which she'd help McCain other than Alaska. At least with Romney I would have thought they had at least a 50-50 shot of winning Michigan so I'm surprised he didn't pick Romney, though I guess the fact that they loathe each other kind of sealed the deal. Seeing Palin and McCain together is kind of creepy. I think the pick will help with conservatives but I also think it's going to work against him tremendously with Independents.

According to this Newsweek article, Palin told Newsweek's Karen Breslau at a Women & Leadership Event in Los Angeles in March that she "felt kind of bad she couldn't support a woman, but she didn't like Clinton's whining." Great find, Newsweek! Obama needs to make sure every Hillary supporter knows that.

If McCain picked a man then he would have been lambasted as having the same okl Pepublican Party al-male ticket.- Give him credit for having a diverse ticket at least.

He basically did. Pro-gun, anti-choice, bear hunter, fur-wearing, anti-gay, right-wing, lifelong NRA member ... she happens to have female genitalia (I'm assuming) but on the issues she's certainly part of the good ol boy network.

For what it is worth:
Palin on gay rights

It is an historic pick. At the same time it just seems pointless. He might as well have picked Ann Coulter. At least people would know who she was and it would get people fired up because she is hot. (to some, not me)

P.S. - I spoke to my great aunt about the pick and she can be traditional. She said she doesn't like Palin because she just had a kid a few months ago and what mother leaves their child to go and run for Vice President?

The must-see Sarah Palin video!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE use this video, Obama campaign!

Another in a long line of brilliant GOP VP picks - Agnew, Quayle and now Gidget. But let's not forget - they won with Agnew and Quayle, so... does it really matter?

What in the world was McCain thinking? Maybe he took one of Cindy's "pain pills" and was out of his mind.

Mdphl: obviously he wasn't..... Can't wait for the V.P. debates!

The more I hear about Palin, the worse she becomes. She is anti-abortion even when the woman's life is in danger and in cases of rape and incest. What a piece of worthless Repugnant sh!t she is.

I don't think this pick was made with the Hillary supporters in mind. If a couple of those crazy PUMA women tag on to Palin it's just gravy. But this pick was made for the base of the Republican party. Palin is hardcore right wing, especially on abortion. She will energize the base; that's where she'll be sent to speak. It'll free McCain up to appear before Independents. that's where this election will be won - Independents are the fastest growing segment of the electorate and whoever wins them over probably wins the Presidency. Now McCain - who historically has been very attractive to Independents - can spend the bulk of his time going after them while Palin cover his right flank. As for the Biden - Palin debate, expectations for her are immediately so low that she'll win simply by standing upright. Remember the Quayle - Bentsen debate? Bentsen disemboweled Quayle on national television, but it didn't matter - the Republicans won the election.

This is the end of the GOP in this election


She is pro drilling Oil ( of course being from Alaska), stauch conservative, anti abortion, and lacks state policy ( only governor for 2 years), has ZERO national policy, and has ZERO foreign policy.

McCain is about to rollwe over and croak. Is this who we want leading America?


Also, the bimbo ( she really is IMO) just three years ago was mayor of a town in Alaska of 6,000 people.


She has NO experience and it's an insult to the American people to have her elevated to the national stage when she has NO experience nationally or internationally.


WOW, just WOW.


If I actually thought the Republicans had a chance to win now I would be scared to death for America's future based on this desperate move.

She isn't just anti abortion, she is anti choice! She is anti gay, very conservation, but yes, very little experience. What was the man thinking?????????
I am flabbergasted. And disgusted.



This was what I thought his reasoning was too. Otherwise, geez, person with little experience?

My fear is that she is pretty enough for the group of white men that I don't think will be able to vote for Obama/Biden.

I am afraid that it is a brilliant move and the sheeple that tend to vote based on simple responses are not bright enough to see beyond a pretty face.

I hope very much that I am wrong.

Best,

Drew

KXLY TV in Spokane did a report on her tonight. She attended school at the University of Idaho, in Moscow, Id. The Reporter tried to find out what she could on Palins background while attending, or if anyone had any comments about her, and she said, " nobody remembered her." Tell you anything?????

I think you may be right, she will appeal to conservatives, some disgruntled women and some adoring male fans. Unfortunately many people vote on emotion rather than issues so who knows how the Repubs. will do. If it's true that McCain had already chosen another candidate and changed his mind only after seeing the DNC rally because he feared losing, what does that say about his character with regards to choosing the best running mate instead of one for shock value. From what I understand he only met her once before making his decision.

Big Caveat here... I am speaking as a political observer, not a partisan one...

The demise of political parties has been a supposed result of several recently past elections. For awhile it has been the Democrats...now the Republicans. Either way the election goes, I doubt if you'll see the demise of either.

