“But honestly, this is just another nail in the coffin for McCain’s support from the religious and the far right. ”

and/or your mental image of what conservatism means is wrong.

McCain has his POW record, Drilling which was a flip he made earlier this election cycle, and his voting record nearly lockstep with Bush.

The Democrats will continue to focus on the weakest end of the McCain/Palin ticket. Which is of course McCain.

“Give ‘em Hell, Sarah”

“Sounds to me like she ought to stay home and raise all those kids she had because she doesn’t believe in abortion. Anyway, he probably only picked her because she’s hot. Plus I heard she slept her way into the mayor’s office.”

I swear, we are our own worst enemy.

In one stroke he has brought the freshest of fighters into his corner, and attacked the cognitive dissonance of fence sitters who’ll witness progressive bigotry in all its glory until November.

As of right now the left is saying this leaves McCain in a position to *not* talk about experience and them in a position to talk about it all day. I can’t see that one working out – the VP role isn’t about experience and never has been (the VP has always been about more cosmetic issues for ages and this one is a clear McCain winner – no way Biden can come across as “good” attacking her nor does he have anywhere the stage presence to simply be better). Even for hard core political junkies the experience level of the VP has never mattered much at all.

However the presidency has been about that and Obama is even worse than she is. The left harping on the lack of experience of his VP pick when she has more than their main person is – well – amusing to say the least.

I also note that the left is trying their best to say she is a RINO just like McCain, but over all I find the hard right quite happy with this (most of us being mroe libertarian). I don’t think this is going to work well either – the hard right has *never* taken their marching orders from the left and painting her as not working in lock step with the hard right only serves to better her with the rest of the people. Fact is she agrees with the hard right more often than not even on the major issues. Most of us aren’t purists and recognize that she is one of the more conservative out there. I’ve heard WAY more carping from lefties about her being a RHINO than I remotely have from even the VERY hard right – I guess those lefties have realized we don’t go to them for our marching orders yet

IMO the left doesn’t know what to do with her yet and have come out of the gate full steam ahead anyway (anyone surprised at that?). I don’t think the current line of crap will be done very long as it will sink in that it isn’t going to work (and in fact makes them look bad). I don’t know how much damage it will do in the long run, I suspect little as it is too far away for most to pay much attention.

It got so bad that I was tempted to call them on it, saying they sounded like the old farts they affect to despise and saying just the same things (minus the pretty part) the old farts they despise had said about Hillary.

They also said, rather heatedly, that NO Hillary voter was going to vote for McCain just because he picked this “bimbo.”

But none of their objections was substantive, and there was an edge of anxiety to their energetic discussion: they showed much more animation about the Palin pick than they did about BO’s speech, which is telling.

I think they’re worried.

I see it as a brilliant move by McCain. I agree: she’s “not an old white guy,” which is crucial. She’s attractive, hugely popular in AK, killed the Bridge to Nowhere and sold the governor’s private jet, and is an NRA member.

The “troopergate” issue sounds tissue-thin: I watched the link to the report on the Anchorage station, and I can’t even make out what the great sin is supposed to be. Or, for that matter, what the heck the story is about! I doubt the general public will get wrapped around the axle about it.

I’m pro-choice, a big fan of science, and more of a lib-hawk than a conservative, but I think this pick will play well: McCain is popular with moderate Dems, and has shown that he’s not exactly the fire and brimstone conservative they love to hate; OTOH, Palin is a much more conservative pol, and should appeal to the rightward end of the Republicans. I think he just balanced his ticket.