Most republicans in my office don't know squat about Palin

[Politicub]

I was eager to hear how the GOP folk in my office would react to the pick, so I ventured out into cubeland to get their initial impressions.

The three people I talked to hadn't heard of Palin, and aren't familiar with details about her - other than that she is a woman. One person said his first impression was that she would be a liability, but began to think that she would peel some votes away from Obama.

No cheers or shouts errupted when the pick was announced, which I thought was telling. It's clear that the repubs in my office aren't as energized about the election as we dems are.

But I think the risk is that Palin is an unknown, and the GOP will begin to define her in earnest. I wouldn't be at all surprised that her extremist positions will be watered down for the election. The GOP will likely dust off its Clarence Thomas playbook to try and fend off attacks on her just because she's a woman.

This also creates an opportunity for us to help with defining Palin. She will get a lot of media coverage based on the fact that she's the first woman to be on a GOP ticket. We will need to be at the ready with rapid response to get the truth out there. I have every confidence in the world that the Obama camp has anticipated this pick and already has a plan in place.

My personal feeling is that while this is a risky move for McCain, it does create more of an aura of interest around him. People will want to understand why he made such an unexpected move. I was hoping his pick would have been more mundane, but the more I read about Palin, the more I realize she's an empty suit. Maybe someone should ask her to spell potato.