McCain's VP pick

I knew that John McCain would make his VP selection today. It would get some attention back to him right after the Democratic Convention ended. I figured the top of his list was Mitt Romney, the man I voted for in the primaries. There was also some talk of other contenders. Let me tell you, when I turned the TV on today (just as McCain was making his announcement) I was not expecting Sarah Palin. In fact, I don't know that I'd heard of her. But I think McCain got this pick right (whether you support him or not) and I'll tell you why:

• Barack Obama had the chance to do what has only been done once in the history of this nation: pick a woman to join him on his presidential ticket. What a historic occasion that would have been. The first black president and the first woman vice president. It's everything the Democrats claim to be.
• About fifty percent of Hillary Clinton supporters have said they won't vote for Obama, they're still upset that Clinton lost the nomination. This isn't too uncommon, usually when your guy (or gal) doesn't get the nomination you have sour grapes for a while, but then when it comes time to vote, you go with your own party. In this case, McCain has given Hillary supporters a place to cast their ballot. A lot of women in this country that supported Hillary did it because she was a woman. McCain may have just snatched a lot of potential Obama voters. I'll be interested to see the poll numbers next week.
• In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has chosen a Vice President that has more experience than the Democrat nominee. That's awesome!
• Joe Biden is a jerk and an attack dog. He would have had no problem tearing into any one of McCain's potential VP's during the VP debates. Now he'll be up against a woman. If he tries his usual tactics, he'll come off looking bad.
• Not that this matters, but Sarah Palin is hot. I'm just sayin'.
• Both Sarah Palin and her husband are union people. I don't really care for unions, but the union vote is one that the Republicans generally don't get. This may swing things a little.
• Sarah Palin, like John McCain, is for fiscal repsonsibility, meaning that the government shouldn't spend billions of dollars it doesn't have on projects the country doesn't need.
• As mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, she cut her own salary (something almost unheard of in politics) and cut property taxes by 60%.
• When it comes to ethics, she has no problems blowing the whistle on even her own party members (something the Republicans should be more willing to do).
  
• Palin's approval rating in Alaska as of last month was 80%.

Let me tell you, I was a little disappointed to hear Romney didn't get the nod, but I'm excited about Sarah Palin. I think it will bring a lot of attention to McCain's campaign, while snubbing Obama for not picking Hillary. We'll see how it turns out.