General

Sarah Who?

The Associated Press: AP NewsAlert:

DENVER (AP) — McCain source: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is his pick for VP.

More:

John McCain tapped little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate, two senior campaign officials told The Associated Press on Friday…
Palin, 44, is a self-styled hockey mom and political reformer who has been governor of her state less than two years.
Palin’s selection was a stunning surprise, as McCain passed over many other better known prospects, some of whom had been the subject of intense speculation for weeks or months.
At 44, she is a generation younger that Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, who is Barack Obama’s running mate on the Democratic ticket.
She is three years Obama’s junior, as well — and McCain has made much in recent weeks of Obama’s relative lack of experience in foreign policy and defense matters…
She is a former mayor of Wasilla who became governor of her state in 2006 after ousting a governor of her own party in a primary and then dispatching a former governor in the general election.

At first blush, I’d say this looks like a catastropic error. She sounds like an immensely appealing person, but for goodness sake: Half a term as Governor of Alaska? Mayor of Wasilla? Kiss goodbye to the “experience” argument. Plus it reeks of tokenism…

UPDATE 12:48pm: Have to say, though, that was an awfully impressive debut. Likeable as all get out, and clearly a force to be reckoned with. The small-town, outsider persona may work — she sounds like a normal person, or at least speaks normalese. So they lose some on the “experience” side, but they gain on the “change.”

Plus, it should be said, it speaks well of the McCain team’s discipline that they were able to keep this secret so long.

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