Palin

Well, the conventional wisdom about vice-presidential candidate picks is that a veep is chosen to get you one of two (and hopefully both) things:

1. Electoral votes... the governor of a very large state (or of a state that's "in play")
2. A person to serve the attack dog role while allowing the candidate at the top of the ticket appear magnanimous and above petty politics

Some also like the idea of "balancing" the ticket with somebody who complements the presidential candidate's ticket by emphasizing their strengths (like Al Gore's intellect and political acumen to parallel Clinton's) or plugging holes (like Dick Cheney providing foreign relations gravitas to the G.W. Bush candidacy).

Well, it turns out that McCain has added three more important qualities with the selection of newly-minted Alaska governor Sarah Palin:

1. Ovaries
2. Somebody who brings the average age on the ticket to somewhere south of 60
3. The Rush Limbaugh seal of approval
   

I have previously asserted the success and totality of John McCain's conversion from maverick to lap dog of the far-right wing-nuts. Decades of conservative (but rational and principled) stances on immigration, taxes, and treatment of prisoners of war have steadily evaporated during the time that it became apparent that no Republican presidential candidate in 2008 could succeed without at least grudging acceptance by those wacko minority of Americans who still think that Dubya is doing a great job.

Turns out I was wrong. The metamorphosis had yet to complete. Today, John exited the crysalis of the primary season and selected somebody with just slightly more experience in political office than, um, none. A few moments after the Democratic nominee's convention-closing speech, McCain continued his long-standing attacks on Obama's unreadiness to lead because of lack of experience. Around 12 hours later, he announces his pick for someone to be a heartbeat from the presidency.

Okay, now, he has officially finished the transformation from "party loyalty be darned" advocate of what makes sense to cynical Rove-operated candidate-bot. After spending the last weeks talking about his only criterion for a ticket-mate, suitability for the presidency, he suddenly said. "Look, all you disaffected Hillary supporters. Obama wouldn't pick a girl. I picked a girl! And she's totally young and attractive... just like Obama, all you young people. And she wants all our schools to teach Creationism, Darth Rove. Check it out, peeps! (Peeps—that's what they say now, right? Peeps?)"

As it turns out, twenty minutes as governor of the richest (and third least-populated) state in the union is waaaaay more experience than state senate, United States Senate, Harvard University, etc., especially when you consider that before that, she was mayor of a metropolis of over 7,000 people.

So now, I think I'm safe in declaring that John McCain is no longer the least bit independent in the dangerous, thinking-for-himself way. But for purposes of marketing to independents and moderates everywhere, he's still totally independent. So he's all changed up. Done. Finished.

Unless that torture thing comes up again.

Really.