Sarah Palin

Because if they didn't, how would they fill all the column inches?

I'm a journalist, btw.

I suspect that this is intended to bolster McCain's 'maverick' credentials and that they think they can contain any issues from her history - she's not whiter than white, but she's accessible and for many of the poorer folks who vote Republican out of mis-directed aspiration she will probably make a good aspirational figure.

I think he's played a smarter hand than the media realises, basically, but it's hard to shake off the dominant narrative once one in established.

I look forward to seeing how much access non-republican journos get to her