they may lose.

This is a brilliant choice, for many, many reasons.

The convention was amazing, inspiring. It feels good to be a Democrat.

We deserve to feel a bit of confidence.

That's cool for about half a day. Now is the time to stop and focus.

Sarah Palin is the best VP pick McCain could possibly have made. Most folks in the GOP, from the top to the rank-and-file, are over the moon.

They were not so over McCain.

Palin:

- solidifies the base

- has an appealing personal story

- has been an effective governer (i.e. manager) on a ticket stocked with senators

- is a woman and the GOP has never nominated a woman

- is incredibly attractive

- is clearly smart as a whip

She's also:

- disastrously wrong on most major issues

- nowhere near the policy thinker Obama is

Shaming her for entering the race despite having a Downs child is going to look sexist. Would you say the same to a man in the same position?

Attacking her for her lack of experience is going to look weak and hypocritical.

Counting on Biden to beat her in debates ignores how debates are 'won.' Biden is a debate ace: he knows policy like the back of his hand, he's funny and pithy. He's also got a big mouth that runs ahead of his brain sometimes. Palin has a rep for being cool and collected in debates. Careful.

Attacking her for a scandal? Keating Five, Rezko - it's a wash. Everyone's got something. This story has no legs.

The best lines of criticism against Palin?

Well, she's a creationist, she's for drilling in Alaska. She seems like a dyed-in-the-wool conservative, ready to attack 21st century problems with 20th century conservative methodology.

Other than that, what do we actually know about her? I'd be interested in hearing from some people who actually know her record and stance on issues.

Why in the world would you think Sarah Palin might appeal to Hillary Clinton supporters? Do you really think that the fact she has breasts and ovaries will make us overlook that she is an anti-abortion, gun-toting, oil-drilling, evangelical? How stupid do John McCain and Alex Koppelman think we are?

The selection of Sarah Palin is the latest triumph of simple-minded affirmative action: pick as your VP nominee a person with only a thimble-full of governing experience, scant educational or intellectual clout, no international experience, no national security experience, no economic experience. But, TA-DAH! She is a white woman who hunts and fishes so she should appeal to all you disaffected Hillary supporters out there!

What an insulting approach to all women and men of every background and political perspective. The breathtakingly out-of-touch McCain and his party of pandering and blatent sexism must be resoundingly rejected in November.

Of course she has an 80% approval rating in Alaska. In that state there are about 10 men for every woman.

I think not. Those of us who admire Ms. Clinton and pulled for her to win the Democratic nomination are not likely to be won over by Ms. Palin, self-described soccer mom, religious zealot, and former beauty queen. The fact that Mr. McCain obviously thinks Clinton supporters will vote for any pair of X-chromosomes (why else would he have chosen her?) is, frankly, as insulting as the declaration by Mr. Bush, Sr., that women voters would be attracted by Dan Quayle's "rugged good lucks" (sorry - hope no one just ate). I am no PUMA, and despite my many reservations would have supported Mr. Obama over McCain anyway, but this VP choice just solidifies that decision.

... Michele Bachman.

I guess if Al-Qaeda is planning an attack involving moose, we'll be set.

I'm pro-choice and currently pregnant but if I had been told that the baby I am carrying had Down Syndrome I wouldn't have chosen to abort it, either. And I know I'm not the only one who feels that way. The point is, she had a CHOICE, right?

Now's your chance to prove to the world once and for all whether you were really supporting Hillary because of her policies and experience, or simply because she was a woman.

Policy-wise, there is really no reconsiling a vote for both HRC and Sarah Palin. They are on opposite sides of the spectrum.

Most Hillary supporters will look at Palin's views and come running back to the Democrats. I'm dying to hear the excuses given by the rest.

I have to agree with btsock -

McCain has avoided a huge problem with this pick, the deep unpopularity of the Republican party at the national level. What Republican could he pick who has not been seen hugging and backing Bush/Cheney -- what Republican could he find without a history a mile long with the K-Street Project. Sure we are looking at a political naif -- but in a way that helps McCain -- she can be briefed, she probably can remember enough detail to make it through debates, getting elected by 600,000 is still not easy, ask a Congressman.

In my experience it is better to assume the other side know what they are doing. Democrats need to plan how to take McCain-Palin down.

McCain is throwing the election. Choosing someone like Palin to run with him is even worse than going with Romney. He figures everyone's as crazy as he is, but that is not the case.

What an amazing acrobat. He jumped the shark and screwed the pooch at the same time!

Just a strategic move. The McSame campaign was clearly waiting to see if Obama picked Clinton and if he didn't was ready to choose a woman. Not because of her qualifications, but because of her gender. I'm hoping people will see through this, but they probably won't. The positive side is one, maybe now they'll have to take back all the negative crap they spewed about Clinton and two, gender really won't matter in politics after this election.

It's clear to me that Lorne Michaels paid off McCain so he could get Tina Fey back for a few sketches this season.