I'm coming to the conclusion that Sarah Palin is Moosehunter Barbie.
That said, while I think McCain's choice of VP was a matter of calculated cynicism, it's always a matter of calculated cynicism. And with the Republican part especially, the goal is to assemble a winning team, not a competent team who can actually do the right thing once they're running the country.
Palin may pick up a few stray Yellow Dog Feminists who will vote for anything with a womb, but for the most part, the women wanting Hillary wanted what she stood for, and the fact of her gender was just icing on the cake. They'd never want the crock, ahem, cake, Palin's selling, even if it does come with the same icing.
The women it will appeal to are the various beer-drinking blue-collar soccer moms Hillary was pandering to at the end of her campaign, especially if they're Pro-Life Christian, and the other Pro-Life Christian types who didn't like McCain now at least have a reason to go out and vote for him, rather than stay home which is what they'd do if were he to pick anyone Pro-Choice.
She also clearly appeals to the NRA vote, and not in the obvious oblivious pandering way (thank you, Mr. Cheney, for shooting your friend in the face), and that's another point to shoring up the base. It does jack once you get elected, mind you, but the game of election doesn't care.
The business with her having the child with Downs syndrome who needs to be cared for.... She also has a husband who's a devoted stay-at-home dad, and liberals will shoot themselves in the foot if they question his competence or right to care for his own child while his wife takes care of the family fortunes.
She also wants Creationism in the classroom, which I find both annoying and creepy, but that doesn't change the fact that it's good for a turn-out-the-votes in the Republican whacky Christian base. And she soft-pedals it enough to say that it's just "talking" about it, nevermind the fact that the only place Creationism belongs in public schools is in social studies when discussing the history and beliefs of world religions.
As for debating, she looks like she's fairly keen and good on her feet, which should prove less embarrassing than Quayle or for that matter W.
It's going to get interesting.
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