By John Santucci

Ever since Sen. Hillary Clinton bowed out of the presidential race in June, our main question has been who will the candidates choose as running mates? Sen. Barack Obama chose the person who fit the mold he needed. Obama is young, not a Washington insider and has no previous knowledge of foreign affairs. So, who did he choose? Sen. Joe Biden, a much older man who knows all the ins and outs of Washington, someone who has complete knowledge of international affairs from his time serving this country to his time spent as Chair of the Senate Committee on Intelligence. Obama chose what he needed-a job well done.

As for Sen. John McCain, the media never focused on his pick as they did Obama’s. There were no text messages. There were no e-mails encouraging people to pay attention-the McCain announcement was much simpler. Nevertheless, we still wondered who it would be. Many speculated it would be either Gov. Mitt Romney, Sen. Joe Lieberman or Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Rumors spread that it would be Mitt Romney, since he was always on the McCain defense front, constantly jumping on all the talk shows from Fox to MSNBC defending his former rival. Additionally, the Romney family’s home was allegedly swept by the Secret Service, acting as a tip-off All the hype and it was not Mitt Romney.

The rumor train also swirled around Joe Lieberman, calling himself an “independent Democrat,” has been out supporting his friend from Arizona and shares similar views on the war in Iraq. Why did we think it could be Lieberman?

Besides everyone talking about him, it was reported that former Bush advisor Karl Rove called Lieberman and asked him to pull his name off the short list: clearly his name might be the one below McCain come November. Alas, Joe is staying in the Senate (maybe) and is going to enter a tough fight if the Democrats keep their majority, since top Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have said Democrats could strip Lieberman of his chairmanship after his attacks on Obama and support for McCain. (Could Joe drop the title of Senator and gain Secretary of State?)

Last, but not least: Pawlenty was tagged as the safe choice by the media, because let’s face it, we didn’t know much about him anyway. Pawlenty was not on the trail like Romney, so there would be no attacking McCain . He wouldn’t bring the Lieberman baggage to the oval office. He was the safe choice-the boring choice.

However, the media once again embraced its blood hound roots, caught a scent that it could be the governor. As Obama accepted his party’s nomination in Denver, a report was released that Pawlenty had cancelled a majority of his future public events-would be boarding the “Straight Talk Express” and heading to Ohio? No. McCain’s choice? Gov. Sarah Palin.

Palin has no experience in foreign affairs; she has been the governor of Alaska for less than two years. Right away comes the tagline for Palin (aside “hockey mom”): lack of experience. Wait, are we talking about Barack Obama or Sarah Palin? What both Obama and McCain have done may look very different-but only by a couple of years. The McCain-Palin and Obama-Biden tickets are virtually the same, but inverted.

How will Palin help McCain? She is the mother of five. She returned to work just three days after giving birth to her five-month-old son, Trig. Her husband, a fisherman, and a member of the United Steel Workers Union, easily brings the working class vote. Her oldest son, Track, is expected to be deployed to Iraq on Sept. 11. She is a lifetime member of the NRA, is pro-life, pro-war and she comes from a modest family background (her parents both worked in her local school).

As former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said on Sean Hannity’s radio show the day of the announcement, based on her beliefs and all she has done-Sarah Palin must be a man. Yet, after giving birth to five, winning a beauty contest in her youth and appearing in a Vogue magazine spread on the Republicans back in Dec. 2007-shockingly, she is a woman and supports McCain, and that’s the best part.

Palin is going to shatter the cracked ceiling (if they win) or at least leave a substantial mark (if they lose). Republicans hope that the entrance of Palin will call the Clinton supporters to the GOP.

On the campaign trail, Obama is no longer aiming for the top of the GOP ticket; he is instead gently swiping at Palin. If the Democratic candidate were to attack a woman (in the same way he attacks his male counterpart), he would lose voters instantly. He must proceed gently.

Attack Plan A (minus Obama): Dispatch the Democratic women who can go after Palin.

Attack Plan B (plus Obama): At a Detroit town hall meeting Monday night, Obama did some damage control. “You notice, at their convention, they spent a lot of time talking about John McCain’s biography, which is compelling,” Obama said. “They talked about Sarah Palin’s biography, which is compelling.” He called it “cool stuff.”

Speaking of cool stuff, jump over to the polls. CNN’s “Poll of Polls,” consisting of five different surveys, gave us a surprise one candidate is ahead, it’s just not the one that’s been ahead. McCain edged over Obama by 2 percent, indicating that the choice of Palin has added fuel to the life of the campaign.

Palin also aids the campaign’s fundraising. McCain raised about $47 million in August. Campaign officials reported $10 million raised in the short time since McCain announced the Alaska governor as his running mate; her status as the very definition of “conservative” helps dispel doubts among conservative donors.

However, just about every politician brings a skeleton or three. Palin’s baggage started off small but we’ve now increased to the extra large bags. First, she’s undergoing an investigation accusing her of dismissing the state’s top law enforcement official because of his refusal to fire a state trooper in a dispute. In a July 31 interview with CNBC, Palin defended her actions saying, “It is a governor’s prerogative, a right, to fill that Cabinet with members whom she or he believes will do best for the people whom we are serving.”

Round two, one of the ultra-conservative’s daughters is pregnant and keeping the child. More recently, Palin reportedly charged her state a daily allowance, normally used for official travel. These charges included more than 300 nights she stayed at home. A Washington Post analysis of Palin’s travel statements shows Palin billed taxpayers more than $40,000 for travel by her husband and children between the Palin home and offices.

For the voters and journalists licking their lips waiting for Obama and McCain to take the stage at the three presidential debates. The big guys might be the best shows around but tune in on Oct. 2 when tough-talking Biden takes on snowmobiler Palin.

John Santucci is a sophomore broadcast journalism student. You may e-mail him at [email protected].