As for the lack of national and especially international experience...this is such a phony issue. Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton all came from liitle national experience or exclusively state experience only. The presidential office molds the holder...a certain presidential candidate will do fine. Bigger issues are at stake.

No one is served by ad hominem attacks, whether it be based on color, gender, or age. I don't think anyone on this board would want to be disparaged for his/her remarks because of his/her sexual orientation. To say a presidential candidate is about "to roll over and croak" gets us nowhere.

Like it or not, this woman has experience as an elected official, much as the opponents on the other ticket do. In the final analysis, do vice presidential running mates matter? The resounding answer in recent elections is no. Did Cheney, Gore, Quayle, Bush, or Mondale? Nor will Biden or Palin. It's the presidential candidate who matters. Obama has the advantage. I fear the only reason he may not make it is due to the color of his skin.

Separated at birth? Will we see Tina Fey as a guest on SNL this season playing Palin on a skit?...

Since no one really knows anything about her, the facts keep rolling in.

- She routinely refers to global warming as "a hoax"
- She advocates the teaching of creationism only in public schools
- She's said "the jury is still out" on evolution

I wonder what Palin's stand is on racism? For example, does she follow the relgious preachings of a racist?

Now.....................things just got interesting.

this bitch for VP lol good luck...

Selecting a milf as your VP candidate, college boys are going to love the war hero and the beauty queen. God bless the USA. We ain’t bright but we’re horny and we love guns.

Just a heartbeat away from being a PILF.

www.vpilf.com

Drilling for oil, global warming, abortion, etc...but she's hot.

We need to counter by replacing Joe with Beau and having Biden III and Obama show some skin, that's true American politics.

It's extremely clear she was picked to excite the Republican base, which even McCain knows, needed some excitement. But, I still cannot possibly see this woman as being ready to be Commander in Chief if something were to happen to McCain, IF he were to win.....I would love for her and McCain to have a debate about global warming, since he believes its a huge problem, man caused, while she doesn't think its man caused. That would be a really interesting debate I should think.

Wow, this is a ballsy, and brilliant, pick. Munson Man, great take on the McCain/Palin strategy this fall: let Palin rev up the base while McCain woos independents. Judging by the attacks Palin has roused on this board in such a short time, I have zero doubt that Palin will be a superstar in getting out the vote of the NRA, Evangelicals, and Pro-Lifers -- huge voting blocs that have either gotten kinda lazy (NRA) or been flat-out alienated (the latter two) in recent elections. If you don't think the NRA matters, do a bit of research on the 1994 Congressional elections and what Bill Clinton had to say about the NRA's role. Evangelicals and Pro-Lifers are even larger blocs.

Palin also succeeds in putting Obama and the Dems in a negative light. As a mother of a baby with Down's Syndrome, she will cast a harsh light on the Dems' extreme positions on partial-birth abortions and the Born Alive bill. She highlights the fallacy of Obama's claims as a reformer. Obama has reformed nothing, quite the opposite actually by cozying up with the most corrupt in Chicago politics, while Palin was a dragonslayer in Alaska. Most important, as Dan Quayle proved, voters don't much care about a VP's flyweight-ness. But Palin's inexperience does serve to highlight Obama's, and voters DO care about a potential president's inexperience. In Joan Crawford's immortal words (at least as spoken by Faye Dunaway), "Gentlemen, the sword cuts both ways!"

Will hockey mom Palin help McCain win over some of the PUMA die-hards? F*ck no, of course not. People actually think that supporters of a pro-abortion liberal will vote for a pro-life conservative just because she also happens to be a woman? Get a clue. A far bigger downside is that Palin actually supported (wait for it ... ) PAT BUCHANAN for president in 2000. Ann Coulter suggested that (true) conservatives get drunk and vote for McCain. I figured about a half-bottle of single malt should do the trick. A VP candidate who supported Pat Bleepin' Buchanan for president?? Oh God, make that a whole bottle

Funny I saw a picture in the paper yesterday that looked like Obama and Biden had swapped wives. That would spice things up!

Better still, a little man-on-man suggestion in the photo shoots - there's a pretty romantic embrace between them in another photo out there.

Obama has this habit of really going for the kiss with women he meets - even on the lips, though maybe that's a misfire at close range. He even seems willing to bust the guys if their up for it.

Seriously though, I was impressed that during his exceptance speech he seemed to deliberately restrain himself in two respects:

1 - he kept that 1000-watt smile under control, probably to underscore the seriousness with which he was approaching this momentous event and to set the tone for both his speech and possible future presidency.

2- - as many have mentioned he didn't explicitly mention MLK by name. He's taken some flack for this, but I think rather than demean King by trying to co-op his legacy he duly respected "The Preacher".

