McCain VP pick: Sarah who??? Sarah Palin

UPDATE: CONFIRMED AT 10:30.

What a gamble!

THIS IS NO AMERICA FIRST!

This was a pick to win an election. An affirmative action hire.

Think about this. McCain is starting to surround himself with people who are not qualified to give him advice. He is surrounding himself with people who know far less than he does, that way, his voice will carry more weight.

I don't know much about the woman but I know that she is a year and half as governor.

There is an investigation under way about her. She is pretty much under investigation.

Besides the obvious play for the female vote, it would seem McCain is going for the "maverick" gambit. The Obama campaign has focused on dispelling the McCain maverick myth as, well, a myth, by pointing out how McCain has voted with Bush 90%+ of the time (95% last year during the campaign). With Palin, McCain will likely say that they both buck the trend. Not sure how that will play with the Republican base, even assuming it was true.

Sarah Palin is the most unqualified VP nominee in modern history, with the possible exception of Admiral Stockdale.

He's a maverick, all right, one who is willing to risk the future of our national security by making a choice just for the sake of shock value.

But how long will the shock value last? It's likely that she's more in the pocket of big oil than McCain is.

Either way, it's a history-making election.

They can't be serious...This is Comedy Central gold.

There goes their whole who is better prepared to lead argument...

They are serious. This is all about taking Obama off the networks. But they have gone too far. This woman was a mayor of a village of 6000 people two years ago.

She was elected governor when the race for the white house started.

Well, that should nail down Alaska's 3 electoral votes for McCain.

What do the Republicans think? Charles Signorile seems happy with the choice. Other thoughts? If I were a Republican, I would be stunned frankly, as if Obama had chosen, well, I cant think of anyone. I really thought better of McCain. How will he justify this choice.
Being a maverick is not enough. Hell, Im a maverick, and I didnt see my name on the list.

I think you might be underestimating her value not only as a conservative republican, but to capture the Independent disenfranchised female voters.

I can not belive he did this!

Well she was Miss Congeniality. Maybe that's why he chose her!

Glenn Beck said he would pick her so I guess she will be alright.

Glenn Beck says hang yourself, so I guess you will.

I think you might be underestimating her value not only as a conservative republican

Not at all, her credentials there are perfect!

to capture the Independent disenfranchised female voters.

How many of those are out there. Shouldn't there be offended by this blatant "we are putting a skirt on the ticket?"

Put a skirt that has experience. She became governor when the race for the white house started for God Sake!!!

"Small town" = incompetent? If you aren't from New York or California you're unqualified? *snicker* I came from a small town. I like the idea of a non metro area contender. Being Miss Congeniality is a liablility? I looked up congenial:

"Of a pleasant disposition; friendly and sociable"

Can't have that can we? :)

o capture the Independent disenfranchised female voters.

Yes, because all of those disengranchised female voters will be quite to sell out Hillary for a Vogue cover girl...

No Bret. In general the size of the town dictates the complexity. You know that. New York mayor deals with terror and tourism more so than even Boston's mayor and so on.

Being mayor of a town that is smaller than my campus does not impress me.

Oh my, my. Could there have been a less qualified choice? The most she has going for her is she is female, Alaska oil and her son is about to be deployed to Iraq.

Does McCain think he can dress Sarah in a pant suit and pass her off as Hillary? Hillary hold outs-- please, please please please do not fall for it.

Ginny,

and her husband is a union guy who works for BP (one of McCain's largest donor).

Obama won a nomination. This was handed to Sarah Palin. She is an affimative action hire.

Ginny A, yeah she is female and Biden is not, but she doesn't have an edge on the Iraq "sacrifice for my country" angle as Biden's son is being deployed there too...

Bill not only has a spelling problem, but he has a thinking problem which shows up pretty consistently in his comments.

She has no experience at all. She was mayor until December 06. Mayor of a town of 9000 people. I am keeping an open mind. I want to see her for a couple of weeks. So far, I am no impressed.

Inexperienced? Running a state must be easier than we think. If only she'd been a community organizer...

Come on Bret. I am voting McCain (for now). But let's be serious here. Obama has no experience. She has equal or less. Obama has been running for 19 months talking to his policy experts. If something happens to President McCain in December, we would have someone who would be president after being a mayor of 9000 people town in Alaska

Brett: Inexperienced? Running a state must be easier than we think. If only she'd been a community organizer...

If only. Per the 2006 US census:
Population of Chicago: 2,833,790
Population of Alaska: 670,053

Alaska is barely part of the U.S.

