The Republican nominee Senator John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin, the little-known governor of far-away Alaska, as his vice presidential running mate, has sent shock waves all around. Some pundits see it as a brilliant ‘game-changer’ for McCain. Others call it a ‘political suicide’ since it undercuts the most credible Republican argument against Obama — lack of experience.

Supporters say McCain’s chances of winning this election by sticking to conventional wisdom are next to nil. At a time when the Republican party is hugely unpopular and a charismatic Obama has bestirred the nation, McCain had to do find a way to shake things up. Besides the value of surprise, Palin offered McCain a badly needed political bridge to the conservative base of the Republican party. Throughout his political career, the independent-minded McCain has had difficulty with conservatives. In his 2000 run against George W. Bush it was the Christian right that quickly derailed his candidacy.

By settling on a young conservative —- who is against high taxes, opposes gun control, and is anti-abortion— - McCain has certainly energised the Republican base. Palin, according to the calculations of the McCain campaign, should also help to end Obama’s current monopoly on the appealing slogan - bringing “change” to Washington. Obama’s running mate, Joseph Biden, serving his sixth term in the Senate, is very much the old face of Washington. While she might have a hard time debating Biden on foreign policy, Palin, as the next door working mother, McCain hopes, might sway socially conservative white working folk, the most sought after constituency in this election.

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