This VP pick tells me that the Republicans will run this campaign on the theme of energy independence and how Democrats are obstructing what needs to be done to achieve it.
Forget appeals to women. You are wasting your time if you chase after that possibility. Drill drill drill will be hammered by Republicans for the rest of the campaign. Democrats won't permit wind farms off the coast. Democrats obstruct nuclear power plants. Democrats care more about polar bears than they do about the family car. Alaska is flowing with oil, if only the Alaskas were allowed to drill for it.
Palin will be the public face of this campaign.
more below
There has to be a single, simple answer to this (which kills me because it's not a simple issue. But I am much afeared my fellow Americans would kill off half the world's species if they could lower the price of gas by .25/gallon).
I fear Americans don't want to hear about reducing their energy consumption. It's much nicer to believe that riches are all around you, but evil people are restricting your rightful access to them.
The answer, I think, should be: You are promoting a lie - we are not able to drill ourselves out of the problem - and further, this lie puts us further behind in dealing with the problem.
Also, I'm crossing my fingers that Obama is on top of this. He's going to need a really convincing response. Biden needs to think about it before the debates.
I wouldn't be surprised to hear it mentioned today.