Biden vs. the Barracuda

— Editor's note: Tanya Amador- Daigle is reporting for Florida Weekly on the national primaries until the presidential candidates are chosen this summer. She has a unique perspective on the primaries and the process for choosing a candidate, having traveled the country reporting on primaries and caucuses for the Purple States project. To learn more about Purple States go to www.purpl e s t ates.tv.

Last week I said I might have left someone out when musing over who Sen. John McCain might choose for his running mate. Apparently I did. On Friday, when McCain finally revealed his choice, I was completely flabbergasted. Even the New York Times had to admit that the announcement effectively "muffled" the news coverage of Obama's closing speech at the DNC. (Their words, not mine.)

What happened to Mitt Romney or Joe Lieberman? It was all so cloak and dagger that no one ever saw it coming. Thankfully, I'm not a gambler.

Most non-political junkies have never even heard of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. I knew who she was only because I had read about her when researching drilling in ANWR. So I went back and did some more digging. Though I'm not sure if the facts I found make her the right choice (only time will tell), what I found out about her really impressed me.

After serving as the mayor of the small town of Wasilla and then as the head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, Palin beat incumbent Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski in 2006. During her short time in office she has vetoed countless special interest bills, earning the praise of Alaskans and the press. She has taken on Big Oil corruption in her state and is ruthless when it comes to rooting out political ethical violations, earning her the nickname "Sarah Barracuda."

All of these accomplishments have earned her an approval rating in her state somewhere in the neighborhood of 70-90 percent, depending on which media outlet you listen to. Palin has said that she wants her state to be self-reliant and she doesn't want oil companies to sit on their energy reserves or environmental groups to block growth of the state's resources.

Again, I'm not saying that she's the best person for the VP job, nor am I denying that she may have been chosen simply because she is a woman. I'm no hater, but could the 44-year-old Palin really step into the Oval Office if McCain should happen to depart this world during his presidency?

I admit she's no Hillary Clinton and I'm not on board with all of her social principles. However, what I like about Sarah Palin is what she has accomplished in her state so far and the guts she has shown along the way. Anyone who works to end government corruption and pet projects, cut spending and offer accountability is a hero in my book. In my "hierarchy of needs" those values far outweigh whether or not she shares my social values.

Will she be able to successfully debate Joe Biden and propel herself into the White House? It would be quite a feat if she does.

In the meantime, Sen. Barack Obama's DNC speech was historical and well received, as was Biden's. With Obama's speech fresh in the minds and hearts of his supporters, Palin's addition to the GOP ticket is being dismissed by Dems as a desperate attempt by McCain to earn Hillary votes.

If McCain's motivation was to get the female vote he may find he's made a grave error. Palin is the polar (pardon the Alaska pun) opposite of Hillary Clinton. The women who value Clinton are not the same women who value Republican principles like pro-life and the issue of banning gay marriage. On social issues, Palin is a Republican in every sense of the word and Democratic feminists may not be able to relate to her.

Speaking of feminists, Hillary Clinton painfully did her duty. With Bill lovingly applauding her and tears in his eyes, she formally endorsed Obama at the Democratic Convention. Clinton took one for the team and now the Democrats can move on.

In contrast to the pride on Bill Clinton's face, Michelle Obama's exterior facial expressions, while hard to read, seemed strained. I'm no body language expert, but Michelle Obama's smile seemed forced. It appeared to me that several times during Hillary's speech she was not happy with what was coming out of her mouth.

I can't say that I blame Michelle Obama. Clinton's impressive discourse focused mainly on herself and her accomplishments. While she endorsed the man, she carefully avoided endorsing his leadership qualities. Several times I held my breath because I almost expected her to launch a surprise attack on Obama. To the disappointment of some of her fans, she didn't do that, but, Clinton made one thing clear: she isn't backing Obama as much as she's backing her party.

It seems to me that the playing field is level now. The two tickets seem to mirror each other. Both sides have mature men with many years of experience in Washington and each side has a younger woman or an African-American with less experience than their counterparts. The differences lie in their policies and principles. It remains to be seen who has the edge.