On his 72nd birthday – which also happens to be the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina – John McCain has announced his choice for running mate, a first-term Governor of Alaska, and former small town mayor, Sarah Palin.

A woman who has been able to rise in the political arena as fast as Sarah Palin will no doubt have incredible appeal to some women in Michigan, and nationwide. Successful career woman with a marriage, children, a son in the military about to deploy to Iraq, and attractive to boot, could be an enticement to women voters.Her staunch anti-choice views will certainly ensure John McCain keeps his conservative voter base, but will those views be a turn-off for true women’s rights advocates? What ideals would they sacrifice to help elect a woman into the White House as Vice President? Being a lifetime NRA member with ties to big oil, and unfriendly to many environmental issues — such as opposition to polar bears being listed as endangered, in favor of aerial hunting of wolves, and pro-offshore oil drilling — are often hot buttons for men and women alike. If having a woman in the White House — any woman — is the primary objective, Palin could be a deciding factor. However, disenfranchised Hillary Clinton supporters could be insulted and put-off by the choice of the hockey-mom, as Hillary was supported not for her gender alone, but for her intelligence and experience.

Palin will also certainly keep the Obama-Biden camp on their toes as they discuss how they will deal with her inexperience, and other issues without coming across as sexist. This will also be a chore for the media as well. And as much as I look forward to the coming Palin-Biden debates, Biden, too, will have to avoid anything that could be construed as sexist or ‘talking down’ to Palin. This could be a huge sticking point for undecided women voters, if not in check.

Worth noting is the distraction that Sarah Palin has created in the media in the hours since that private jet was spotted in Ohio. Up to that point, everyone was still basking in the glow of Obama’s fabulous speech last night at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. We were all focused on the feeling of unity, the historical ramifications, and the hope for change. The McCain camp has successfully forced all that emotion to a veritable halt, as we scratch our heads and say, “Sarah who?” and try to figure out why her.

In my own estimation the choice of Palin is an act of desperation in a moment of panic as the Republican camp sat around watching the excitement that swept Denver last night. Nothing else makes sense as I ponder why, after making experience the issue in his campaign, would he appoint a former small town mayor, and first-term Governor with virtually no experience on every front, and every issue?

If that’s not enough to make you wonder, she doesn’t even know what the function of the vice president is (video at the link):

“But as for that VP talk all the time, I’ll tell ya, I still can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me, what is it exactly that the VP does every day?”

[Source: Sarah Palin, 8/1/08, CNBC, "Kudlow and Company"]