Palin a risky VP nomination? Hardly. She is already energizing the Republican conservative base, not to mention solidifying the support of the wavering Christian right (things McCain very much needs for a solid voter turnout). She is the only one of the 4 president/vice president candidates who actually has executive experience - a plus by any calculation. She will garner an additional portion of the female vote. She effectively depreciates Obama's "historic nomination" cachet. She will be difficult for Biden to best in debates (not only is she obviously quick and articulate, but Biden's naturally aggressive debate style would not be well received when used against her). As a mother with a son on the way to Iraq, she will have a special credibility when speaking on the war there. She also took the wind out of the newly billowing sails of Obama's post-convention campaign. I could go on, but I'm sure you get the point.

The Palin nomination raises no questions regarding McCain's judgment. Just the oppisite. It was a smart move.

If you want risky, you need only look at Obama. Let's take a breath, exhale slowly, and be honest with ourselves. Barak Obama is a media creation, grossly unqualified by experience or accomplishment to be the President of the United States. Assistant UN ambassador, perhaps, but not President.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Unfortunately the MSM and all of the messiah followers will spend the next 60 days running Palin down.

Black Person Voting for them..... not a single one.

Republicans do not go after the Black Vote because, number one, they do not need the Black Vote, and, because the Democrats push for Social Programs and Affirmative Action Programs over the objections of the Republicans.

Now, Obama needs the Black Vote (all) but with such small numbers, as Blacks only make up less than 15% of the Population, Obama needs more. Obama needs White People, Obama needs Veterans of the Military, some 25 Million, and Obama needs Women.

Obama could not even win the Popular Vote in the Primaries, because Senator Clinton was so popular among Whites and Women, while Obama was popular among Blacks.

Obama feels the President and Vice President are coequals, Senator McCain does not, as Senator McCain has already pointed out when he talked about the Job of the Vice President.

I do not want a President McCain to die in Office, and yet it seems the Democrats do.

I want a President McCain to serve his 4 years and retire.

What the hell is wrong with you people? The woman has been out of the country 2 or 3 times. She studies freaking journalism in college and wanted to be a sports journalist. She runs a state with barely enough people to fill a medium sized city. She's admitted to not thinking much about the war as late as last year and didn't seem to know what a VP does. How on earth is she going to deal with so many complex global and national issues when she's not thought about any of them seriously?

Also what of McCain for choosing her? He met her once before he considered her for his VP. He clearly did not vet her properly. This is one dangerous, reckless man. How can he choose someone so clearly ill-prepared for the job when his health has been an issue all along. I can't believe every election cycle the Republicans consistently put up the worst and the dimmest. You people need to get a damn grip already!

Well, well said.

Every alleged "negative" about Palin is tripled or quadrupled when the same issue is applied to Obama.

Plus: there is the "Clarence the angel" factor. At the end of the movie "It's a wonderful life," George Bailey's daughte, Zuzu, says: "every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings." Well, every time a Democrat unfairly denigrates Palin, another woman somewhere in America switches her vote to McCain/Palin.

This country is not the "Republican base." For eight years, this country has been governed to satisfy the needs of the "Republican base." By any objective measure, economic, diplomatic, military, strategic, pick any one of them...it has been a disaster. If you can't see or even admit, then you are blinded by a incoherent partisanship. You might as well believe that the earth is flat. What about Putting Country First for a change. Or should that be amended to read Putting the Republican Base First.

called the United States Congress, do you not?

The entire Congress is at this time Controlled by Democrats, and has been since 2007.

As a matter of fact, the United States Senate was controlled by Democrats when the Authorization for the Iraq War came up, and the Senate green lighted it.

Senator Biden, Senator Obama's running mate, Voted for it.

by saying that their pick for POTUS is as least as qualified as the Republican pick for Vice President.

But, whatever helps them sleep at night.

The Clinton Backers will learn to love Palin quickly as the attacks on her pick up.

We've been through eight long years of the most destructive presidency in America and you guys just want to continue to play politics? It doesn't matter to you people who actually gets into the White house as long as you win? There are plenty of good conservatives out there, this ticket just ain't it.

I find that funny.

Couln't have said it better - if I had an 8th grade education. Fortunately most people learned a few basic things in kindergarten, which you obviously didn't - so there is no reasoning that you would understand. So enjoy you life of ignorance. You have lots of company - especially in the blogosphere.

think about her as president as of next january....she has been a mayor. she has been a governor for a year. She has a son going to Iraq, but she hasn't got an opinion about the war? She flip flopped on the bridges to nowhere. She tried to by pass the law and ordered her former brother-in-law fired. She would like to preach to the rest of us how to raise our kids but has a pregnant and unmarried minor daughter. She has a radical anti-choice stance and belongs to the NRA.

You insult those of us who support Obama by assuming that we would fall for a media creation. Face it, a lot of folks have listened to what he has to say and found him to be the best candidate. Obama won a primary election. Palin got the nod because McCain is desperate and nobody else wants the job.

I think the idea of having an inexperienced president to be refreshing.

She would probably do at least as well as Andrew Jackson.

And it would put to rest whether experience makes a difference or not.

Besides, she's the perfect candidate for the people running the republican candidate. She'd probably be at least as obedient as Bush has been to the wealthy elite that has been really running this country for the last 8 years.

Paddy

"What the hell is wrong with you people?": Can't speak for the others, but I have a bad knee from a skydiving accident that kills me when it rains...

Thanks for making a point I missed: Palin is a useful choice because as people (yourself included) struggle to portray her as inexperienced, not ready for the Presidency, etc., it only highlights a humerous reality: all of that is even more true of Obama, who seeks, after all, the Presidency itself, not merely the VP slot...

"Republicans consistently put up the worst and the dimmest." Yes, those dummies like Bush with their Harvard MBAs, as opposed to those brilliant Democrats (like Kerry, who had worse grades than Bush at Yale as an undegraduate; Ted Kennedy, who was thrown out of Harvard for cheating when he couldn't cut it; and Gore, who flunked out of Vanderbilt grad school). Is it really a surprise that all those "dim" Republicans keep winning the Presidency while all those "smart" Democrats keep losing?

"By any objective measure, economic, diplomatic, military, strategic, pick any one of them...it [the past 8 years of our national government] has been a disaster."

Man, I'm sorry, but that's just ignorant (in the true sense of the word - not knowing the facts). I recommend studying before opening your mouth (it will save you continued embarrassment).