McCain Picks Sarah Palin for VP

UPDATE: I'm watching the introduction of Palin, the stirring music, the beautiful family - what a homerun for McCain. There goes Obama's bump. After watching Democrats shed tears over the Obamessiah's speech last night, I find myself tearing up watching the announcement. I don't know if it's joy or relief.

Husband Todd is a commercial fisherman and worker on the North Slope oil fields as well as a world champion snow machine racer. Their oldest son enlisted in the army on September 11, 2007, and on September 11th, 2008 will be deployed to Iraq. The other kids were at the announcement.

In addition to today being John McCain's 72nd birthday, it's also the Palin's 20th anniversary. Some anniversary present.

------
Breaking news - John McCain has fooled the experts (and this blogger) and has chosen 44-year old Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his VP pick. Brilliant choice, and one that's not only going to throw Obama's Greek temple speech off the top of the news cycle, but it's going to throw a major bomb into the Obama campaign. How hard do you think the Obama people are kicking themselves right now for passing over Hillary Clinton? Do you think Joe Biden might suddenly come up with a health issue that takes him off the ticket?

I'll have more in a few minutes....
----------
Additional thought - try to imagine the presidential debates. We already know that Obama does not do well off teleprompter while McCain is in his element. McCain's experience and smoothness against Obama's bluster and meandering non-answers.

Then, for one night the VP candidates will get together. The 44-year old gun-slinging, hockey-playing, fishing, moose-eating mother of 5, nicknamed "Sarah Barracuda", verses the irrepressibly smarmy hair-plugged 35-year Senator from Delaware who won't be able to resist saying something patronizing to Palin.

It's gonna be good.

UPDATE: A commenter at Althouse gives us some ideas how this pick is going to hurt the Democrats:

Man, the leftist whackos and nutroots are going to come out of the woodwork like cockroaches. Pallin wears fur, she hunts and eats moose burgers, she is a life long member of the NRA, and the worst, the absolute worst crime -- her husband is a fisherman who works in the oil fields in the off-season. Yep, a regular working stiff. The kind of guy they hate and are jealous of. Not a lawyer or a fuzzy headed policy wonk; not a professor of basket weaving or Mayan Mysticism, not someone who lives off the teat of government grants; but a real, solid, hard core, working man. A guy who gets his hands dirty every day. The average Joe American.

What makes her even more odious is she actually worked with her husband on the fishing boats. She really, actually worked for a living. The Gospel chorus is lining up to rage and rant; “my God, how can he pick someone like that? Working people, why, they, they, they, know too much about real life!”

PETA, the anti-gun nuts, ELF, KOS, MYDD, Huffingglue and probably a host of others will be gnashing their teeth, pounding their drums, shaking their chubby little fists and green tamborines, and going into full, foaming at the mouth, rabid attack mode. They are going to have heartastrokes over this.

One thing for sure, McCain just won the Deadliest Catch fans. And this is why you don't make your VP pick until the other guy does, if possible. Had Obama chosen Hillary Clinton, I don't think Palin would have been seriously considered. However, Obama's choice of Joe Biden opened the door to a woman VP, and Palin is a great choice.

UPDATE: Jim Geraghty adds more good reasons for the Palin pick:

1. As mentioned below, Palin killed the Bridge to Nowhere. This is a reform ticket, and the "more of the same" charge looks even less plausible now.

2. She doesn’t just talk the pro-life line; she lives it by choosing to carry to term her child with Downs' Syndrome. Consider the social conservative base consolidated.

3. The Democrats want to question her experience? She’s spent more time running and managing a bigger institution than anybody on their ticket has. No party ticket offered an all-experience ticket. The question is, if you think experience is important, would you rather have it as at the top of the ticket or at the bottom?

4. In the debate, guns will come up. Biden thought the guy who called his gun “his baby” has problems. She’s an NRA favorite.

5. Do I have to be the first to say it? She’s gorgeous. Stunning. A jaw-dropping knockout. This will inevitably cause some Democrat to call her a bimbo (remember how Jeri Thompson was treated by those jerks at MSNBC). That will backfire enormously. In some places in this world, women still encounter sexism and condescension. ("Hold on a second, sweetie.") Attractive women encounter it and sometimes get it even worse, the idea that if you look good, you can't have a brain in your head. The Democrats will be playing with fire every time one of their surrogates or friendly commentators go on the cable news shows...

UPDATE: Statement from Fred Thompson:

"I am absolutely delighted by this selection. Once again, John McCain has shown that he is an independent thinker who paints in bold strokes. Sarah Palin is a conservative reformer with executive experience who will bring a breath of fresh air to Washington. She will be an ideal running mate for John McCain, and will make a major contribution to our country's future."

UPDATE: The official talking points on Sarah Palin from the McCain Campaign:

TALKING POINTS: GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN

Governor Sarah Palin is a tough executive who has demonstrated during her time in office that she is ready to be president. She has brought Republicans and Democrats together within her Administration and has seen approval ratings of over 80 percent.

· She has challenged the influence of the big oil companies while fighting for the development of new energy resources.

· She leads a state that matters to every one of us -- Alaska has significant energy resources and she has been a leader in the fight to make America energy independent.

· She has actually used her veto and cut budgetary spending. And she put a stop to the bridge to nowhere that would have cost taxpayers $400 million dollars.

· In Alaska, she challenged a corrupt system and passed a landmark ethics reform bill.

· As the head of Alaska's National Guard and as the mother of a soldier herself, Governor Palin understands what it takes to lead our nation and she understands the importance of supporting our troops.

Her experience in shaking up the status quo is exactly what is needed in Washington.

In choosing Governor Sarah Palin, John McCain put Washington on notice that he is serious about shaking up the status quo.

What we're seeing is a maverick who has shaken up Washington picking as his teammate a maverick governor who has shaken up her own state.

What it's going to take to change Washington is a team of Mavericks who have a record of accomplishment in shaking up the status quo.

UPDATE - a fun fact for the VP debate. You can fit Delaware into the state of Alaska 291 times and still have land left over.

UPDATE - Obama campaign reacts with a petty statement:

Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush's failed economic policies -- that's not the change we need, it's just more of the same.

They're going to regret dissing small town America, and they definitely don't want to play the "experience" game. That's sort of like saying that the Democrats nominated a former state senator with no foreign policy experience, or a peanut farmer from Georgia.

UPDATE: I hear that PETA is quite upset with this pick because Palin wears fur. Well, for Pete's sake, she's from Alaska! They grow fur up there. Her husband's a native Alaskan. For all I know they make their own coats.