McCain/Palin or Palin/McCain?

Since the announcement (or annointing) of Palin as the veep for the Republicans, I have been awed by the hype that surrounds her.

Without mincing words, let's face an obvious fact: Palin's popularity comes from her being a pretty, conservative mother-figure, and far less about what (little) she has done in an obscure state's political world. The reason she is a big deal is because she has five cute children and she is a "newbie" on the political scene.

What does this say about McCain as the "maverick"? Unfortunately for McCain, nothing much. Apparently his credentials as a scrappy, independent-minded Senator have done little for his popularity. In fact, the only time he has been consistently ahead of Obama in the polls (albeit by 1-3 points in most cases) is post-Palin.

The fact that he has only escaped the ranks of the 40-percentile since he announced his running mate says pathetically little about his abilities to convince the general public that he is the right man for the job. He has, for better or worse, been a household name for over 25 years and a media darling for about 10.

To tout Palin as the Savior of the Republican Party is almost certainly premature (undoubtedly she will not escape unscathed from this stormy election season). But to say anything other than her being the Savior of the McCain bid for presidency would be dismissing her integral role as... a hockey mom.