It’s Sunday, so that means it’s time to highlight one of topics of the week. Whether it’s a bombshell in the world of politics, a barn burner in the realm of news or a shocker in mass media, I profile it here with the added gusto that only plate of french toast and a frothy glass of milk can provide. Check back next week to see what’s on the skillet.

On Friday, John McCain sent a shock to the electorate when he choose Sarah Palin, Alaska governor and conservative stalwart, as his running mate in the 2008 election. The choice of Palin is historic: she is the first female Republican running mate and has the potential of being the first woman to hold the second highest office in the country.

McCain Chooses Palin as Running Mate
By Michael Cooper and Elisabeth Bumiller
New York Times

… “She’s not from these parts, and she’s not from Washington, but when you get to know her, you’re going to be as impressed as I am,” Mr. McCain told a midday rally of 15,000 people in a basketball arena here shortly before Ms. Palin, with her husband and four of her children, strode out onto the stage.

Interesting way to introduce your running mate. Of course, it’s almost certain McCain is still running on his first impressions of the governor because he only met her for the first time earlier this year.

But never mind that, this nomination is historic and unprecedented for a Republican presidential ticket.

Within moments, Ms. Palin made an explicit appeal to the disappointed supporters of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton by praising not only Mrs. Clinton but also the only other woman in American history who has been on a presidential ticket, Geraldine A. Ferraro, Walter F. Mondale’s Democratic running mate in 1984.

“Hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America, but it turns out the women of America aren’t finished yet, and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all,” Ms. Palin said to huge applause.

Very provocative appeal to women, Mrs. Palin. Democrats have in fact just put to rest a bruising primary campaign which featured race and gender as two very potent issues. Hillary Clinton, after all, came just a few million votes and a handful of delegates away from possibly taking the highest office in the country. But how does Palin’s ascension equate to disaffected Hillary supporters who have been cold to the Obama movement?

As nervous Republicans have watched a fed-up electorate mobilize enthusiastically around Democratic prospects for presidents, right wingers have been desperate to find an in to dismantle the liberal love fest. Bloggers like Michelle Malkin have labored excessively to expose cracks in their Democratic opposition’s consensus by unleashing the PUMAs — that stands for “Party Unity My Ass” — and these cats essentially have dumped Obama for McCain. As cited on Michelle’s blog:

“It makes us feel schizophrenic,” said Martha Burk, immediate past chair of the National Council of Women’s Organizations. “For the first time in history, we can see that a woman can and will be president,” she said. But the campaign, which Burk and many other feminists said was riddled with sexist attacks in the media, “exposed barriers that we thought we had overcome years ago,” she said.

… Hundreds of women have logged onto Clinton’s campaign website, with many insisting they will not vote for “that man” – Obama – and urging Clinton to run as an independent or challenge Obama’s nomination at the August convention in Denver. Many on the website pledged to vote for Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive GOP nominee.

But is this strategy going to work? Will disaffected Clinton supporters flock to McCain? Does the historic nature of Palin’s ascension steal any of the thunder from Obama’s history-making campaign? What about McCain’s appeals against Obama’s readiness to be President? Sarah Palin has 2 years experience as governor along with her term as mayor of Wasilla, with a population of just over 5,000 people. How does this compare to Obama’s years as a public servant in Chicago and the national experience he’s had as senator?

6 things Palin pick says about McCain
By Jim Vandehei and John F. Harris
Politico

The selection of a running mate is among the most consequential and the most defining decisions a presidential nominee can make. John McCain’s pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says a lot about his decision-making — and some of it is downright breathtaking.

We knew McCain is a politician who relishes improvisation and likes to go with his gut. But it is remarkable that someone who has repeatedly emphasized experience in this campaign named an inexperienced governor he barely knew to be his No. 2.

Excellent Politico analysis, you should definitely read it. To close, I think I’ll give my own analysis of the Sarah Palin choice.

My first reaction is surprise: I remember thinking, on Friday morning, there is no way McCain is going to pick a political outsider. And if things were going better for McCain, he probably would have settled on someone like Tom Ridge of Joe Lieberman. However, this election is not in the Republican’s corner and it’s going to take leaps of faith akin to Sarah Palin in order to pull the White House from the Democrats’ hands.

The most surprising thing about the Palin choice so far has been conservative reaction. The sentiment, at least from the water carriers in the right-wing blogosphere, has been overwhelmingly positive. Michelle Malkin said she was impressed, RedState cited Palin’s “smoking hot, naughty librarian” credientials and Blogs for Victory fawned of their veep’s ability to shoot a machine gun. You might laugh at this sort of reaction, but McCain will definitely benefit from renewed conservative support. Dark Lord Dobson, evangelical mastermind and bigoted freakazoid, proudly admitted that he’d “pull that lever” now that Palin is on the ticket and the McCain campain reported nearly $4.5 million in donations on Palin’s ascension day alone.

She’s potent, powerful, but she’s not running for President. The Republicans are only fooling themselves if they think Palin adds any significant conservative cred to a McCain administration. They only wish McCain would step aside in 2012 so that Palin/Romney would take the reins. History says that people vote for president, not vice president, so Palin’s immediate effects should be somewhat muted come election day.

And I don’t think disaffected Hillary supporters are going to vote for a wolf in sheep’s clothing either. Palin is a pro-life, conservative firebrand and Hillary is a liberal icon — they don’t mix. Also, Palin has just been co-opted in a desperate attempt to save the Republicans’ chances at keeping the White House and Hillary has just ended an historic, 18-month campaign built on town hall meetings, coast-to-coast campaigning and interesting “conversations.” You’ll notice a lack of substance and connection in Palin’s acceptance speech when you compare it to Hillary’s convention speech. While Palin’s ship seems to have been built to float in a safe harbor, Hillary’s has rode the tempest of politics for over 18 years. I seriously doubt Palin’s effect will be felt far outside female independents — however, still a coveted electoral prize for McCain.

Despite all this, Palin’s stock is rising and the Democrats have a potential race on their hands. Hillary’s stock has risen too. Continued strong appeals to her base from her to buck back the Republican ticket could prove invaluable to the Obama campaign. She said she wanted to work for Obama, now it’s time to get her hands dirty.

Very interesting choice, that goes without saying. Is it the right choice? Absolutely. At least the right choice, right now. Now we’ll see where the race goes from here.