In the wake of Obama’s magnificent speech Thursday, which concluded a beautifully orchestrated convention, the McCain camp needed to stop the oppositional momentum. So McCain selected (surprise!) Alaskan governor Sarah Palin as his VP. Hey, look everyone! He picked a woman! He’s going to steal Hillary voters from Obama! Oh wait, she’s pro-life, denies global warming is man-made, and is so clearly less qualified than Hillary that no serious Democrat could consider voting for her.

Despite a silly amount of spinning from right-wing pundits (who touted her foreign policy experience because of her state’s proximity to Russia), I think this selection will prove to be disastrous for McCain. The conservative base is fired up over the choice, but I think the majority of independents and democrats will be turned off. Before the convention, there was far more unity among the Democrats than the media portrayed. After Obama’s speech Thursday, the unity felt tangible. I’ve talked to many of my Hillary-supporting female friends and every one of them will be voting for Obama. A number of them also told me that they were a little disgusted that McCain thought he could win over women just by nominating one.

Every VP pick is a political calculation. Presumably, Obama picked Biden to shore up concerns about his experience and his toughness on foreign policy. But if Biden had to step up and become president, there is no doubt he could handle the complex issues that face the US today. Can the same be said about Governor Palin?

Photo by Flickr user buddhakiwi used under a Creative Commons license.