Who?

For the first time since Walter Mondale picked Geraldine Ferraro, a presidential candidate has chosen a running mate I've absolutely never heard of. Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, is McCain's choice.

Huh. Sarah Palin? Really? Never heard of her. Sarah Palin? Alaska has a woman governor?

In fact, when the New York Times news alert flashed across my computer screen saying "McCain Chooses Palin as Running Mate" I had this brief moment of confusion. Visions of Monty Python in the White House danced in my head.

I'm fairly astute and observant as people go. I read newspapers, websites, blogs. So if I've never heard of her, I figure a whole bunch of other people have never heard of her. I can't quite figure out if McCain is desperate, cynical, or just wants the antithesis of Dick Cheney as a running mate. (Oh, wait, McCain's a Republican... very likely all three.)

It's usually of no consequence to me who the Republican vice presidential candidate is. Or the Republican presidential candidate, for that matter. I'll no sooner vote for a Republican than I will fly to the moon. But McCain turns 72 today. If he wins the White House, Palin stands a much better chance of assuming the presidency than Joe Biden does.
K-