Touché! McCain Chooses Alaska’s Sarah Palin as VP Mate

By Anastacia Mott Austin

If you thought John McCain was going to go for the safe choice as his running mate, think again.

No stodgy, aged political insiders for him! (Oh wait, that might describe McCain himself.)

If he was going for the same type of balance that many say Barack Obama sought in choosing a running mate unlike himself, only then is he making a predictable choice.

Reluctant to let his young, "rock star" opponent grab all of the headlines, McCain did the one thing he could to rock the boat. He chose a young, inexperienced woman to share the ticket.

Granted, the choice isn’t as image-calculated as you might think. Yes, Sarah Palin is young, and she is one of the most inexperienced governors to ever take the job. She has five young children, one just five months old, so she’s sure to appeal to those family-value folks.

But Palin isn’t your typical young mother. She’s a state governor for one thing, nicknamed "Sarah Barracuda" by high-school basketball team-mates. She is a staunch pro-lifer, she’s as conservative as they come, she hunts and fishes, plays hockey, is a member of the National Rifle Association, and supports oil drilling in her own state.

She easily defeated the incumbent Alaskan governor in the 2005 primary, and later her Democratic opponent for the job. Her only other political experience prior to that had been serving on the city council, as well as mayor of the town of Wasilla. She ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2002.

Palin has a reputation as a reformer who is good at cleaning up messes. She is admired for her tenacious, take-no-prisoners political style.

In short, she is a woman of seemingly contradictory facets: a loving mother, former beauty pageant queen, and self-named "hockey mom" (like a soccer mom for those of us from northern climes), yet she’s also a political bulldog who isn’t afraid to broadcast her conservative beliefs.

And, she possesses a quality that not many politicians seem to have: she’s likable (and it probably doesn’t hurt that she looks like SNL’s Tina Fey).

However, before you start thinking that Hillary supporters will come running to the GOP ticket (surely one of McCain’s hopes with this choice), keep in mind that many of Hil’s most passionate supporters are also strongly pro-choice.

Maybe, just maybe, those women will stop to think about what a Palin vice presidency – with its ever-present possibility of changing to the big job should fate intervene – would mean to women’s rights to choice. Maybe they will decide to vote their issues, not their gender.

Another challenge facing Palin is the investigation into the firing of former state public safety commissioner Walt Monegan. Monegan claims Palin pressured him to fire her former brother-in-law, state trooper Mike Wooten, while he was going through an acrimonious divorce from Palin’s sister. Monegan claims he was fired for not caving in to that pressure. Palin denies any such charges.

The Obama camp may feel discouraged at McCain’s choice, afraid that Palin may attract female voters or independents. Or Obama might be relieved that he can no longer be accused that his ticket has the least experience or preparation to serve as a team in the White House. After all, Palin recently asked reporters, "What is it exactly that the Vice President does every day?"

Only time will tell what America’s voters are thinking. In the meantime, kudos to McCain for keeping the race to the White House the most interesting one in ages.