John McCain started his campaign out as the “Liberal Republican” (the word liberal being used purely in context, as his rivals were Mormon Mitt and Hell-Damning Huckabee). Despite the seemingly “close” Republican race, he came out on top in South Carolina, New Hampshire and “Super Tuesday,” effectively cinching his Republican nomination, unlike Democratic rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who spent months bashing each other in various media.

However, as the Democratic dust settled and Obama emerged victorious, the community organizer was looking much more like the People’s President than Viet-Vet John. As much as he tried to push his “liberal” viewpoints throughout June and July (continuing to deny allegations that he was just another member of the George Bush fan club), it was getting harder and harder for him to compete with the disease-free Democrat from Chicago, who was promising a woman’s right to choose and getting your sons and daughters out of Iraq.

In what will be looked back on as the making or breaking point in his campaign, McCain came out of left field (read: right) and picked a Nobody to be his Vice President. A double-x carrying, gun-shooting, pro-Creationism nobody. Sarah Palin, in case you’ve been living under a rock, is a hockey mom, right-wing “reformer” and most popular governor in America. She’s also an attempt to gain Evangelical voters (working so far) and a bone thrown to the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsuits. Because John McCain picking some random female totally makes up for the fact that Barack just robbed poor Hillary.

Even though it goes back on his original “liberal Republican” schpiel, picking Palin over a more liberal option -- (Lieberman) or obvious (Romney) -- gave McCain an unexpected boost in awareness. McCain did an “Obama” and brought excitement and interest to his previously boring campaign. The anti-abortion hockey mom also matches better with his history as a Brother of Bush (95 perent agreement as was reported by Hillary Clinton and every other Democrat).

The right-wing voters of America who had previously been so-so about McCain, are now jumping on his bandwagon…and the urban-dwelling independents are probably about to jump off. Despite Sarah Palin’s appeal as a mother, “reformer,” and beauty pageant contestant, her politics are a big turn off for anybody who supports a woman’s right to choose, or, say, evolution.

The McCain-Palin partnership will definitely be one of great compromise. John McCain’s website makes you think he’s a great softy for those darn emissions (JohnMcCain.com/Enviroment), but Palin only recently admitted that she thought humans played a part in any climate change. And, wouldn’t you know, it was shortly after McCain picked her. Can we expect the same political u-turn for her views on Creationism? Abortion? And wouldn’t you rather have your almost-president stand by her viewpoints (no matter how ignorant they are) instead of being spineless and giving in?

John McCain’s last-ditch attempt to cinch the Evangelical vote and bring some vibrancy to his corner just might have worked. But in making a deal with the devil (and the devil wears lipstick), he shattered any hopes that Americans had of forever burying the Bush-Cheney administration.