Writer's Block: Sarah Palin?
A little of both, but probably more liability.
In the "good call" column: She has a reputation as a reformer, she lives the standards she preaches, and she adds a bit of youth and vigor (and let's be honest, a bit of leg) to an aging, tired John McCain
In the Liability column: She's a hardcore Pro-lifer in a climate that's becoming more and more laissez-faire about such things. She has the specter of Troopergate hanging over her head. She has no foreign policy experience, her governance experience is in a state with a tiny population and little infrastructure, and lets the Left accuse McCain of choosing a woman on the basis of trying to swipe Hillary votes, implying that he considers women faceless and interchangeable (an accusation with some teeth, given that the only thing Ms. Palin seems to have in common with Ms. Clinton is a vagina)
In the "good call" column: She has a reputation as a reformer, she lives the standards she preaches, and she adds a bit of youth and vigor (and let's be honest, a bit of leg) to an aging, tired John McCain
In the Liability column: She's a hardcore Pro-lifer in a climate that's becoming more and more laissez-faire about such things. She has the specter of Troopergate hanging over her head. She has no foreign policy experience, her governance experience is in a state with a tiny population and little infrastructure, and lets the Left accuse McCain of choosing a woman on the basis of trying to swipe Hillary votes, implying that he considers women faceless and interchangeable (an accusation with some teeth, given that the only thing Ms. Palin seems to have in common with Ms. Clinton is a vagina)