Governor Sarah Palin

As soon as I heard the news, I literally said "Hell yes!" without realizing that my "Hell yes!" implied to my boss that I was deriding Condi Rice - which I'd never do, but I'd moved past the conversation by then. I've thought for the last couple of months that Senator Obama's hype would fail to give him enough traction to make it to the White House, and I've become increasingly confident in the ability of the Republican party to win. The more I learn about Governor Palin, the more excited I get. I think it's very likely that at 12:00 EST today, Senators Obama and Biden lost the 2008 election.

You can read more about Sarah Palin at her Wikipedia entry, or at this excellent CNN piece. Although I was pulling for Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, I don't think Senator McCain could have chosen a better running mate. I'm not the only one who thinks this. Folks who call in to talk radio shows have been very apprehensive about Senator McCain due to stupid and ignorant opinions aired by the majority of talk radio hosts. Pretty much across the board, the people I've heard calling in and E-Mailing various talk show hosts since the announcement was made have been ecstatic - literally, ecstatic. Those conservatives who believed, in ignorance, that McCain was a moderate or a liberal have had their fears obliterated by this choice.

Let me give you a brief list of reasons why Governor Palin is such an outstanding choice, both for conservatives and reasonable moderates... And a couple of cons.

Pros

She believes in and uses her Second Amendment rights - she's a lifetime member of the NRA, and she's an avid hunter and outdoorswoman.

She's pro-life, and she lives her values: her youngest son has Down's Syndrome, she knew that during the pregnancy, and they kept the baby and are thrilled with their choice.

She has a long history of cleaning up corruption in both parties, wasteful and bogus spending - and working with members of both parties. She and Senator McCain have the bi-partisan record to match Senator Obama's empty rhetoric.

She's gorgeous, eloquent, tough, intelligent, and did I mention she likes to shoot and hunt? That's the kind of woman that men are willing to vote for.

She's a "real world" person - not an ivory tower elitist. She went to the University of Idaho, she was runner up for Miss Alaska, she's a "hockey mom" - Sarah Palin could easily be your next door neighbor, or your aunt, or your kid's elementary school teacher.

She has administrative/executive experience; even though she doesn't have a lot of it, but two terms as mayor of Wacilla and two years as governor of Alaska is two terms and two years more than either Obama or Biden have. Oh, and did we mention that energy is going to be one of the handful of big issues in this election, and Alaska is a critical link in America's energy policy?

Cons

For the love of God, could someone tell her how to pronounce "nuclear", "Iran", and "Iraq" properly? We've had to deal with this criticism of President Bush for eight years now, and I don't want to have to start all over again.

I could go on, but you can read all of this and more elsewhere. I really think that the Republican party just cinched the campaign, although it's a long way to election day. I sincerely hope that Senator McCain and Governor Palin play their cards exceptionally well (as I think Senator McCain has so far), because there's very little room for error in this election and a great deal is at stake. This is precisely the pick-me-up I've been needing lately.

What are your thoughts about Governor Palin? Post them in the comments, even if you disagree with me.

UPDATE: Just one more thing. I'm certainly no fan of Senator Obama, but I was thinking last night that no matter who the candidate is, it really is remarkable that we have a man running competitively for the highest office in our great Republic who wasn't allowed to vote as recently as fifty or sixty years ago. Now, with the selection of Sarah Palin as Senator McCain's running mate, we're in a national race that includes two people who weren't afforded the right to vote a mere century ago. No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, you have to think that this is a pretty cool development. This is going to be a fascinating election to watch - I can't wait for the debates to kick off!