It's John McCain/Sarah Palin

August 29, 10:53 AMRight Side Politics ExaminerDan Spencer

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CNN confirms Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will be McCain's running mate:

The 44-year-old Palin is the first woman and the youngest person to hold that state's governor's post. She catapulted to the state's top political post after a stint in local politics, serving as mayor and a council member of the small town of Wasila.

Campaiging as a political outsider, Palin defeated two so-called political insiders to win the governor's job in 2006. She beat incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski in the GOP primary and defeated former two-term Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles in the general election.

Palin has a reputation for backing tough ethical standards for politicians. During her first legislative session, her administration passed a state ethics law overhaul.

Palin has focused on energy and natural resource policy during her short stint in office, and is known for her support of drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, a position opposed by the Democrats.

[. . .]

Palin started Alaska's Petroleum Systems Integrity Office -- an oversight and maintenance agency for the state's oil and gas equipment, facilities and infrastructure. She created the Climate Change Subcabinet that would forge a climate change strategy, according to the biography.

At present, Palin chairs the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a multi-state panel "that promotes the conservation and efficient recovery of domestic oil and natural gas resources while protecting health, safety and the environment," the bio says.

She has been named chair of the National Governors Association's Natural Resources Committee. That panel is focused on legislation to make sure that federal policies take state priorities into account in agriculture, energy, environmental protection and natural resource management.

[. . .]

She is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and takes part in two of Alaska's most popular pastimes -- fishing and hunting.

The governor's biography says Palin's other priorities have been "education and workforce development, public health and safety, and transportation and infrastructure development."

The bio touts other achievements during her short stint as governor -- the investment of $5 billion in state savings, overhauling educational funding, and implementing a program to help low-income elderly Alaskans.

She graduated from Wasila High School in 1982 and received a bachelor of science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987.

This is a great choice by McCain and is sure to upset all the previous political calculations.