Idk too much about his running mate but I think that he chose a woman because he thinks that will get all the Hillary supporters to vote for him since he has a woman VP. I'm not putting Obama down, but he has no experience & all of his "speeches" about CHANGE w/ no firm backup to make the change, has everyone brainwashed. Americans are fed up w/ how the Republicans have screwed up the economy & I think that we are scared to elect another Repub. Obama has no experience & McCain is old. I am a registered Democrat but I will be voting for McCain this year because Obama puts on a good show, but I don't foresee any drastic change that he has been promising.

I don't think he did, but he difinitly leveled the playing field for all those who r prejudiced against race or sex. Neither of which would effect my vote,since I'm not prejudice.

I think it's a very smart choice. Yes, McCain is porobably hoping to capture some of Hillary's supporters. More importantly, from what I've learned about her, she is a true conservative republican.

I really know nothing about her, so I can't say for sure. I can give my initial thought, and that is that he picked a woman to make his ticket seem more diverse. I'm sure there will be plenty of info coming out about her, so I would like to hold my opinion until I am better informed.

IDK. When I first heard about McCain's choice, I was bewildered. I though, "Who the **** is Sarah Palin?". I think he could have picked a better-known running mate, but there must be something about her that the Republican ticket thinks will appeal to the masses. I plan on doing my homework on both canidates (and their VPs) before I decide on who I will vote for.

Frankly I don't think so, other than having a pretty face she's not really qualified for the job. And of course - she has a skeleton or two in her own personal closet. Here's a recient one that comes to mind. Investigation dogs Alaska governor By STEVE QUINN Associated Press Writer JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Gov. Sarah Palin, a rising young GOP star mentioned as a possible running mate for John McCain, could see her clean-hands reputation damaged by a growing furor over whether she tried to get her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper. A legislative panel has launched a $100,000 investigation to determine if Palin dismissed Alaska's public safety commissioner because he would not fire the trooper, Mike Wooten. Wooten went through a messy divorce from Palin's sister. Palin has denied the commissioner's dismissal had anything to do with her former brother-in-law. And she denied orchestrating the dozens of telephone calls made by her husband and members of her administration to Wooten's bosses. Palin said she welcomes the investigation: "Hold me accountable." Still, the allegations she abused her office could prove embarrassing for Palin, who got elected in 2006 on an ethics reform platform. "It could be a bit of a knock on the clean-government issue in Alaska she backed," said Shaun Bowler, a political scientist at the University of California at Riverside. Referring to Republican Sen. Ted Stevens' recent indictment on corruption charges and the bribery-and-conspiracy scandal that has ensnared five former or current state lawmakers, GOP analyst John Feehery said: "Right now, in Alaska all you have to do is say the word 'investigation' and people are going to be running away."

I've always said that I would give a woman a chance, the time has come. I stuck by that statement even more so when Hillary ran though I stressed ''any woman OTHER than Hillary''. I'm in construction so of course the guys are bashing women after hearing the announcement. So at lunch a few minutes ago I told them ''Look at it this way, for once we'll be getting f*cked by a woman yo...;)''

It was a good thought to derail Obama but it will backfire

She balances his age nicely, so we won't only have an over 70 on the team. She represents a fresh viewpoint. She has executive experience. She clearly loves children, even the ones with disabilities. She represents a pro labor view within the Republican party. Her husband is a union leader. I'm listening to her right now, and I really like what she is saying.

She seems to be a very interesting person, and exactly the type of politician that the GOP base can rally around. She's very vocal about eliminating wasteful spending and pork barrel projects. She's been vocal about transparency and ethics in government. She's pro-life, a death penalty supporter, anti gay marriage though a supporter healthcare and benefits for same sex partners. She's young and a former beauty queen. I don't think he could have picked a better running mate. All that being said, doesn't change my vote one iota.

I think it’s a highly controversial decision. He may gain some votes with it, but I think it’s somewhat irresponsible to pick a first-term governor when his big beef with Obama is that he’s a first-term senator (although to be fair, I’d prefer a governor—who has run an entire state—to a Congressperson—who’s just another face in the crowd—any day). My only hope is that there’s something about Palin that we, the general public, don’t yet know—something that makes her a much better pick than Obama, despite their similar lengths of tenure. Of course, all this hasn’t changed my vote; I still see McCain as the lesser of two evils. Anybody else care to share their feelings on this subject? http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/3879745

It was the smartest thing he could of done. I thought obama was a definite win now idk. He is gonna pick up alot of female votes and it makes his party seem softer less war driven

I'm in the UK, and don't have a clue who she is. But, by picking a woman I think he has made a good move and could well pick up some of the "Hilary Vote", time will tell :-)

personally, i think it's a lame attempt at getting the "hillary vote". mccain brings up obamas experience as an issue but palin has next to nothing for experience. i think it makes mccain look like a hypocrite. she's only been a beauty queen, sports caster, a small town mayor (population approximately 6000) and governor for only 2 years of the 48th least populated state. not very good credentials for the second most powerful position in america in my opinion.

See my answer at http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/3881611 . Whether he made the right decision or not is still up for review.

I think it's patronizing to choose someone less experienced and probably qualified than the other guys on the short list, basically just because she's a woman. McCain's old and has had cancer - is Palin ready to be President? Hillary was relatively qualified.

I don't know her experience history, but I hope she's qualified and not just a puppet for the political game. We shall see.

All points aside here.... I think that now is a far better time for women than in 1984 when Ferrarro was Dukakis' VP choice. The subject has been broached twice now with Geraldine Ferrarro and Hillary Clinton, with better results now more than ever. Historic events are taking place RIGHT NOW, no matter the outcome. The American public is accepting candidates for President and Vice President that were never seriously considered before: a woman and a black man. The subject has been broached before, through independent parties and at least the Democratic party. But today, right now, we Americans have been given two serious first time contenders for the office of President and Vice Presdent. And they have been strategically placed such that no matter WHICH party wins, history will be made. And the cool part about whomever the looser turns out to be? The road to future success will be easier traveled in the future. I think it was a wise and well thought out political move. As for whether McCain made the right decision politically...we'll find out in the upcoming elections.

I think he did, though he could have done better. Sure, he probably did it in hopes of gaining some more of the Hillary block, but he also did it to help himself with the Republican/conservative base, since she's a bit to the right of his own views on many subjects. And the fact that she has a son about to deploy to Iraq impressed me. Unlike many politicians (especially Democrats), she's putting her money where her mouth is.

he did a good job of creating a mirror image of the democratic ticket...running mates don't usually affect the outcome of the election, but I don't think Palin will hurt McCain's chances...

After thinking about it for a bit, it actually softens the negative image he previously created for himself. If Obama reacts to this in the same way that McCain acted before, then he'll probably lose credibility. I just hope Obama is mature enough to realize that.

Yes...i think he caught everyone off guard, but an excellent pick! She is a true conservative and I love her pro-life stance...she also has a handicapped child which is remarkable considering 90% of people who find out their child is handicapped abort. She seems like a strong down to earth REAL woman with a great political background.