Obama was supposed to be the "roll of the dice."  He was the "exotic" choice.  Great speaker, charismatic, he has tapped into America's hunger for change-- but should voters take a chance?  The media had bought into this narrative.  The polls were close.

Then McCain chose Palin.  Suddenly the GOP ticket looks riskier and much more "exotic" than Obama-Biden.  A 72 year old with a history of melanoma and someone who was mayor of a town of less than 9000 residents only two years ago.  Troopergate, Alaska Independence Party, trying to fire the librarian who wouldn't help her ban certain library books, and familial issues that don't fit the Ward & June Cleaver paradigm promoted by the GOP (until their behavior contradicts this image, then it's strictly a private matter).

Palin may be smart and tough and she could give a great speech tonight.  If it's even just OK the media will praise it to the high heavens.  But as McCain tries to win over the far-right with his extremely pro-life, pro-NRA, pro-drilling, anti-gay marriage pick , he's losing the confidence of the "mushy middle," the voters who maybe saw him as a safer, more responsible choice than Obama.  I have uncles who are as conservative as Palin is, but they aren't ready to be President either.

Did Kay Bailey Hutchison turn McCain down-- or Karl Rove override that choice too?  McCain-Hutchison would have reassured voters and won immense media acclaim.  Now they know what many knew already: all along McCain was the actual gimmicky candidate, the roll of the dice.  Never inspirational in this election year, McCain no longer even inspires confidence.