McCain's Big Gamble: A Gift To Democrats?
![Image](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-wS_G_4r4_UdW8wU7itwNOzRl_xJLhpp1z8r4piFr6VSQpIR62qq9vsRrLiVPdTWEkMf8r1UO67iHlk5dsI86zBkYXguPT3L-0bIYUDci9sRfu1Bf7RO4M30Vei3uKNlwwro4SPs5_Of/s400/palin_385x185_390621a.jpg)
This morning everyone is asking themselves: Who is Sarah Palin? In a bold and risky move, Senator John McCain selected Alaska's governor as his running mate. Palin, a self-described "hockey mom," is a staunch social conservative with a reputation as a crusading reformer after pushing through higher taxes on oil companies. However, she has been tarnished by revelations that members of her staff tried to have her former brother-in-law fired from his job as an Alaska state trooper: State lawmakers have launched a $100,000 investigation to determine if Palin dismissed Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan last month because Monegan wouldn't fire a state trooper involved in a messy custody battle with her sister. She also is under fire from environmentalists for opposing the Bush administration's decision in May to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act because global warming is melting the polar ice cap. Palin said the decisio