The Republican party's move to the 20th century is to be congratulated. The fact that Sarah Palin is under investigation makes it a curious choice. After watching Kay Baily Hutchison fumble for words this morning when asked about the selection, I know I'm not alone.

There just doesn't seem to be much there. I suppose she will appeal to the base and may help voter turnout among the Christian right who otherwise might not have voted. However, as far as a big appeal to independents, I'm not seeing it. My conservative brother arrived for a visit today and when I asked him about it, he rolled his eyes. My friend who was a big Hillary supporter called me this morning and said some things that were very funny (which I can't repeat here), and launched into a savage attack on Mrs. Palin.

Maybe it will become clearer in the coming days who will respond positively to McCain's running mate, but it isn't getting any traction so far with any one I know.

We aren't going to know if it would have helped to have Hillary on the ticket until the election is over. I think the one thing a lot of do know is that speculation about it has become tiresome and pointless.

I heard that 38 million people across America watched Obama's speech last night. Please do some digging and let us know the last time that many people watched a candidate accept the nomination of their party.

Also, please note that my brother, a conservative Republican, is voting Democratic for the first time in his life. He told me last year that he would never vote for Hillary.

So, did they leave their white-guy flank open while they went PUMA hunting?

I agree, I don't think his selection is a good idea. I have yet to talk with anyone I know who is either a Republican or a Hillary supporter who is pleased with this announcement.

Overall, the Republicans are telling me that they expected to sit this one out because the last eight years have been so bad, but the Hillary supporters are taking this as a major insult.

I'm becoming more encouraged by the minute...

Alert me when Dobson does something unpredictable, otherwise we can all assume he's on evangelical auto-pilot.

There are a lot of posts here and I haven't had time to read them all, but I can't be the only one who is speculating that the biggest inherent problem with Sarah Palin is that her hyper conservative views are in direct opposition to accepting the VP slot.

Right wing hypocrisy certainly isn't new, but I'm betting that this is a bit too obvious for some members of the Christian right. I don't know too many right-wing Christian women who are going to be supportive of a woman with that many children at home and an infant with special needs running for VP.

My guess is that the Democrats aren't going to be as critical of her on this front as members of her own party will prove to be.

We'll see...

Arguably, the most effective president in post WWII America didn't have executive experience. If the Bush administration hasn't disabused everyone of the notion that executive experience is essential, then you might want to examine the subject in greater depth.

Overall, it's overrated, but in this particular case, it's waaayyy overrated.

If this was such a good idea, why is everyone busting out laughing when they hear the news?

A more formidable candidate might have done more than shore up support among evangelicals, so tonight I'm thankful for the choice. Some far-right Republicans can experience the joy of voting for a woman and the rest of us can begin to sleep through the night after eight long, miserable years of Bush and Cheney.

I live in Arizona and was dreading door-to-door canvasing over the next two months, but now I'm looking forward to it. I'm also thinking that the down ticket races are going to benefit, as well.

I have to take issue with some of these posts about Sarah Palin choosing to bear a child with Down Syndrome because some of them are pretty brutal. I will defend the right of a woman to choose and will fight for increased government support for families who face the added financial responsibility of raising a child with special needs.

I'm compelled to defend her choice, but what I won't defend is the unrealistic expectation that women can have it all. Women and men alike need to make choices. The traditional role of the VP isn't that demanding, but there is the possibility that she could become president and, in my opinion, she has already made other choices.

Thanks for posting that information here. There seems to be a lot of lag in the national press, so I count on posters in the Salon letters section to share relevant information from credible sources. Much appreciated.

Just wanted to let you know that I've been reading your posts and am looking forward to the responses, too.

The government should be on alert as Gustav approaches. They were useless three years ago and organizing a proper response to this hurricane doesn't change that.

I hope it isn't as bad as the news is predicting...