McCain/Palin

In a time when it would seem impossible to do so, John McCain stunned the political world today by selecting Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) as his running mate. This after her name had barely been mentioned in the last few weeks, and where much of the focus had surrounded names like Romney, Pawlenty, Ridge, and even Lieberman. This is a pick that has gotten a lot of attention and has caught many people off guard, and represents a significant gamble on the part of McCain.

Whereas Obama's selection of Joe Biden as his VP had been perceived as a mostly "safe"choice, Palin is a classic high-risk/high-reward pick. Palin's pluses are obvious: a popular, reform-minded Governor, a woman, someone who would help rally the conservative base, and the only execuitive of the four candidates on the national tickets this year. Her potential to appeal to female and/or suburban voters gives her a lot of upside and could help McCain significantly. But she doesn't come without risks: she only has 20 months of experience as Governor, weakening McCain arugment that Obama doesn't have enough experience, she has been accused of wrongdoing with regards to the firing of a State Trooper, and her inexperience could hurt the most on the VP's biggest stage, her debate with Biden, who has a well-deserved reputation for being an outstanding debator. Whether this pick will help McCain or not is an open question, but either way this race somehow has gotten even more interersting.