A Smart Choice

You, as always, are spot on regarding Mrs. Palin's importance as a VP in this race. Unless McCain drastically departs from tradition, Sarah will have a lot of time to catch up on her reading when elected. But, in my opinion, and a lot of others feel the same, her true value is not as the possible VP, but what she brings to the national scene in the way of true conservative leadership and down to Earth, American patriotism.

The conservatives have been tearing their proverbial hair out for years waiting for someone to come on the scene and stir up the traditional fervor for right wing values and make them valid and successful again. Bobby J. isn't willing to abandon the Louisiana voters, but we now have Sarah who will blaze ahead and rally the people.

Wm. F. Buckley, Jr. is resting peacefully now, knowing Sarah is capably in charge, even if only a VP for now.

Do I seem to be a bit biased in her favor? Well, maybe...

Great analytical post, sir.
Glenn

One hope I have in this is the opportunity for her to get enough OJT to be ready in 2012.
Maybe a bit soon, but just maybe it can work out.

I'm looking for a Maggie Thatcher, or really more of a Golda Meier (sic)

Since you both said the same thing, I am going to agree with you both in one post. She does promise to provide a new, exciting successor for the Republicans. I had hoped for Cheney, but that fell through.

Before you act surprised, forget Cheney as VP, and recall how he demolished his opponents in the VP debates, with calm, reasonable, detailed, conservative answers. He had a lot of promise. Then came 9/11 and his disappearance, then his demonization by the left, and finally a lot of health issues, and his chance was gone. (A shame too, I was complaining in 2000 that the ticket was upside down, and Bush would have been a great VP. Recall at the time, he was pushing "compassionate conservative" BS, so I didn't have a lot of faith in the guy, and without 9/11, I think he might have been a disappointing 1 term president. Tax cuts would have been about it, the rest would have been medicare prescription coverage and no child left behind.. not so inspiring.)

I think Palin has a very good chance, provided she avoids letting herself be caricatured by the left in some way (think Dan Quayle). If so, she could hand us several more election. We have to see how it goes.

I've done a lot of digging on Sarah (for an amateur) and I continue to like what I see. I see her as an immediate help to the campaign. She has infused excitement and optimism into a campaign that needed it. I sincerely hope that she is not thrust into the Presidency prematurely, as she will be ready in 4 or 8 years. Regards,
G.

I agree she has fired up the base, and she will probably be a name to watch in politics for some time.

On the other hand, the base was already pretty fired up thanks to distaste for Obama. I doubt she will bring out many who weren't coming out already. It is nice to have a better reason to vote than dislike for Obama, but I think in strictly numeric terms, she probably didn't do much for McCain among conservatives.

Having said all that, i am still glad he picked her. Not only because it gave Obama a chance to shoot himself in his foot, but because it is always good to have candidates about whom people are enthusiastic. We really haven't had much of that lately. We had Thomspon, but when he proved he really wasn't interested in power, people abandoned him (even though that was why we supported him in the first place).

So it is good to have someone who is drawing attention and exciting voters. It promises better races in the future.

women are really fired up over Palin...a working class ":valley girl" came good..I suspect that working class women all over the U.S. are excited over her Great American success story..there's a whiff of the heroine Erin brokovich about her,with her standing up to the old boys network,male chavinism and the establishment..she's Mccains attack dog..WATCH OUT JOE BIDEN! and the metrosexual twit Obama!

....If she is,then Mccain will ride that wave all the way to a November landslide!
How many houses does mccain own?..no matter...lets give him another...THE WHITE HOUSE !

..President in modern memory so alien,exotic,oily,seductive and blatently unAmerican as this clueless fool?...UNNIQUE!!

I agree that McCain made a smart choice. In fact, it was better than smart, it was good strategically. I don't think the Democrats knew what hit them and for all of the smearing they are doing, this woman gets out there and stumps the ground. People can relate to her and she is "real" to many Americans.

Now, I have heard various things since Gov Palin was chosen. I keep hearng she is not the top of the ticket and you don't vote for the bottom of the ticket. Okay, so maybe not. But, how come Obama picks Biden and in doing so, Biden is supposed to cover Obama's lack of foreign policy. Because apparently Biden is an EXPERT, which to me is debateable. So, if you feel Obama is inexperienced in that area, and you vote for him, aren't you also voting for the bottom of the ticket to feel comfortable with foreign policy?