Why John McCain Picked Sarah Palin

My Like minded friends and family have frequently asked in utter amazement "Why on earth did a seemingly smart guy like John McCain pick such an inexperienced and unknown person to be the Veep?".   As a former evangelical christian, I think I understand.  This is of course, is going to be merely my opinion.  I would never presume to second guess seasoned Republican political advisers, however I bet this is really close.

The choice boiled down to simple political economics.  For a candidate to win a sufficient number of electoral college votes, he/she needs to sometimes capture certain Districts to turn a State in his/her favor.  I can imagine a math whiz inputing Lieberman vs. Conservative Christian into a computer model and saying " Conservative Christian wins Senator".  

Sarah Palin seems to be the right pick because she is unknown, so, very few can challenge her Conservative Republican Base credentials.  When the McCain Campaign lists her conservative views the Conservatives instantly like her.  I bet certain districts are now in the bag and in this tight a race every Electoral College vote counts.  

Next installment answers why she is the right pick for the Republican Base.