Governer Palin - An Overview

Sarah Palin is the current Governor of Alaska and was recently picked to be the Vice Presidential Candidate of John McCain. Her nomination has proved one of the most lampooned, controversial, unexpected, and applauded moves of this presidential race. Going from absolutely unknown, Sarah Palin has been on TV, Newspaper front pages, and blogs for about three continuous weeks. By writing this article, I know that I'm not just beating this story to death, but I'm exhuming its corpse and giving it a few extra whacks just to be sure. However, I do think that a "fact sheet" about who she is and what she stands for can be somewhat justified.

Education*: After graduating from Wasilla high school, Palin attended Hawaii Pacific College for a semester beginning in 1982, then went to North Idaho College. She then went to the University of Idaho, then to Matanuska-Susitna College in Alaska for a term and the graduated from the University of Idaho with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Communications
Career**: After a short time as a sports caster in Anchorage, Palin successfully ran for Wasilla city council 1992. Shortly after being re-elected to the position, Palin then conquered the mayor's office in 1996. After term limits brought an end to her mayoral stint, she ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor of Alaska, but she then chaired the Alaska Oil and Gas Commissioner. Nonetheless, she left the position in 2004 citing a lack of ethics in the office. Two years later, she defeated the incumbent in the governor's race who had originally appointed her to the Alaska Oil and Gas Commission in 2002. She has currently served around 20 months in that position.
Political Affiliation: She is a registered Republican and is generally referred to as a gun-toting, and anti-abortion, Christian Mother, which bodes well for the Religious Right. Still, she has been known to scold the lack of ethics of fellow Republicans and has defied them often in her political tenure.
Her Experience vs. Obama's: While Obama's lack of experience had been decried by Republicans, the tables turned when Palin was nominated. Since then, a huge debate has erupted over who's more experienced. Nevertheless, as Obama has served only six years on the Senate, one must remember that he graduated from Harvard Law School magna cum laude and Columbia University and that the state he represents, Illinois, is one of the most populous, diverse, and economically important regions in America. Conversely, Palin has served only 20 months as governor of one of the least populous and independent states in America and graduated from generally unknown colleges. My personal opinion is that there obviously flaws in the argument that Palin is more qualified, but both politicians possess significantly different experiences, and one's appreciation of these experiences depends on what concerns that person.
President Palin? Yet what's the point of really discussing Palin if she's only going to hold the number two spot? What's the chance of McCain dying in office? Well, of the 44 presidents, eight have died, only four from natural causes, and the last one who died from natural causes was Franklin Roosevelt in 1945. So while McCain would be the oldest president, I expect him to make it at least four years.
Palin and women: Obviously, Palin's gender positively impacted the probability of her nomination as Vice Presidential Candidate. Because of the importance of women voters this year and because Hilary Clinton's historic race for Democratic nominee still buzzes in our minds, Palin's reference to the "glass ceiling" illustrate the Republican attempts to attract female support. However, the only thing similar between Palin and Clinton is anatomy. While the nomination of Palin has certainly bolstered previous female McCain supporters, it has not attracted the Clinton supporters as would have been hoped for. In addition, NOW, or the National Organization for Women, endorses Obama and Biden.

Sources
*"Palin education took her to five colleges", Associated Press via Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved on 2008-09-04. Via wikipedia.org
**^ Yardley, William (August 29, 2008). "Sarah Heath Palin, an Outsider Who Charms", = The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-09-12. & "Palin steps down from commission", Associated Press (January 20, 2004). Via Wikipedia.org