Murphy, who was interviewed Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," was undoubtedly right in saying that Palin, with her staunchly conservative social views, will strengthen the ticket among the Republican base. The crucial question is whether her maverick reformer history -- challenging the incumbent Republican governor and the scandal-stained GOP establishment of her home state -- will overcome her almost total lack of credentials to be a successor to the president of a wartime country.

Here in this convention city, the initial shock at the choice of Palin has given way to a hopeful tentative prognosis -- conditioned by the realization that she has yet to face real tests.

The two-step reaction is best capsulized in the comments of a smart veteran campaign operative, a New Hampshire delegate and early Mitt Romney supporter, who told me: "When I first heard, I was appalled. I thought we had forfeited the election. But then I got a call from my 22-year-old daughter. She's a pro-choice voter, just like I am. But she was very excited and enthused by this choice. She is captivated by Palin's life story, the way she has taken on the odds. She may be more acute than I am."

That's the kind of reaction McCain is counting on, not just among Republicans but, importantly, among independents and women, where most of the undecided votes are. And without realizing it, Obama may have boosted the odds on this gamble paying off.

Obama began his campaign for the nomination as the outsider candidate, promising fundamental change in Washington and offering a post-partisan approach to politics. With time, he has come to be seen as a much more conventional Democrat who is now half of a ticket based in Congress, the least admired institution in a widely scorned capital. Millions who saw his acceptance speech heard a standard recital of liberal Democratic programs.

By picking Palin, McCain has strengthened his reputation not as an ideologue, not as a partisan, but as a reformer -- ready to shake up Washington as his hero, Teddy Roosevelt, once did. My guess is that cleansing Washington of its poisonous partisanship, its wasteful spending and its incompetence will become McCain's major theme.

The Democrats' great advantage is that they are not responsible for the pain and frustration that many voters have suffered in the Bush years. But if McCain and Palin can shift the focus to the future, they may be able to appeal to the "change" voters who will in the end decide the election.

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Vote Palin/McCain!!!     POSITIVE CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN!!!
(for these elections, I'm now not a Centrist, thanks to Palin, who's much better than Mike Hucklebee...heh)
EDIT:  This may sound strange (maybe cuz it is...heh) but the person I distrust the most now for Canadian federal politics is our current Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who is a Conservative.  I don't like the Green Party leader nor the NDP (National Democratic Party) leader.  The person I distrust the least is opposition leader Stephane' Dion, who is a Liberal.

"I will fight for your right to be wrong!" << S.G. Tallentyre
"I am a flexible centrist: not stuck on right-wing, not stuck on left-wing, and not stuck on centre...and I don't flip-flop either" <<< me
Fighting for peace is like stopping the raping of a virgin.