Sarah Palin Named Republican VP Nominee

Friday August 29, 2008, Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska, was named the vice presidential nominee for the Republican Party by John McCain. Governor Sarah Palin and her husband Todd celebrated their 20^th wedding anniversary Friday as well. Eighty-Eight years, almost to the day, after women earned the right to vote comes another opportunity to see a woman voted into the White House.

Many Americans have been waiting for a female president. Hillary Clinton on the ticket would have given Americans the chance to see that happen. When Hillary was no longer in the running for the presidency, many Clinton fans had hopes of seeing her on the ticket as the Vice President nominee of Barack Obama. Obviously, there were many disappointed Hillary supporters when that did not materialize either.

With John McCain choosing Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential nominee, many Hillary supporters may see this as an opportunity to vote a woman into the White House. Of course, a Vice President does not hold the power that Hillary could have held as a President, but to have a female in the White House is a huge step for the country.

Barack Obama has had many milestones in his campaign with many firsts. The Democratic Party had an opportunity to have another first with a female Vice President. With the nomination of Joe Biden as Obama's VP running mate, the Democrats allowed that opportunity to slip through their fingers. Now the Republican Party has a chance to be the first with a female Vice President in office.

This is a very important step on the road to the election. The McCain team has made a very smart move in choosing Sarah Palin. The choice gives hope to all those voters who are ready to have a female in the White House. Though the nomination does not guarantee a win for the Republicans and the first woman in the White House, it is important to keep in mind that the only chance of having a woman in the White House is to start with including one on the ticket.

Sarah Palin is a mother of five children. The youngest was born in April and is a special needs child, with Down Syndrome. Her oldest child entered the military on September 11, 2007. Even though this is her first term as Governor, she brings so much life experience and knowledge to the party.

McCain had many very qualified candidates to choose from, many of whom were male. Instead, he chose to have a qualified woman on the ticket with him.

For more information, please visit the following links/sources:

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/29/mccain-to-name-running-mate-on-friday/

http://www.johnmccain.com/