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If the news coming out about her today is any indication…she doesn’t come off very maverick-y:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2008/08/sarah_palin_on.html

In that light she almost seems like a strange attempt at placating not only staunch right-wingers, but perhaps an appeal those Clintonistas who want a woman, any woman in the White House in 2009 come Hell or high water.

…and here’s another article I just found – some commentary are from her fellow Alaskans!

http://www.truthout.org/article/mccain-chooses-palin-alaska-governor-running-mate

And with that move, the Republicans have effortlessly given the Presidency to the Democrats. McCain bitches on how Obama has little experience on foreign policy…Obama picks someone who has good knowledge on it as his VP. What does McCain do to retaliate? He picks someone with no foreign policy experience. This is a move to put Sarah Palin in Hillary’s shoes. Nice try, McCain…

Eh I donno, Paul, I think it’s a pretty solid move. Not sure the “people who would have voted for Hillary because she was a woman” are the primary target either. I think it’s picking someone to excite the social conservative base that was never too sure about McCain despite his stated policies on their key issues, while still being someone who, like McCain, has a reputation of going after her own party. Plus, it puts pressure on Joe Biden not to be seen as “picking on” her in their debate, not to mention it was a bold move that EVERYONE’s talking about. Yes, a con is that it takes away from McCain’s argument vs. Obama’s “experience,” but no more than the Biden selection eats into Obama’s argument that McCain’s “too Washington.”

Awesome counterpoint, MM.

I think that excitement among the GOP will dissipate into full-blown panic rather quickly, if the media sinks their teeth into the following stories:

http://www.adn.com/front/story/336402.html

http://www.newsminer.com/news/2008/apr/22/palins-flight-labor-falls-under-scrutiny/

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080901/pl_nm/usa_politics_palin_dc_3

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/cvn_palin_troopergate

Or would it be considered picking on her if the media decided to take her to task over potentially lying to her constituency, her party and this country in order to cover up her daughter’s indiscretions?

And that’s NOT considering if we believe that Trig is Sarah’s baby, and it shows remarkable irresponsibility on her part not to use some sort of contraceptive, since medical science has long held that the odds of having a completely healthy, disability-free child are SIGNIFICANTLY low after a woman passes the age of 35?

We already know how John Edwards caught hell for not telling the entire truth. How about Hilary? Do you think Hilary would’ve been given this pass if it were Chelsea in this situation? Never mind teenage Chelsea back during the Clinton administration. I’m talking about young adult Chelsea NOW.

I WIN!

Congrats MM, here’s your booby prize – a McCain/Palin bumper sticker.