Fox Confirms It's Palin

John McCain has brilliantly stepped on any coverage Barack's speech might have gotten. He's been able to create a media feeding frenzy without dragging it out for days on end or personally feeding the speculation and thereby

coming across as desperate for attention, as I've argued Barack's "American Idol" style rollout did.

By picking Sarah Palin, apparently McCain has calculated that he needs conservative enthusiasm and the excitement of a new face more than experience. It is a surprise, but apparently she is principled, tough and brings youth to the ticket -- and certainly isn't any Washington "insider." She's attractive, and a hunter and fisher -- all good.

The only downside is the experience issue. McCain obviously is gambling that the Democrats will be too afraid to attack Sarah Palin as inexperienced, given their own candidate's problems in that area. Certainly, Barack himself dare not take the risk of seeming to want to show yet another woman who's boss, and any over the top criticism of Palin by Democrats generally will only feed into the perception, widespread among many women, that they're indulging in the same sexism that confronted Hillary Clinton.

Congratulations to Sarah Palin. It is satisfying that the first GOP woman on a national ticket is a conservative.