On Sarah Palin

“Bingo. For weeks, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has been the Republican whom conservatives barely dared to hope could become John McCain’s pick as his running mate. For Republicans angry at Washington’s big-spending bonanza when Republicans controlled the White House and Congress, Palin, like McCain, is an antidote. She is the Alaskan who pulled state support for the infamous Bridge to Nowhere and bucked Alaska’s congressional and state Republican leaders. For social conservatives, the mother of five has impeccable credentials. She’s a member of Feminists for Life, who walked the walk in April when she gave birth to a son, shown by genetic testing to have Down syndrome... For conservatives, who felt that McCain has been at times too cozy with the Washington left, Palin is a conservative’s conservative—a moose hunter and co-owner of a commercial fishing operation. As an Alaskan, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Her husband works for BP on an Alaska oil field... McCain has been too much of a wishful thinker when it comes to energy policy. Palin could champion a more grounded approach to energy. As a female candidate, Palin just might attract disgruntled Hillary Rodham Clinton supporters—or at least give them pause before voting for the Obama-Biden ticket... Is she short on experience? Yes. Voters will have to watch her performance on the campaign trail to judge how she responds to high-stakes politics and the international arena. That said, as a governor, Palin she has more experience running a government than Obama, who began serving his first term in the U.S. Senate in 2005. And unlike Obama, Palin has shown herself willing to challenge [the] jaded ethical policies within her party. That’s change.” —Debra Saunders