Sen. John McCain’s choice of Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate earlier today was an excellent, "Maverick" move. Well done! In order to counter the resonance of Obama's "change" mandate, Sen. McCain must work to reinforce his non-conventional and anti-Washington image.  This pick does that, in spades! 

Gov. Palin is a high achiever and she is known as a reformer by the Alaskan constituents she represents.  She has risen up the political ranks from the local PTA to Mayor to Governor. Her story is classic Americana. She is the Chief Executive of a state that sits squarely in the crosshairs of a key national challenge: energy policy and the environment. In fact, in 2003 she was appointed to serve as a commissioner of the state’s Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. She has a track record of success in fighting corruption – even within the ranks of her own party – and resisting government largess. Most notably, she was responsible for killing the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere” project that remains one of the biggest examples of Federal spending excess of the recent past.  She is the mother of five, including her eldest son, Track, who enlisted in the Army last year. He is set to deploy to Iraq next month. And while only 45 years young, Gov. Palin still has more executive experience than Sen. Obama! She will be an excellent co-pilot on the Straight Talk Express. Let’s ride!