To have heard such talks of change from one candidate in particular, the last few weeks have been full of politics as usual. Politicians love to hit below the belt in order to advance their cause. And believe me, I’ve seen two conventions loaded with political rhetoric, charming speeches and promises of change. However, there was one thing that no one could foresee: the choice of a frisky, hockey mom from Alaska as John McCain’s running mate. The liberal left, including Obama’s camp as well as most media outlets, had no clue as to how to respond to this surprising bump in their road to the White House.

Sarah Palin seemed to bring life back to a rather boring campaign. The GOP unleashed their “Pitbull” and the Democrats appear to be running scared for the time being. Ever since the announcement that Palin would be joining McCain on the ticket, the talking heads have been abuzz far more than usual. It only took a week or so for the left to calculate the perfect arguments against Palin. And now, they are acting like a threatened adolescent who feels as though their territory is being taken over by someone bigger and better. They don’t quite know what to do or what to say. They, along with me and I assume most Americans, probably thought that McCain would have a typical running mate: some random, old white guy coming out of nowhere to form the most generic ticket possible.

So, other than being a typical hockey mom, what does this candidate have to offer? We’ve heard of a few radical things that she has done in her state, but what can we expect of her as the vice president? Is she going to put Air Force One up for auction? Is she going to pose on the cover of Vogue magazine? She gives the impression of a whole new breed coming out of the Republican Party. One thing is for certain, Palin must have some real substance reaching far beyond the typical politician ,or else Barak Obama and Joe Biden wouldn’t be in a complete frenzy right about now and slipping a few points in the polls.

This is an all-out dog fight between the liberal left and the conservative right. And I can promise you that as we inch closer to Nov. 4, the fight is only going to get uglier, nastier, and more personal. Palin says that her running mate knows how tough fights are won, but does he? Does he know how to stand up to false accusations and slanderous ads? What about factual statements about the way he is running his campaign? All of this boils down to one thing: Which side can fight the good fight and win, and then go on to mix things up in Washington? I’m putting my money on McCain and Palin.