Battle Is On for the Female Vote

The GOP is betting that John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate will put 18 million dents in the Democrats' White House hopes, the Washington Post writes. The party hopes the choice will woo disaffected Hillary Clinton voters, while many Democrats dismiss it as pure political pandering. "It's basically the equivalent of a midnight raid behind enemy lines," one GOP strategist notes.

At minimum, it will make some Democrats cautious about criticizing Palin, and stir resentments of Clinton loyalists. Much will hinge on how Palin is defined in the coming weeks, the Post writes: as a hard-working hockey mom ready to make history, or as a pro-gun pro-life Republican cut from the same cloth as Bush. Ellen Malcolm, president of Emily's List, which supports women candidates, tells the Post, "McCain clearly sees the power of women voters in this election but has just as clearly failed to support any of the issues that they care about." (More Sarah Palin stories.)