Today’s news was a twist. I didn’t expect to wake up first thing this morning and learn about the surprise VP pick from John McCain. An unknown governor from Alaska thrust into the national spotlight as the finishing touch on the presumptive Republican nominee’s ticket.

At first I laughed, deriding McCain for such obvious pandering; but my reaction has changed the more I’ve learned about Governor Palin. She’s, astonishingly enough, an average and brilliant American who’s steered her way through local politics to the national stage on a solid platform that she’s ingenuously adhered to. (All while a member of the Republican party.)

I like her as a person, appreciate her convictions and believe she’s gotten to where she is today by knowing herself. And I respect the effort it takes to lead that sort of life. But she has some cornerstone convictions that I don’t share. I don’t agree with her stances on gay marriage and abortion. She also isn’t equipped to be the President. And with John McCain – the man the phrase “a heartbeat away” was coined for – the capability for the Vice President to assume power from the Commander-in-Chief is paramount.

However, she is quite adherent to the constitutionality of legislation (it’s unnerving that that qualification is necessary nowadays) even when it doesn’t fall in line with her beliefs. She’s tough on ethics and, judging by her history, is a tenacious person who goes after what she wants.

At the end of the day, her introduction into this election was a game changer. Obama and McCain have now essentially canceled out their main character flaws (inexperience and anachronism) with their Vice Presidential picks and, in doing so, are now freed up to debate the issues.

Both campaigns made holistically wise decisions about their candidate’s running mate and this is gearing up to be an exciting election. I hope Obama and McCain seize this opportunity and give the American people something we haven’t seen for a while: A genuine competition between two parties to sell their best solutions to our and the world’s problems. We are living through a truly historic time right now. This election is pivotal.