It's Palin

Barack's rock concert last night apparently had some impact, as John McCain has chosen Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. Although ABC says she's not with McCain:

ABC News' Kate McCarthy Reports: As vice presidential speculation swirls, Gov. Sarah Palin is watching the fireworks from her home in Wasilla, Alaska.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is in Dayton, Ohio, awaiting a high noon event at which the campaign has said the Republican contender will announce his running mate.

Reports indicated that both Romney and Palin have told friends that they are not McCain's choice.

This is a game-changer, coat-tailing on the excitement of the first black presidential nominee to offer the chance for the first female VP.

Sarah Heath Palin (born February 11, 1964) is the current Governor of Alaska, and a member of the Republican Party. She is the first female governor of Alaska, its youngest, and is the first governor born after Alaska achieved statehood. Brought to statewide attention because of her whistleblowing on ethical violations by state Republican Party leaders,^[1] she won election in 2006 by first defeating the incumbent governor in the Republican primary, then a former Democratic Alaskan governor in the general election.

The risk of the choice is that Palin is almost as inexperienced as is Barack, and McCain needs a VP who is perceived as having the gravitas to step into the presidency, as his advanced years raise expectations that he won't still be serving at he approaches 80.

Palin's a smart, edgy pol who is exceptionally popular in Alaska. She's a conservative with a reputation as a reformer -- which has been somewhat tainted by scandals associated with her office.

Palin's married to an Eskimo, she's got a kid in the Army, she likes to hunt and fish, eats moose burgers, and has taken on establishment Republicans to elbow her way onto the political stage.

If she's the pick, Palin's a smart if risky choice for McCain.

Because of the experience factor, I didn't think McCain would make such a bold choice. I'm happy that he did, but concerned.

Either way, we have to hand it to McCain - he's woven a very complex tapestry of deception, making it very hard to guess the choice.