Sarah Palin is a fresh-faced fishing and hunting wild card in the US presidential race. She just might be able to lure the media away from Obama. But can she attract enough voters from the right to make up for those she might lose McCain in the center?
Who is Sarah Palin? More importantly, what does McCain's pick for vice president think or know
about foreign policy? Even after her speech at Wednesday's Republican National Convention, Palin remains both a mystery and a subject of intense curiosity. She is by turns characterized as a savior of the Republican party, an enormous mistake and something in between.
"Here's how I look at the choice Americans face in this election," said Palin during her speech Wednesday. "In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers, and then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change."
Some, however, see her very candidacy as a cheap ploy to steal some of the limelight from a charismatic opponent. Palin's family drama has certainly splashed her name all over the media. "Our family has the same ups and downs as any other, the same challenges and the same joys," said Palin at the convention as she introduced her husband and five children -- including her pregnant 17-year-old daughter, Bristol.
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-- Rachel Nolan 9-4-08
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,576286,00.html