Oh, you're right. Alaska isn't a "real" state. Sorry. My mistake. Obama said there 57 of them didn't he? Are you sure Alaska isn't in there somewhere?

"If something happens to President McCain in December, we would have someone who would be president after being a mayor of 9000 people town in Alaska "

did we forget that she's also governor of the state of Alaska? That encompasses ALL those tiny little backwater 9000 person "hamlets" throughout the state doesn't it?

I get it. "Mayor" is supposed to sound more "folksy" and incapable. I'd stick to that word to if it were imporatant for me to belittle her. But I'm not ready to write her off as a simpleton or a hick. A "mayor" assume the office? Before I gasp in horror I'd have to say "Show me the mayor." This one looks pretty good.

2,833,790? That was a lot of organizing!

this is so hypocritical on both sides. Why does it always fall along party lines? Obama's relative inexperience bothers conservatives, but not liberals. Now Palin's lack of experiece bothers liberals but not conservatives. Eithers it's an issue or it's not.

Right on Wilma.

Obama's inexperience is scary. So is Palin's. McCain is 72. Both people on that ticket should be ready. She is not ready.

Giving her the benefit of the doubt. Let's see how she does. Let's see if she can think on her feet. We will find out after the convention.

I don't like to brag about it but I organized the entire state of California. Pop. 36553215 so I guess I'm a little more qualified to say who is qualified.

I've never been mayor of a pissant little 9000 person town or governor of a fake state. Is Hawaii not really part of the US either?

Are liberals really comparing their presidential choice to the V.P. pick of Mccain's? Palin has more executive experience than Obama and in all of Obama's "experience" he has no accomplishments or leadership record to speak of. Even when he was a community organizer and sat on a board with William Aires, he distributed 100 MILLION dollars in their effort to improve education programs in Chicago. Net result? Public Education worsened. So that means Obama has experience proving what DOESN'T work as opposed to the real reforms Sara Palin has brought to Alaska. He even admitted that the republican welfare reform bill was a bill he fiercely opposed. He has now admitted that he was wrong over a decade later.

A strong woman,raised five kids,married to her highschool sweetie for 20 yrs. She was captain of her highschool basketball team.Leader of the Christian athletes and would lead the prayer's before each game.Sarah has been a strong reform minded Govenor and would make a great president. She has a degree in journalism,so the left wing media has met their match. Obamacrats,its your fault,your MAN,chose to throw the woman candidate overboard. Conservative's rejoice we got a true constituional conservative on the ticket. We did what Obama was to scared to do. Put a woman on the ticket!-Instead he put a inside the beltway wind-bag on his "change"ticket.

Hasn't raised five kids yet--her youngest is less than a year old with Down's Syndrome. Is that what family values is all about? Let the nanny raise the special-needs baby?

Wilma, I command her for having 5. She is an all American Lady. Love her bio. She is not ready for the job. Go back to Alaska and finish two terms.

You'll be sending Obama back to Chicago a lot sooner than Sarah will be going back to Alaska.

"She is not ready for the job."

So instead of a risk of having a President with limited experience, I should vote for Obama with even LESS experience?

LMAO. WHine on koolaiders. Palin is just as qualified as B. HUSSEIN OBAMA. In fact I think she is more qualified! Obama has never voted for anything that didn't further his political ambitions. Typical Chicago politician. At least she does have two years as Governor, all Obama has is 143 days as a senator. And not even a good senator at tthat.

I would want her as President if anything happened to McCain over having either Obama or Biden - you bet. This woman actually has experience LEADING. As a Senator who has also been a Governor said, as a Governor he did more work in a month (or was that a week?) than he did in the Senate in a year. Obama has no leadership experience. And Biden doesn't offer change. Look out liberals!

As a woman, I commend Senator McCain for choosing not only a woman - but a woman who is in the NRA and prolife.

He'll probably call on Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to play the race card now. But alas, the dems nominated their "affirmative action" candidate, we don't have to vote for him. LMAO.

Obama can't really say anything about Palin not being qualified, he is even LESS qualified.

Delaware population 843,000 Alaska 670,000 difference 173,000 but wait I'm foolishly starting a comparison of the VP slot. That's unfair though beings Biden has never governed anything. I guess we could compare her council women experience with his legislative experience in the Senate but that is unfair as well. All I have heard over the last 30 years that Biden has been in the Senate from both Dems and Repubs is all we have had for the last 30 or 40 years is a do nothing congress. And judging by the the decline of America over the last 40 years I am inclined to accept that as an accurate assessment especially since it is a bi partisan assessment. Oh Well it was worth a try.

