Friday, August 29, 2008

Big, big surprise

John McCain ensures that all eyes are on him following Barack Obama's big speech.



John McCain was set to announce his running mate today, and by all accounts, it was going to be a fairly traditional affair. He was likely to pick someone like Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty or Mitt Romney, whose names had been floating around for months. Then, this morning, everything was turned on its head.

Pawlenty announced that he would not be in Dayton this morning, the site of McCain's scheduled rally. When asked if that meant he was not going to be the pick, he told reporters that they could "draw [their] own conclusion." Romney also announced that he would not be in Dayton, leaving pundits without any names to go on.

And then, the bomb dropped - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Who? Palin is actually a very savvy choice. She ousted the old guard in staunchly conservative Alaska. She's young - at age 44, she balances the 72-years old today McCain. And - get this - she's a woman. If there was any doubt before that McCain is doing all that he can to court disaffected Hillary supporters, there isn't now. After all the tough talk about McCain not actually being much of a maverick during the DNC, he pulls off a move out of nowhere that removes all doubt. Very, very impressive move.

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