The Palin Pick

There's a lot of head scratching going on regarding McCain's VP pick. Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska is McCain's choice.

This makes perfect sense to me on many levels.

1. McCain has picked someone who will not overshadow him. She has no political experience whatsoever, and allows McCain to remain the masthead of the ticket. As the AP put it:

She has more experience catching fish as a former commercial fisherwoman than dealing with foreign policy or national affairs.

2. McCain is a gambler. His penchant for high-rolling is well-known. This may be the biggest political gamble in history. Incidentally, how is it that McCain's love of gambling isn't an automatic dis-qualifier for the highest office in the land?

3. McCain's going after Hillary Dems. Make no mistake, this pick is purely political. McCain must think these voters are up for grabs...are they? I'm not sure. The Dems sure did focus on women's issues at the convention and Biden's stellar record on women's issues was front and center, leading one to believe that the Dems are concerned. Does Palin do it for these voters? I'm not sure, but I think not. Primary voters are more informed about the issues and Palin's positions will not be well-received. Moreover, what does Palin bring to the governing table? Not much, and surely not as much as other, much more qualified candidates. What advise to you see Governor Palin giving McCain on any issue, foreign or domestic? It doesn't play - this has a huge chance to implode.

4. McCain is trying to give independent voters who might vote for Obama because of the historic nature of his candidacy a reason to vote for McCain. The first woman vice-president of our country. This is dicey (intended gambling pun) because if the pick is seen as purely political, it may have the opposite effect. Independents could be repulsed by the latent opportunism seen in this pick.

There are many more layers to this. It's exciting today, but what happens when the initial surprise wears and we begin to learn more about Palin? It also seems pretty late in the game to introduce a new player to a skittish electorate. There simply isn't time to introduce her on a national level. Further, any Palin gaffe, large or small will be greatly magnified because there is so little known about her. There is absolutely no recovery time for any errors. Don't expect anything but message from her - no unscripted moments.

Game on.

UPDATE: You just cannot overstate how unserious this selection is. I understand that both McCain and Obama have holes to fill, but how does Palin do this for McCain? I feel pretty confident that the adults in the Repub party are not happy with this big middle finger pick from McCain.