VP Watch

By Jonathan Allen

There's plenty of time for voters to get to know Sarah Palin and decide whether John McCain's pick of a vice presidential running mate was wild or wise.

For now, the decision sends two clear messages from McCain about his candidacy and message of reform -- one to the Republican Party and one to the general electorate.

From a McCain campaign aide, here's the Arizona senator's logic: "A maverick with a record of reform has picked a maverick with a record of reform.  John McCain is putting Washington on notice that there is a shake-up coming."

A McCain aide has confirmed it is Palin.

John McCain has picked little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate, making Palin the first woman ever named to a national Republican ticket, according to CNN and Politico.

McCain, an Arizona senator who will accept the GOP's presidential nomination in St. Paul, Minn., on Thursday, made the announcement at a campaign event in Dayton, Ohio, later today.

Palin, a former beauty queen who was first elected in 2006, is a mother of five children, including a son who recently joined the Army and a baby boy who was diagnosed with Down Syndrome in April.

Her selection is an indication that McCain intends to try to court women who supported Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., in the Democratic primary.

Palin ran on a pledge to reform Alaska and has turned a cold shoulder to Republicans involved in scandals. However, she is being investigated in a probe into whether she improperly sought to fire her former brother in law.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, just called her a "breath of fresh air" in  an interview on CNN.

FOX and CNN were reporting this morning that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, known for running on a reform-oriented platform and turning a cold shoulder to corrupt members of her own party, is in the running to be John McCain's running mate. However, CNN now says Palin is in Alaska, which would mean she is not in Dayton, Ohio, where McCain is set to unveil his pick in a few hours.

Palin, a former beauty queen, is the mother of five children, including a baby born with Down Syndrome in April.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has told Minnesota Public radio that it is not him. FOX is reporting Romney is out of the running.

The Web site RedState.com is reporting that Tim Pawlenty will be John McCain's running mate.

Multiple reports say that John McCain will notify his running mate of his or her new status today, which raises the prospect of a timed leak to the press designed to deflect attention from Barack Obama's nomination acceptance speech here in Denver.

If it's done that way, as a leak before an official announcement tomorrow in Dayton, Ohio,  McCain can expect to divert some attention from Obama, but maybe not as much as he would like.

The Web site www.McCain-Lieberman.com now redirects to www.johnmccain.com, according to an internal CQ tipster.

We know from past reporting that such auto-forwards on the Web don't necessarily mean anything. But we (I) thought it was worth noting.

The Hartford Courant is noting a change in Joe Lieberman's stance on being John McCain's running mate. Lieberman, who has indicated he won't run with McCain in the past, is now silent on the topic. Here's what he said:

"The rest of us, particularly those of use who are privileged to be his friends, ought to take a temporary vow of silence," Lieberman said. "I don't expect the offer will be extended to me, but I'm going to continue my vow of silence about any hypotheticals."