Sarah Palin

Gutsy move, John. It's a roll of the dice, and it just may pay off. Without a doubt it earned you some votes from conservatives who were wary of you and women who were previously leaning towards Hillary's party. Sarah has earned many kudos for cleaning up government and being her own kind of maverick, like you like to claim to be. But when the dust starts settling after the GOP convention next week, I think her presence on the ticket just raises more issues than it solves.

The overall concern with her nomination is that her resume can fit on a 3" x 5" index card. She's done some good things, but only at the local & state levels, and even the governorship she's only held for less than two years. There are countless number of things (foreign policy, monetary policy, etc.) with which she has little or no familiarity, and she's gonna get smoked by the Democrats for it, especially by your pal Biden in the VP debate.

Plus, uh... how do I say this? Ummmm... OK, here goes: You're no spring chicken anymore, John. (Happy 72nd Birthday today, by the way.) There is a fairly real chance that - God forbid - you could join the sweet by-and-by during your term. Is Sarah really ready to be the Commander in Chief of (at least in theory) the most powerful nation on the planet? I believe the vast majority of Americans would be forced to say "no." Your appointment of her simply reeks too heavily of political/voter pandering than it does of a wise choice of someone who could seamlessly step in during a nation's moment of sorrow and move the country forward. The Democrats will almost certainly make an issue of your judgment in her appointment.

Also, you have effectively wiped out a key campaign issue you were using quite effectively against Obama up to this point: the experience factor. Barack & Sarah are about the same age, but everyone would have to agree that Barack has more experience on the national and international political scene than does Sarah. You'll need to significantly refocus your campaign strategy and talking points.

Finally, just a warning: Expect to hear the name "Quayle" more than a few times in the next several weeks.

On the face of it, I like the pick, mostly for the reason I've grown to be fond of you - your willingness to go against the grain. And although I'm not familiar with Sarah, I like anyone who isn't afraid to buck the status quo in government.

You've certainly succeeded in keeping things interesting in this race. This election cycle continues to fascinate me. But come election day, I think Sarah will be flying back to Juneau.