It's Sarah!

Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska is the pick.

She's a tough reformer and porkbuster, great on the energy issue and is a very appealing person, mom and an athlete to boot. Pro-life for the base but she might pull in some disaffected Hillary voters.

More later. Am in the middle of mixing up some banana bread:)

McCain-Palin. Has a nice ring to it.


UPDATE: Obama campaign statement disses her as a "small town" mayor, not even mentioning her current executive, leadership position as governor. This is no way to attract those "bitter" blue collar voters Obama dissed, which pushed up Hillary's appeal. Sarah is all-American. HT Campaign Spot. Trib story here.

UPDATE: McCain couldn't have done better than with Sarah. 44 years oldShe's a great speaker and worked her way up in politics, starting with the PTA, mayor--(holding the line on property taxes and cutting spending), then governor. She took on corrupt interests, including those in the oil industry, in Alaska and won. Her husband's a commercial fisherman, oilfield worker and union member, she's an NRA member and hunter, mother of 5, hockey mom, pro-life and has a son who enlisted in the army last Sept. 11th. She turned down the bridge to nowhere and is in favor of drilling in ANWR as well as protecting the environment. And under her leadership Alaska is building a pipeline to help ensure America's energy independence.

In the speech she gave a nod to Geraldine Ferraro and to Hillary and her voters. Go Sarah!!! Go McCain-Palin!!!!

UPDATE: Washington Post:

"In Alaska, Governor Palin challenged a corrupt system and passed a landmark ethics reform bill. She has actually used her veto and cut budgetary spending," the campaign said. "She put a stop to the 'bridge to nowhere' that would have cost taxpayers $400 million dollars."

Palin, the campaign said, "has the record of reform and bipartisanship that others can only speak of. Her experience in shaking up the status quo is exactly what is needed in Washington today."

Jay Cost, RCP says McCain nails it:

She has three big credits. First, she plays directly to McCain's message of reform. Second, she's a woman. Third, she's a mom. That's a big deal, too.

Look, she got into politics because she got fired up about local politics--I can relate to that bigtime, and so can a lot of people, both men and women. She is so grounded--we know where she comes from, and it's clear she does too.

One more thing--I have always thought the first woman president would be a Republican, and this sets that up.

UPDATE: Tom Bevan, RCP on the punch-counterpunch on Palin. NY Times:

In choosing Ms. Palin — a 44-year-old conservative and mother of five who has been governor for less than two years — the McCain campaign reached far outside the Washington Beltway in an election in which the Democratic presidential nominee, Senator Barack Obama, is running on a platform of change.

“She’s not from these parts, and she’s not from Washington, but when you get to know her, you’re going to be as impressed as I am,” Mr. McCain said as he introduced Ms. Palin to a crowd estimated by his campaign to be 15,000 at the Ervin J. Nutter Center here.

The Times also mentions her Downs syndrome baby, whom she chose to have, as huge with social conservatives. Palin is a truly admirable woman. The Times also mentions some may have questions about her experience, but her executive experience and actual track record of reform compares well with Obama's which is not only thin, non-executive, but also phony.

Apparently the Kossacks are pushing the line that she should be home with her children. While that may have some bearing with some social conservatives, it will offend most women. I would say she does have a husband who is her high school sweetheart. Her oldest has enlisted in the Army last September. They are a strong family and I am sure will work things out.

Hillaryforum reaction. BlogHer discussion here.

UPDATE: Steve Chapman doesn't like Sarah. Well, here was my comment on BlogHer:

Sarah Palin is a tremendous pick

As far as foreign policy Obama's amounts to living overseas when he was a kid, visiting Africa, and giving a speech in Berlin after a belated visit to Iraq. When Russia invaded small democratic Georgia he initially essentially took Russia's side.

Gov. Palin has Russia and Canada on her borders. She is cut off from the continental US, and is head of her state's national guard. Russia has islands off the coast of Alaska. Their invasion of Georgia was an energy grab, and Palin in Alaska understands the energy markets--that goes a long way to understanding the overarching foreign policy drama today.

And as Mr. Chapman was opposed to the war and the surge, well... I would add that Joe Biden is a supremely conventional thinker going along with the conventional and safe position at the time--not showing leadership as McCain has. Biden was against the Gulf War, voted in favor of the Iraq War (gee, why did Obama choose him as his judgment conflicted with Obama's?) and then Biden turned against the Iraq War and opposed the surge -which has had remarkable success by the way.