An Alaskan's Perspective on Sarah Palin

I've been waiting all day for this. Alaska strikes me as the kind of "small town" state where everyone kind of knows each other and thus it takes an Alaskan who has been on the ground there to understand just what kind of person Palin is.

My initial impression: she is something of a rising star in the GOP who, after a couple more years of shaking out, could have proven valuable as a national leader. But McCain, in his desperation, pushed her out on the stage while she was still practicing her lines. Lots of potential, but seriously untested.

Kind of like taking the star of the local High School production of Les Mis and putting her in the Broadway cast. It could work, but you'd have to be pretty desperate to even take the chance.