Initially, Palin wasn't my first pick for VP, but I thought she was still a good pick. Now, after watching the Left and mainstream media go insane over her, things may change if she screws up later on, but right now, she seems like the best pick McCain could have made.

Why?

1) She energizes the Right. Palin has done something that no one else has been able to do: for the first time this year, she has managed to energize the Right. How long it will last is unknown, but it's certainly been a nice change from the moping that has occurred since McCain won the nomination.

2) She draws attacks away from McCain. In the end, most of the public will make their decision based on who's going to be President, not the VP. So, the more time the Left and the MSM spend attacking Palin, the less time they have to attack McCain. On the other hand, the Right will be attacking Obama, not Biden.

3) Palin has particular appeal on the Pro-life issue: Palin isn't just pro-life; she talks the talk and walks the walk. She didn't consider aborting her child with Down Syndrome and when her 17 year old daughter became pregnant with a child and decided to keep it, she supported her, which stands in stark opposition to Obama who famously said, "I've got two daughters. 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby."

There's a hell of a moral contrast there and it's not one that looks good for Obama.

4) The "scandals" that have been revealed so far have been Mickey-Mouse stuff. Her husband had a drunk driving conviction 20 years ago. So? She wanted a violent thug who mistreated her sister and was a threat to her safety fired -- who wouldn't? How do those scandals compare to say, procuring land for your house in a crooked deal or spending 20 years in a racist, anti-American church? They're pretty small potatoes.

5) The #1 charge the Left has launched at Palin, that she's inexperienced, better applies to their own candidate for President. Palin is more qualified to be the President than Barack Obama, so you just have to smile every time some liberal says, "She'll be a heartbeat away from the presidency." I mean, can't the exact same thing be said about Obama? I mean, what if something happened to Biden and we had Obama in charge and...oh wait, the "heartbeat away" candidate is on top of the Democratic ticket.

6) She will draw Hillary voters: No, most of the ultra-left-wing NOW types probably aren't going to vote for her, but there are plenty of women in the middle who will -- and the more the Left launches misogynistic attacks at her and goes after her family, the more women will probably vote for a McCain/Palin ticket.

7) She evens the score on change: Obama's most appealing factor isn't his policies or his resume; it's the fact that he would be the first black President. Well, now, the McCain campaign has a "first" on their ticket, too. So, it's no longer a question of whether history will be made; it's just a question of which history-making ticket will make it to the White House.