McCain Campaign Goes for Jugular with Palin

I've been a longtime supporter of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate (see here and here) – but I was honestly expecting a boring pick (read: Romney or Pawlenty) for McCain's running mate.  Suffice it to say, I'm thoroughly excited that McCain picked Palin.  Her pick was brilliant political strategy, and now the McCain campaign stands to make significant inroads among the disallusioned, and in many cases angry, former Clinton supporters.

She fits the bill perfectly, and is a perfect counter to Obama's yawner of a running mate in Joe Biden.

So there are some questions still to be answered: how will she fare versus Biden in a debate? What about the potential "scandal" revolving around her brother-in-law?

But despite this, McCain did something that Obama would not: he took a risk, but in doing so, he picked a running mate with enormous upside potential.  So here's to McCain-Palin 2008!

Aaron Marks is President of Three Group, LLC, a Pittsburgh-based new media firm that focuses on providing technology-based solutions for Republican candidates and organizations, and in particular has built Web 2.0 campaign management software called Mission Control.  Aaron also worked in new media and voter outreach on Senator Rick Santorum's 2006 re-election campaign.