I tuned in a few minutes late to John McCain’s speech last night at the Republican National Convention. The first words I heard him saying were:

“…Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. She has executive experience and a real record of accomplishment. She’s tackled tough problems like energy independence and corruption. She’s balanced a budget, cut taxes, and taken on the special interests.”

For a split second, I thought I was in a parallel universe where everything was reversed, It sounded as if McCain was about to endorse Sarah Palin for president. It seems clear from the majority of pundits’ that the Alaska Governor’s speech to the RNC on Wednesday night was a home run for conservatives.

The reactions from most Republican delegates interviewed on BBC America, aired on WHYY locally this morning,  featured glowing praise of McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin to be his Vice Presidential running mate.

Did John McCain make a mistake by picking someone who voters might like better? Would Republicans be have a better shot at the White House if they dumped McCain? I know, I know, I’m still living in that parallel universe and this won’t happen…. but maybe the Republican Party should have Palin to debate Barack Obama and McCain could handle the VP debates against Joseph Biden. Last night’s speech by McCain lacked any sizzle and the first Presidential Debate is coming up fast, Friday September 26th at the University of Mississippi. It’ll be interesting to watch in the coming weeks how the GOP will use Palin in their campaign strategy.

Image credit: Matt Campbell