What a difference 12 hours can make in the fast changing world of presidential politics.  On Thursday night, the "buzz" was about Senator Barack Obama’s speech which was sort of a cross between the scholarly eloquence of Paul Robeson and the “tough-talk” of cowboy actor John Wayne.  Expectations were high and Obama hit his target precisely.   Denver’s Democratic National Convention ended on a mile-high note. 

But on Friday afternoon, the momentum shifted when Senator John McCain introduced 44-year-old Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his surprise vice-presidential running mate.  The initial reaction from most of the people I encountered was who, why, and what planet is McCain on? 

Not so quick my friends!  Governor Palin is a fresh new face in national politics.  She represents a drastic change from the Washington, D.C. establishment that many voters dislike.  Traditional political experience may not carry the weight it once did with today’s electorate.  Next week, Palin will take her love for sports, hunting and fishing, conservative family values, and cutting taxes, to the bright lights of the GOP National Convention.  She’ll make history as the first female Republican to run on a presidential ticket.  And when Governor Sarah Palin delivers her keynote acceptance speech inside the Minneaoplis-St. Paul Xcel Energy Center, she may be the only person who remembers Alaska’s state motto:  “North to the Future!”