Palin for veep

It's official. And, to my mind, more than a little cynical.

John McCain's best case that he's right for the presidency is that the country needs somebody who is experienced and tough on national security issues. But if he happens to die in office -- God forbid -- apparently the country really doesn't need that experience after all. By picking Palin, McCain loses the ability to effectively make the "experience" argument, and then it comes down to judgment. You know what? I think that's a debate that Barack Obama can win.

I don't think Palin was picked just because she was a woman; apparently she's got good, solid conservative credentials -- just the pick to shore up the faltering GOP base. But I suspect that she wouldn't have earned the nod if she were, say, Samuel Palin. From a party that hates affirmative action in favor of a supposed meritocracy, and which pooh-poohs equal pay for equal work -- and which spent a lot of time during the primaries mocking the Democrats for so-called "identity politics" -- the selection of Palin is, well, pretty rich.