The American Idol Candidate

Any theater type knows that it's all about casting.
My initial "what-were-they-thinking" skepticism about the Sarah Palin choice withered painfully on the vine as I watched a little of her acceptance speech. It's not surprising that it took so long to sink in, but with all the punditry surrounding her political positions and inexperience, the obvious is often invisible.
When Palin talked of her husband, and told the cheering crowd, "He's my guy," she surely warmed the hearts of millions, both men and women, who don't give a hoot about her politics or affiliations. Clinton and Bush's image management teams went way out of their way to craft their "just plain folks" image. But Clinton's birthin' in a town called Hope and Bush's (some say) calculated and well-honed simpleton rhetoric just tried to mask their silver spoon or liberal elite pedigree.
Palin, on the other hand, is the real thing for many Americans. And that geniuneness is her appeal. It offers a solid tap into the font of American cynicism about politics. And it makes her someone to root for. In a country where American Idol and its variations are watched by more people than conventions and even Olympic contests, McCain and his people knew that we love seeing (and falling in love with) people like us rise to the top--whatever their song or whatever they stand for.