McCain makes surprise pick for VP
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Surprise pick ... Sarah Palin (Reuters: John Gress)
Republican John McCain has unveiled a major surprise in the White House race with his pick of first woman governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, as his running-mate, campaign officials said.
A political outsider and relative unknown on the national stage, Governor Palin, 44, a mother of five children, emerged late Thursday as the dark horse candidate for Senator McCain's vice-presidential nominee.
The choice marks a huge political risk by Senator McCain, and a blatant bid to win over disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters.
Governor Palin, reportedly a former entrant in the Miss Alaska contest, could appeal to the Republican's grassroots conservative base, as she is strongly pro-life and backs the gun lobby.
As a young mother she would balance out concerns over Senator McCain's age who celebrated his 72nd birthday on Friday, and she could also be seen as a breath of fresh air, untainted by Washington politics.
But unlike Clinton - the former first lady who was defeated in the Democratic primary nominating race by Barack Obama - Governor Palin as a first-time governor elected in Alaska in 2006 has no national experience.
The reports came as Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who had been leading in the VP tips, told a local radio station that it was "a fair assumption" he had not been picked by Senator McCain.
The news completely overshadowed Senator Obama 's historic speech to a jubiliant crowd of 84,000 fans crammed into a Denver stadium at which he urged voters to help "restore America's promise."
Picking such a long-shot candidate could undermine Senator McCain's accusations against Senator Obama that he lacks the experience to be the commander in chief of a country caught up in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
And Governor Palin could find it difficult to match up against experienced senator Joseph Biden, the Democrats' vice presidential pick, who has spent his much of his 36-year career working on foreign policy.
- AFP