Rush Limbaugh referred to her as a 'babe'.

Love it!

TRL

I think it would be a mistake for anyone to underestimate Palin -- not because she's a whiz (she may be), but because debating her without appearing to be "piling on" is a very delicate dance. I may be showing my age, but I remember when Quayle was picked and the media went crazy; it actually caused middle of the road people to feel sorry for him and boo the media during interviews with him.

That said, I think this is a terrible, reckless and non-serious pick. I am not being critical of Palin, but her selection shows me that McCain lacks good judgment for many reasons.

First, by selecting Palin, McCain is essentially gambling on our nation's security. The first quality a VP has to have is be ready to assume the presidency on inauguration day. Palin may be a quick study and she may be bright (I assume she's both), but there is no way in hell a person whose government experience consists of being a small town mayor and a still wet-behind-the-ears govenor of a small state should be entrusted with this responsibility. Again, not a criticism of her, but of McCain's willingness to put our nation's defenses and our armed forces and our war of terror in the hands of a political neophyte.

Second, choosing Palin shows that McCain's arguments against Obama's lack of experience were not only false and without merit, but were arguments McCain, himself, could not have possibly believed when he said them. This shows that McCain will say anything and will character assassinate anyone to win. Note xactly an anti-Rovian maverick, nor does it show honor.

Third, McCain only met her once before picking her. I'm a dad -- I would NEVER select the custodian of my kids based on a single meeting, yet McCain is basically making Palin the custodian of the country should be die. That's extremely sketchy.

Fourth, this is a blatant and transparent attempt to woo women and comes off as being more gimmicky than serious. It is both demeaning and insulting to the intelligence of women if McCain thinks Hillary supporters will flock to him because Palin has a vajayjay. If anything, she wants the government to monitor every vaj in the nation.

Lastly (and I'm sorry for the essay here!), McCain's pick shows an extreme lack of judgment when you consider the people he passed up. Colin Powell, for god's sake! Tom Ridge, Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, even Rudy Giuliani would have been better and more weighty picks.

Palin may end up being a brilliant campaigner, a disarming debater and a quality VP but, frankly, with her experience a post as a minor cabinet secretary would possibly be more credible. If national security, the war on terror and world affairs are the central issue of the day (as the McCain campaign has been saying), McCain just showed that he is not taking that issue seriously, to all our detriment and at our peril.

She was picked to appeal to the right wing religious faction who thought McCain was not conservative enough. I don't think she will get the Hillary vote. This race is still about attracting the independent voters- if Obam wants to win he better be up to the fight. McCain still comes across as a cranky old fart.

Aquaman, that was an outstanding post. Very good points and spot on in my opinion.

The Palin pick may have stolen some of the thunder from Obama's historic speech the night before, but in this 24 hour news cycle we live in, I'm afraid they shot their wad for issues on down the line. She's under investigation for God's sake! There's already proof she didn't have her story straight (claiming no contact when there are emails from her that say otherwise). He met her ONCE before offering her the VP slot. This reeks of bad judgement on McCain's part.

She's against abortion in ANY and ALL cases. Sure, she walks the talk by having a Downs Syndrome baby.....but it was her 5th child and she was in her 40's (known greater risks involved). This won't bring in Hillary voters, but it will probalby stir up the Evangelicals that might stay home otherwise. Although, you would think they would question having a baby and running for VP. Just hand that downs syndrome baby over to the nanny....what kind of family value is that at it's core?

Her selection is awfullly risky (to the country) just to attract the Religious Right (a faction that has run this country into the ground the past decade). It's just too Rovenian. God help us all if it works.

I also read that she opposes the use of contraceptives even for... wait for it... married couples. I also heard that she once asked the head librarian of her local library (while she was mayor) if the librarian could accept "censoring" books on the shelves of the public library. She backtracked once the librarian pushed back a bit and said that it was purely a rhetorical question. The you add the flip flop on the bridge to nowhere.

I think McCain just served up a big gift to the Dems, but only if they execute her dismantling in a very strategic and wise manner. One slip up by them Dems and she'll be coated in Teflon.

I’m pretty sure Hillary is out there with her super glue repairing those 18 million cracks. That glass ceiling has her name on it.

Like it or not, with Sarah Palin’s selection, history will be made once again this January and 4 years from now we’ll either be better off or we’ll have survived 4 more years.

When I was born (same day as Barack) John F. Kennedy was president, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were still alive, and women were housewives or talked about.

Come January, either the first female vice president or the first African American President (capitalized to show my preference) will be sworn into office.

Now is the time for all good homosexuals to ask, when is it our turn? (James Buchanan doesn’t count.) Has the first out and gay president been born yet?