Meet Sarah "Barracuda" Palin

By: Scott Conroy
Topics: The Off-Beat

She may claim to be "just an average hockey mom," but John McCain's running mate Sarah Palin is anything but average.

The reaction to McCain's shocking selection of the Alaska governor has been all over the map, but one argument no one can make about Palin is that she is a bland choice.

It's not just her credentials as the youngest and only female governor in Alaska's history that make Palin so intriguing. How many vice-presidential candidates in American history have been avid moose hunters, sports reporters or beauty queens? Palin is all three.

When Vogue Magazine asked her what her favorite meal was, she didn't settle on pizza or Mexican. "Moose stew after a day of snowmachining," she said. Does it get any more Alaska than that?

The Alaska governor might be just a "plain Sarah" herself, but her children's names are far more dazzling: Track (18), Bristol (17), Willow (13), Piper (7) and Trig (4 months).

Trig has Down syndrome, and his mom told the Anchorage Daily News that he is "absolutely perfect."

Her husband Todd, whom Palin met in high school, is a champion snowmobiler, but Palin's sport of choice is basketball. She was a star point guard in high school and earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" for her hardnosed style of play.

Her opponent at the top of the Democratic ticket Barack Obama (better known in high school as "Barry O'Bomber" for his strong jump shot) is fond of taking breaks from the campaign trail to play pickup games on the basketball court.

Forget the debates—how about a one-one-one contest between The Baracuda and O'Bomber?

Scott Conroy
Scott Conroy is a National Political Reporter for RealClearPolitics and a contributor for CBS News.
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by szkeptik September 1, 2008 8:18 AM EDT: Nice to know how long Obama has been in state and federal office, but what has he done. Compared to what Sarah has accomplished he has just been collecting his salary to pay for his campaigning.; Reply to this comment


by actornaught August 31, 2008 4:25 PM EDT: I got a big kick out of the ''con "journalist" that said Palin had experience with foreign policy because Alaska was close to Russia.; Reply to this comment


by misha128-2009 August 31, 2008 3:44 PM EDT: McCain said it best. When asked if Palin was qualified to be VP, he responded by saying that if Obama had as much experience as Palin, he''''d be qualified to be VP.

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She is currently governor of Alaska, and the Commander in Chief of their National Guard.

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Posted by mike071067 at 03:55 AM

Lets see

Obama 3 years federal experience, 8 years state level experience, 12 years teaching Constitutional Law, 7 years a Lawyer.

Palin 0 years federal experience, 2 years state level experience, 14 years local experience and a degree in Journalism.

Obama appears to be the clear winner. Factor in the number of Court losses for the Bush Administration including the possible release of Gitmo terrorists into the US and a president that knows the constitution does not sound bad either.; Reply to this comment


by actornaught August 31, 2008 2:14 PM EDT: Addled John has done the voters a huge favor and demonstrated his massive neocon HYPOCRISY by showing that the experience/celebrity line of attack against BO was pandering to the ''con idiot base. He nominated a beauty queen wannabe and small time novice governer. Does he have no shame, or is his mind that far gone?

Thanks for making it even clearer, Addled John.; Reply to this comment


by rizabove August 31, 2008 5:58 AM EDT: What does this woman have to do with price of bread or the price of gas? Has she ever met a person of color? How on earth can she talk to foriegn countries if she hasn''t?? This is scary, America is in denial, mayberry really doesn''t exist anymore and America has to stop pretending that it does.; Reply to this comment


by messiahx4eve August 31, 2008 5:30 AM EDT: Palin supports aerial hunting of wolves, which is not only chicken sh*t but also just plain stupid. Go ahead, hunt them to extinction, humans are that stupid and ignorant as proven by Palin since she took office. Imagine her calling the shots at the WH if Insane McCain is medically, mentally, or physically unable to continue as "president"? She has NO EXPERIENCE compared to Obama, my service dog as more experience than she does. The time is coming when we, as human beings, are going to be reduced to the Feudal system and its knocking at the door as we speak. It won''t hard times, it will be SURVIVAL times.; Reply to this comment


by notfooledtx August 31, 2008 4:19 AM EDT: I agree miashineon - mccains biggest mistake was assuming that A woman - ANY woman - would do.; Reply to this comment


by meritocrat August 31, 2008 3:44 AM EDT: McCainiacs- Yes running a REAL state is a challenge, especially if you''ve done it at least two years (she hasn%u2019t yet). Alaska has only 600K citizens, and that%u2019s only during the summer. This right-wing-nut has neither the education nor the experience to be competitive for selection as a Whitehouse Intern, much less a senior and permanent member of the National Security Council. She%u2019s a great lady, but barely qualified to be a 2nd Lieutenant in our military much less one heartbeat away from being Commander-In-Chief. You keep smiling and push this clown and his gimmick sidekick, I am going to do my upmost to make sure my children are protected by leadership that was picked democratically (IE Obama%u2019s primary win) or by undeniable qualifications (IE Joe Biden%u2019s preeminent national security resume). As for Mrs. %u201CMainstream,%u201D I%u2019ll pass, this isn%u2019t a contest for %u201CMs Congeniality,%u201D though she%u2019s actually won that prestige, this is about the security of our nation during a time of WAR! Which would you pick to do your open-heart surgery, a well-educated doctor; or Mr. %u201Cmost-like-me-an-you?%u201D Duh.; Reply to this comment


by meritocrat August 31, 2008 3:43 AM EDT: McCainiacs - Wasn''t it your God people who were praying for it to rain in Denver last week...and now they have their answer - Katrina''s big brother Gustav is bearing down the same way during your Republican sham convention? How is it that the religious in Europe seek greater social services to protect the children that ARE born and the "religious" in your party only seek to protect them to birth and could give a crud beyond the womb? How many of those %u201Cright-to-lifers%u201D have taken in minority foster children from our ghettos? How many of them would vote for a tax hike to pay for pre-and post natal care for all those aborted fetuses?
McCainiacs- remember, guns don%u2019t kill people, people with guns kill people and children with guns kill people, and children (over 100,000 kids killed since 1979, now that%u2019s pro-life!), and children with guns kill each other, and children with guns kill themselves, and people with guns in their homes are far more likely to die from gun violence than those who don%u2019t...; Reply to this comment


by meritocrat August 31, 2008 3:42 AM EDT: McCainiacs- your posts are very Hannity, very Limbaugh%u2026an EMPTY brain is easy to fill with crud, and the divide and conquer right wing media has filled yours well. My Lincoln to Obama comparison stands%u2026without any substantive rebuttal from you or anyone else%u2026because it is valid%u2026What makes Obama more qualified you ask? How about winning a Primary, over a well-healed and supported Clinton, and earning about 10 million more votes than your feeble candidate%u2026; Reply to this comment