Good On Ya, McCain

John McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice-president is a shrewd one, for more reason than one.

First, the obvious: She's a woman. His choice shatters a glass ceiling in the Republican Party. She'll help get the campaign face-time from a journalistic world overrun by a need to see diversity in every corner of the globe. Maybe the cynic will say that his choice was made on her solely because she's a woman. I don't think McCain thinks that way.

Second: She's a contrast to McCain. He's the shrewd Washington political insider. She's a consummate outsider, in charge of a state far from the political spotlight. Perhaps some might consider that voting for the devil you know is the best thing to do, but then again, those who think like that aren't contrarian like I am.

Third: She's a complement to McCain. Both are regarded as political mavericks (more aobut her background in this Time article, willing to cross party lines to get good things done. That distinction helps set them apart from not only the Bush White House, but also the Democratically-controlled Congress which, if I remember correctly, has lower approval ratings than the most-hated Bush. Folks like me are tired of politics as usual. I like what McCain said about Palin: She can help him fight "me and politics as usual" in Washington -- meaning he recognizes that a contrasting view on politics and policy from someone like Palin will help him open his mind and keep himself thinking. Obama and Biden seem too much like peas in a pod to make that happen. I get the feeling that a McCain-Palin ticket will be better for bipartisanship than an Obama-Biden ticket.

Fourth: I like that her last name seems almost dwarfish.

Fifth: She was a journalism major at the University of Idaho, my alma mater. And, obviously, she, too, left journalism. That right there is enough to tell me she's smarter than the average bear.

I note in the CNN story that the Obama campaign was quick to pan Palin's lack of foreign policy experience. Pardon the pun, but for that to come from the Obama campaign, well, Pot, meet Mr. Kettle.