Well, well, well. It seems McCain has finally understood the power of the internets. Because according to theLA Times today, that's what he used, exclusively it appears, to vet the candidate who would be his second in command.
According to (a) Republican (strategist), who would discuss internal campaign strategizing only on condition of anonymity, the McCain team used little more than a Google Internet search as part of a rushed effort to review Palin's potential pitfalls. Just over a week ago, Palin was not on McCain's short list of potential running mates.
When Palin was announced as McCain's VP, last Friday I turned to my husband and told him it would probably only take a week for this to fall apart. As it turns out, I think I gave McCain too much credit.....
Although grass-roots Republicans remain protective of Palin, the campaign has clearly moved from celebratory mode into a full defensive posture.
Critics continue to question why McCain, after months of assailing Democratic nominee Barack Obama as lacking foreign policy experience, would tap a running mate who has been governor for less than two years and before that was mayor of Wasilla, population 7,000.
McCain's wife, Cindy, told an interviewer over the weekend that Alaska's proximity to Russia bolstered Palin's credentials, and Palin has pointed to her leadership of the Alaska National Guard and her Army son's imminent service in Iraq as evidence of expertise.
The campaign has little room for error. A new CBS News poll found that 66% of registered voters were undecided about Palin. And although enthusiastic support from the GOP base is important, strategists know that McCain cannot win without appealing to moderate voters as well -- a bloc that the campaign had hoped Palin's middle-class roots would help win over.
"She remains very popular in the convention hall," said Murphy, "but it's the rest of the country that matters."
IMHO, the Obama campaign has played this perfectly. Praise Palin as a historic choice (because it is), shut up and let the media do it's job. Because if there's one thing Obama campaign knows at this point is the media loves nothing more than to chew up the new guy and spit him or her out.
Obama survived the meat grinder. Will Palin?
For McCain, the Friday surprise of introducing Palin resulted in a weekend of buzz and anticipation. But if additional surprises surface about Palin, McCain could face stark choices.
Might he be forced to anger conservatives by dumping Palin? Could he risk an admission of poor judgment, tainting what he has long claimed as a key strength?
And if a new stumbling block could have been discovered by a more careful search, critics will no doubt question a well-known trait of McCain's: that he sometimes makes decisions on emotion instead of careful deliberation.
For that matter, will McCain?