Well Well..McCain's big surprise

I am not the worlds earliest riser; I'm a stay at home mom now, so I don't have to be (until the baby insists I become one ). So I didn't get the news about John McCain's choice of running mate until noonish. Surprise Surprise.
To me, Sarah Palin is a confusing, if ballsy, choice. McCain supporters have been bitching about Obama's lack of experience for months, then picks a candidate with less experience? Palin does have a maverick reputation, but is this woman ready to drag her life and family into the often brutal world of national politics? Is this choice really going to help lure Hilary's female supporters over to the Republican side, who wanted a candidate with experience to begin with? This all seems pretty dicey, and desperate, to me. Did Obama's speech shake McCain so badly? As I told my husband this morning, I have been waiting for one of the parties to misstep,and this might be it.
The amusing thing is seeing how the local white male populace handles this. Because, what is the worst threat to an older white male in the south: a woman, or a black man? My father in law, who falls into this category, is shaking his head. So is the rest of them. Good, I say. They need this little cultural shake up.