For the past couple of weeks, the TV news channels, the political newspaper columns and Internet pundits are all writing and talking about Senator McCain’s pick for vice-president, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. I wrote here a couple of weeks ago that the VP job isn’t a very big deal with most voters. This time; however, things are a little different. While the VP slot isn’t usually such a big deal in itself, the candidate seems to be a very big deal indeed. I’ve never seen such excitement over a nominee for the number two slot. Governor Palin’s main attraction is that she is so different from what has been the usual VP material in past election years.

 Candidates often pick running mates who are more conventional and well known on the national level. Joe Biden, for example, has been a senator for about 35 years and a perennial, albeit unsuccessful, presidential candidate in his own right. Kerry’s man was one-term senator John Edwards. Dick Cheney, prior to working as CEO for Halliburton, was White House Chief of Staff in the Ford Administration, a congressman from Wyoming for ten years and Secretary of Defense under Bush 41.

 McCain’s choice was a surprise for most pundits. Most thought he would pick Romney, Giuliani or Huckabee because of their executive experience and name recognition. Sarah Palin came almost out of the blue. While her name had been mentioned, few of the “experts” thought she would actually get the nod. I listened to her acceptance speech and admit that I was impressed.

 The thing that convinced me that McCain had made the right choice was the swift and ferocious negative attacks by the Obama campaign and the usual suspects in the media. It is clear that they are out to smear and destroy her reputation.

 She was immediately attacked for her lack of experience. That lasted only until someone pointed out the obvious fact that she was running for vice-president not president, and she’s the only one on either side with any actual executive experience. The other three are senators and have never actually managed anything.

The pro-choice crowd attacked her for having a Down syndrome baby. For them, pro-choice is only valid when the choice agrees with them—choosing abortion. The day after the baby was born she said, "Trig is beautiful and already adored by us. We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives. We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed."  That didn’t end the grumbling but it quieted down for a while.

Then there is “Troopergate.” The name was formerly used to describe a Bill Clinton scandal. This time, Gov. Palin is accused of abusing her office by trying to get her ex-brother-in-law, a state trooper, fired for tasering his step-son, drinking in his patrol car, illegal hunting and threatening to kill her father. She’s also accused of firing the state Public Safety Director for refusing to fire the trooper. The person leading what is supposed to be an impartial legislative investigation, Alaska state senator Hollis French, is a partisan liberal Democrat who has badly compromised his impartiality by talking about how the committee report will hurt Palin, even though the committee is not even close to finished. French wants the report released on October 31, a few days before the election.

Another interesting bit criticism comes after the Palin campaign announced that her seventeen year-old daughter is pregnant. The only reason for the public release of the story was to refute Internet bloggers tales that her daughter is the real mother of the Down syndrome child. Late night funny guys like Letterman and Leno are still making jokes about that. Just what her daughter’s situation has with the campaign is beyond me. It really isn’t anyone’s business. Like my elderly aunt says, “the first one can come anytime, but all the rest take nine months.”

There isn’t enough space here for me to itemize all the other things she is being criticized for, but the fact that 80% of the so-called “mainstream media” is against her is more than a good enough reason for me to vote for her and McCain. Just having her on the ticket makes up for many of the problems I’ve always had with McCain’s politics.