Who Is Sarah Palin?

Like most individuals when the VP was announced I was completely surprised at the pick and completely blindslided. In all honesty I was expecting the announcement to be Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney, or Rob Portman. After some research of who she is and what she stands for the more I am impressed with the pick. Sarah was born in Sandpoint Idaho and married her high school sweetheart Todd Palin on 29 Aug 1988. Together they have five children and are regular church goers. She attended the University of Idaho and obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Journalism. Her eldest son even enlisted in the army after September 11th. Sarah is currently the governor of Alaska and trounced then Governor Frank Murkowski in being elected by a decisive margin despite an overwhelming anti-republican feeling in that election. Her approval ratings bounces around 90 percent. She is clearly pro life. Sarah supports drilling in ANWR and opposes same sex marriage. She is a lifetime member of the NRA and is an incredibly smart, independent, articulate conservative woman. How can one not like an individual that hunts, ice fishes, snowmobiles, has run a marathon and eats mooseburgers?

McCain VP Short List

Attempting to correctly predict the potential VP running mate is always rather difficult since there are so many possible underlying factors. Do they get along and could they work well together? Is the presidential nominee looking to carry a swing state? Or looking to solidify his base and strength in a specific demographic arena? Or something entirely different? Still, here are a few guesses at names that John McCain definately might consider.

Tom Coburn has wonderful credentials especially towards illegal immigration and is a staunch fiscal conservative. Unfortunately he isn't particually charismatic and since the state of Oklahoma isn't expected to be a battleground state Coburn may not add enough to this political equation.
Charlie Crist is an extremely popular governor from the state of Florida which has been a key swing state in the last two elections. Crist played QB back in college for Wake Forest. Charlie has a pro-family approach towards abortion and is a longtime advocate of capital punishment. He is also for higher emission standards.
Jim DeMint is relatively young and charismatic espcially with conservatives. Jim was ranked by the National Journal in 2007 March as the most conservative Senator. He married his high school sweetheart and together they have 4 children. DeMint would be a great choice to shore up McCain's right side.
Tim Pawlenty hails from the state of Minnesota which could be a swing state and should get a closer look as a potential candidate from John McCain. He is an avid hockey fan as he plays non-competitively with the Minnesota Wild (pro team) and did obtain his law degree from the University Of Minnesota Law School.
Rob Portman has spent over a decade in Congress from the state of Ohio. He is also already a longtime friend of John McCain and is good friends with current President George Bush as well. Portman is a published author, avid canoeist and kayaker. He has the mind of a budget director having a mild temperament with a ideal resume.
If there were to be any guesses on who the possible running mate is there is a great chance I believe John McCain may take a hard close look at Tim Pawlenty. I purposely left out Bobby Jindal from the list as he had already turned down any potential offers. Who do you think McCain will pick? Any guesses? Would love to hear!