Republican Presidential candidate John McCain picks Alaska Governor Sarah
Palin as Vice Presidential running mate.

 UNITED STATES NBC -
Republican John McCain picked Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his
running mate on Friday (August 29), a senior campaign official said, in a
surprise choice that could help him appeal to women voters. 
    The choice of Palin, 44, will be unveiled on Friday in a rally in
Dayton as McCain grabs the political focus away from Democratic rival Barack
Obama one day after Obama accepted his party's presidential nomination. 
    Recently Palin had told reporters that she didn't think she would be
shortlisted as the Vice Presidential running mate. 
    "...I really have to say it's really probably out of the realm of
possibility to be tapped for that position so I don't have to worry about
it", she said. 
    McCain and Palin will face Obama and his number 2, Joe Biden, in the
November 4 presidential election. 
    The pick followed days of speculations about McCain's choice, with most
of the better-known contenders like former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney
slowly eliminated over the last 24 hours. 
    Palin is a conservative first-term governor of Alaska with strong
anti-abortion views and a record of fiscal conservatism. She is an avid
sportswoman who would bring youth and vitality to the ticket. McCain turns 72
on Friday. 
    Palin is not well-known nationally, and that could cut into McCain's
argument that Obama is too inexperienced to handle the White House. But she
could help him appeal to disaffected supporters of Democrat Hillary Clinton,
who lost a bruising primary to Obama. 
    Palin, former mayor of the town of Wasilla, built a reputation as a
reformer in a state that recently has been hit with corruption scandals.
Elected in 2006, she is Alaska's first woman governor. 
    Palin and her husband, Todd, have five children, ranging in age from 18
years to 4 months.