The Founders believed that big states and small states deserve equal rights, presumably including the right to send candidates to the office of the Chief Executive (and the VP, too). She's made some huge reforms in Alaska in that short time; that proves her lack of experience is irrelevant. She's out-Obamaed Obama by actually proving her lack of experience isn't an issue, so the Dems are retaliating by making her out to be some ditzy newbie. That's what the Dems do to Republican women because a woman is only equal to a man if she is a pro-choice Democrat, and even better if she's a lesbian!!

Jared,
This is for you.

I hope I will not be called an anti feminist but I am highly suspicious of a mother of 5 children including her latest baby a self proclaimed "soccor mom" who is willing and indeed eager to putting the highest priority of her energies into having the second most responsible position of power in the world.

The theory that anyone can have it all - be a nurturing family person, as well as being the Vice President of the United States - is a seductive fantasy but just that a seductive fantasy.

I imagine when the facts start to emerge - this charming women is power hungry and probably ruthless.

If I am right then I hope what I suspect the true facts of her character emerge before all of us are faced with a nightmare of incalcuable proportions.

If I am wrong about my suspicions and she is elected, McCain dies in office and she becomes the President and is a female incarnation of Lincoln I will apologize to all concerned.

At the moment I am frightened by what appears to be an undisquised manipulation to mystify independent women to vote Republican.

I don't run around selling myself as a devote wife and mother. But when someone else who has five children with one of them a special needs baby born only this last April and she says that while at the same time telling me she is running for VP of the most powerful nation in the world, I say, "Oh, really? How does that work?"

I know in my own life I have had to say no to wonderful opportunities that had I been in different family circumstances I would have jumped at. The timing wasn't right. I knew I couldn't have it all in those situations.

So, yes, it seems to be pandering. More of the fairy tale, hockey mom to VP. Poof.

For those who assert that Palin has more or equivalent experience:

Not to mention his campaigning for the presidency these past 11 months, Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004 from the State of Illinois winning 70% of the vote - in the 109th Congress he helped create legislation to control conventional weapons, promoted greater public accountability in the use of federal funds - he made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa - in the 110th congress he helped create legislation regarding lobbying and electrical fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism and care for returned u.s.military personnel - before the U.S. Senate he was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996 - there he gained bipartisan support for legislation reforming ethics and health care laws, sponsoring a law increasing tax credits for low income workers - he negotiated welfare reform and promoted increased subsidies for children, among many other things - before this he had ample grass-roots experience as a community organizer, including developing a church-based community organization of 8 catholic parishes in greater Roseland in Chicago - Crain's Chicago business newspaper named Obama to its 1993 list of "under 40" powers to be - a Harvard law graduate cum laude, teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago law school for 12 years, keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, and twice a best selling author.

To say that Palin, suddenly brought into the national limelight yesterday - who asked barely a month ago "what is it exactly that a vice-president does?" has the national and international know-how and expertise to be commander in chief if the situation arose, based on her 'executive' experience as two year governor of Alaska, is frankly, ludicrous.

Campaigning for the presidency equals "experience?"

The main thing I like about her is her authenticity. She talks like a real person. as if there is actually someone inside. When I contrast her with the nebulous and vague smoke screen that Obama has shrouded himself with the difference is startling.

I think america is ready for a woman on the big ticket. If John drops dead she'll have her pick of old hands to recruit a VP from. Listen to women for a change!

Julia, I saw her on FOX months ago. Just because CNN & MSNBC only let their favorites talk doesn't mean nobody knows who she is. Informed people do. I knew I was excited by this just by hearing that the governor of Alaska was chosen. I did not remember her name, but I knew she was a tough, brilliant woman who was conservative and proud of it.

Of course she was asking what exactly the VP does because the VP does what the president tells him or her to do. There are really no official duties except as the President of the Senate (and therefore the deciding vote in the case of a tie) and the duty to succeed the president if he cannot perform his duties. Other than that, there is nothing written in stone. For example, JFK essentially had Johnson counting ceiling tiles because they were rivals, while Bush and Cheney get along great & Cheney has lots of duties. The job of the VP can be very pointless, other times it can be very fruitful. It all depends on the administration. You know this, so stop acting like she is a ditz.

If he was going for affirmative action, the smartest choice would have been Colin Powell although I am sure he didn't want the job

This choice brings McCain's judgement into question more than anything. How could he make such a weak choice. If I were a republican woman who has ben in service to our country for more than 1 1/2 years I would be so insulted I'd vote for anyone else but McCain.

Shelbia, Powell has reportedly endorsed Barack.

Andrea, experience isn't everything. Personality is powerful. Reagan's personality, more than his experience, made him influential in European reform.

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