Sarah Palin, McCain Running Mate, Gets Praise From Geraldine Ferraro

Sarah Palin, John McCain's new running mate is the first woman to run for Vice President since Geraldine Ferraro did it in 1984. McCain's choice of Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska, even prompted some praise from Ferraro, who wrote:

"There are a lot of women who are disaffected by how Hillary was treated by the media, by how she was treated by the Obama campaign, by how she was treated by the Democratic National Committee — [Democratic party chairman] Howard Dean not speaking up when sexism raised its ugly head in the media. They’ll be looking to see what happens now," wrote Ferraro.

The Democratic Party has undergone a schism due to Hillary Clinton not being picked as a running mate for Barack Obama, and many pundits feel that McCain's choice of Palin is directly aimed at converting these voters to their side.

Sarah Palin, in announcing her candidacy didn't hesitate to pay homage to Ferraro.

"I can’t begin this great effort without honoring the achievement of Geraldine Ferraro in 1984," said Palin.

Barack Obama's campaign has already made pointed references to what they call Palin's "zero experience." The issue has been a prickly one for the Democrats because McCain has made sure to accuse Obama of the same throughout his campaign.

Sarah Palin is the mother of five children and has been married to her husband, Todd Palin since the two eloped after college.

Pundits say that the choice of Palin will help shore up some of McCain's major weaknesses. McCain has been closely associated with George Bush by many voters, something that won't be as easy with Palin. Palin is also expected to be popular with female voters. McCain is hoping that his pick of a woman for running mate will lend credence to his oft-used "Maverick" designation.