These are the (underlying) reasons I think they picked Palin.

(1) So they could keep bringing up the inexperience factor on Obama again and again without bringing it up. On the talk shows everytime I hear a Democrat talking about Palin's inexperience, they throw back Obama's. Now we know Obama's experience is way better, more relevant as well as him having brilliance and gravitas, but he is on the other side of inexperience from Grandpa. I kept wondering why they didn't pick one of the more experienced Republican women and I think this is why. They can push the inexperience card without pushing it. Not that it's without risk, but it may work in that way.

(2) Sexism. Have you noticed all the vile stuff particularly men are saying about her? Even my husband was pissing me off certain things he was saying about her ("look at her, she looks like a receptionist!"). I mean, she's a right wing nutjob, but there is no excuse for the sexism. I'm thinking they're hoping a lot of this bubbles up and some moderate Dem or moderate Repub women will react to the sexism by voting for her to spite the sexism. I don't think this is gonna work, but I do think it's the way they think.

Let's face, Rove and his cronies aren't stupid. There is some reason they picked a former beauty queen/hockey mom turned governor of a state smaller than most congressional districts.

He's not thinking with the right body part.

with out damning themselves by having a totally unqualified candidate. They blunted their best weapon, with this pick.

2) If Palin was a man, would there still be a long set of topics and issue that were off limit?

also abortion,guns,religion,gays..the old stand byes....they also think we wont be able to attack her well since she is woman,a mother ..and of special needs baby...they will play that like the play POW card.

can do that too. I was thinking all weekend, "why HER?" in particular? I think this is why.

Palin's pick is an effort to bring the more Libertarian Paul faction in line.

The Democrats flailing can only be seen a plus to them, but, it's an axillary effect.

...all of the backstory seems to point to Rove/Bush wanting Romney and as late as Wednesday McCain wanting his buddy Lieberman (who was totally unacceptable to the fundie right.)

It was the Dominionist Pentecostal fundies that have been were pushing Palin for a long time - hard.

McCain decided to "maverick up" and picked a risky nobody to shake up the race and to energize the fundie army. He accomplished both. But he also took a very high stakes gamble with the future of the country.

The man loves to play craps and he proved it by rolling the dice on the most unqualified token pick for VP in my lifetime.

Do rational people still think he has the judgment and temperament to be president?

it was McCain, a petulent pick, with his horndog streak mixed in.

Rove and company 1) WANTED ROMNEY 2) Did not want Lieberman, cause it would have B L O W N up the convention. The senile old coot was dead set on picking Lieberman until Rove was able to get enough people to block it at the end. McCain doesn't like Romney to begin with, and his ego was dying with the thought of picking him all along, that he knew that Romney was Rove and Bushco's choice was the final nail in that coffin.

Knowing that he wasn't going to take who he SHOULD have taken - Romney, everyone was trying to push him to Pawlenty. Again, his ego just was not going to have it, he had his mind set on Lieberman, and when he got pushed out of that, he just threw a dart, and again, you CANNOT rule out the role that the lady is easy on the eyes had in it.

It was NOT some well thought out scheme. She is an Fin trainwreck, brings no positives outside of being a woman, NONE. She completely mitigates his WHOLE PLATFORM and forces him to reboot and play defense. Even picking Pawlenty would have been enough to what had gotten him drug back to near even.

It is what it looks like, the worst VP pick in modern times by a long distance.

Stick to the issues there is no call to derogetory when it won't add anything to the debate. I say this as guy too.

Alaskan oil will be the ultimate election goodie for voters fretting about high gas prices