The announcement, made in the GREAT Midwest city of Dayton, Ohio (sorry for the media bias...), was a step forward in attracting hard-line Conservatives as well as indepedent voters and those women and women groups who left Denver today still upset and feeling betrayed by their party with the final outcome.
Gov. Palin is a strong Pro-Life mother of five children, including her latest son who has down's syndrome, is a "hockey mom", served on the local PTA and worked her way up the ranks of local and state politics. She has a strong reputation for leading bipartisan efforts to get things done in Alaska. In addition, she is a strong gun rights advocate and has fought fraud, waste, and abuse in her native state of Alaska.
Kudos to Sen. McCain for the smart pick!