Obama is Only Half Black, but Palin is All Woman

This is the most interesting VP pick since Jack Kemp in 1996. He was a 61 year old white guy and a Washington Insider. Dole was also far behind Clinton and had weak Republican support. McCain has a campaign that is competitive. Even with huge down-ticket pressure, he's been able to stay within the margin of error up to the start of the DNC.

Choosing Sarah Palin has a multitude of effects. It kicked Obama's policy-heavy and inspiration-light speech right off the cable news cycle. It adds a governor to an office that traditionally has been won by governors. It adds conservative credibility to someone "maverick" enough to tick off the right. Oh, and she's a woman.

The criticism is that she is far too conservative to get democratic Hillary voters. That is true to a point. However, a number of Hillary supporters were Bush supports in 2004. Plus, it cannot be overestimated the extent of the hatred of Obama by older women who felt Obama was a jerk, a lightweight, and took away Hillary's chances of running for president.

Another way Palin can help is to shore up the conservative base while McCain leans to the left on social, economic and immigration issues. Biden's advantage is in who he is, but not so much in what he believes.

And on a pointless point, Palin is a looker. She's conservative hot. Glasses, hair in a ponytail, a skirt suit, but in good shape underneath. So, while she may equal Obama in expereince, she surpasses him in the attractiveness factor, which had been attached to him for months now. Palin has been referred to as a female Quayle. However, I'm pretty sure the Democrats don't want to repeat the results of a Quayle/Bentsen matchup.