The Republican VP has 8+ more years of executive experience than the head of the Democratic ticket who has 0. You could also make a similar case against the head of her own ticket.

I'm not a fan of social conservatives who believe in abstinance only sex education, but even good sex education and strong family values only reduce the risk of teen pregnancy. They don't stop it. The spastic focus of the press and democrats on Palin's daughter indicate a smell of desperation to me. Obama isn't trouncing McCain as expected and now Obama's personality based rejection of a Obama/Hillary "dream ticket" has come back to haunt the Democrats big time. I think McCain took a big gambel with a potential big payoff. He made a pick that sends a message unlike Obama. Palin could easily backfire, but if her strong points dominate she will be a big plus for the ticket.

Regards,
Mark