McCain Selects Palin as Running Mate

When I first heard about this possibility on CNBC I was sure it was a hoax. I said to my wife, "The only way that's true, and I certainly don't think it is true, is if McCain was turned down by his first, second, third, and maybe more choices." I thought it would be Mitt Romney. I was certain the McCain strategists knew better than to pick Lieberman, because such a choice would have immediately threatened to push the South to Obama (and would certainly have lost Tennessee and Arkansas). And if McCain was to select a woman as his running mate, I was certain it would be someone with stature in the party and the country. On the other hand, the little that I know about Sarah Palin is positive and I remain, in my heart, a Westerner with a fondness for Alaska and the independent spirit that prevails there (albeit tempered by a dependence on the oil companies). But it is, nevertheless, a strange choice, particularly given McCain's age and struggle with skin cancer, the fact that Obama has to overcome racism to have any chance of getting 270 electoral votes (no mean task in Fox News America, even given that very powerful speech last night), and the fact that there are so many more experienced women and men in leadership positions. In other words, even if McCain wanted to win a large chunk of the Hillary vote, he could have done so by selecting a more experienced woman. Nevertheless, I have to admit that I do like Sarah Palin, so I'm personally happy with this choice.

No matter what, this is going to be one of the most interesting and exciting elections in this country's history.