If you have been following Campaign 2008 closely - and just when you thought our man Obama was firmly entrenched in the driver's seat after his speech at the Denver Convention, you could not help but notice the change in poll dynamics after this gal Sarah Palin was announced as the veep running mate by our old buddy McCain. After ogling at a good deal of Palin visuals that the media forced my way over the last two weeks - I will give Palin this much - she would easily qualify as the "most beautiful veep" we ever had if the Republican ticket wins this time, but that is about all I think of her.
What intrigues me is the level of attention this lady attracts - almost to the point that this is becoming more of an Obama-Palin contest. They both are in their fourties and both seem to have movie-star type ability to pull crowds. They both obviously have limited political resumes, but seem to make up for it by what they do bring to the table - Obama impresses with his oratorial substance, and Palin impresses with her... let's say good looks. And of course they both represent history in the making - If Obama wins we will have the first black man ever in the oval office, else we will get to see our first female veep's pretty face on TV everyday.
But let me say this as well... When push comes to shove - In a Presidential election, Americans are known to vote for the candidate who runs for President, not the one who runs for veep. So I would like to think the voters will see through the Palin stunt for what it really is - McCain's negative posturing to attract those Hillary-sympathizing disgruntled democrats. Unless Obama ends up blowing this completely (with gaffes like the "lipstick on pig" comment he made today), it is still his race to lose. Having said that, I can not wait for the presidential debates to start - that is one place where Obama can run roughshod over McCain with his brilliant speech-making skills. Until then, I suspect the polls would continue to show a statistical dead-heat race. Let's wait and see - politics is a fun game after all, isn't it?
