I recently suggested Sen. Jim DeMint for McCain’s running mate. Now, let’s be honest, that’s not going to happen. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing — we can use tenacious Senators, willing to dive headfirst into the fray to fight for conservative principles, in Washington. And if Sen. DeMint ever decides to run for President, I’ll stand enthusiastically behind him. But, to get to the point…

There are still a lot of rumblings about who McCain will pick for his running mate. There’s been talk about Mitt Romney, Bobby Jindal, Fred Thompson, Condoleeza Rice… people who would all make great choices. But McCain has not given us even the tiniest inkling of who he’s leaning towards. And so the speculation continues.

One of the biggest questions everyone seems to be asking is how he can offset Obama through his choice for his veep. He’d need someone young, someone who isn’t necessarily a Washington insider, and preferably a minority, someone who is black or female — like Obama or Hillary.

Preferably a minority. I cannot tell you how much it grates me to have to write that. But it isn’t our side that likes to focus solely on the skin deep.

In any case, who is it that could fit that bill? There are three women that the Politico is suggesting could be great choices for McCain’s running mate. I’m putting my weight behind Sarah Palin. There’s been a lot of buzz about her, and rightly so. Just read her damn bio!

Palin, 44, would add youth to the GOP ticket. As governor she has shown a willingness to veto some of the state’s large capital projects, no small plus for fiscal conservatives. But it’s her personal biography, which excites social conservatives, and reformist background that might most appeal to McCain.

She’s stridently anti-abortion, and recently brought to term her fifth child — who she knew would have Down syndrome. A hunter, fisher and family woman with a rapid professional rise, Palin is a natural for Republican framing.

In 1982, Palin led her underdog high school basketball team to the state championship, earning the nickname “Sarah Barracuda.” Two years later she won the beauty pageant in her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska — and was also named “Miss Congeniality.” By her early thirties, she was the mayor of Wasilla.

In 2003, as ethics commissioner on the state’s Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, she risked her rising political star by resigning her position in protest of ethical misconduct within the state’s Republican leadership as well as then-Gov. Frank Murkowski’s acceptance of that impropriety. Though this briefly made her an outcast within the party, within a year several state Republican heavyweights were reprimanded for the conduct she’d decried.

Her reputation with the party thus redeemed, Palin defeated Murkowski in the 2006 Republican primary on the way to being elected governor.

As governor, she’s continued challenging the state’s powers that be, even winning tax increases on oil companies’ profits. Her approval rating has soared as high as 90 percent, making her one of America’s most popular governors.

“Palin is becoming a star in the conservative movement, a fiscal conservative in a state that is looking like a boondoggle for pork barrel spending,” said Kellyanne Conway, a Republican pollster who specializes in women’s politics.

“She’s young, vibrant, fresh and now, and a new mother of five. She should be in the top tier,” Conway continued. “If the Republican Party wants to wrestle itself free from the perception that it is royalist and not open to putting new talent on the bench, this would be the real opportunity.”

Amen, honey. Here’s a picture of Sarah Palin:

You know, I just might have a little girl crush on Sarah Palin. How could you not?? The woman is amazing!

What’s especially delicious is that she’s younger than Barack Obama, but blows him away in the experience department. She’s accomplished more in ten years than he has in forty! I don’t see a lot of negatives that she could bring to the campaign, but there sure are a heckuva lot of positives. She could do wonders for McCain, and conservatives would be thrilled.

James Joyner thinks that all three women are somewhat weak candidates, and says of Palin,

Palin has become a darling of the conservative blogosphere in recent months and has been touted quite a bit. She’s no doubt a rising star. But it makes little sense to nominate a 44-year-old with no foreign policy experience to be one heartbeat away from the presidency on a ticket whose principal message is that it’s risky to put a 44-year-old with relatively little foreign policy experience in charge of our nation’s security.

But, as Ed points out,

Palin has executive experience, and that comes as a reformer in the wild-and-porky Alaskan political realm. Some will say that she has little foreign-policy experience, but as the only state that borders two foreign nations and is isolated from the rest of the nation by one of them, Palin has to work in that arena on some level in order to govern Alaska. She has sterling social-con credentials and a compelling life story. The only drawback will be the limited time she has served in executive office — just under two years — but that still beats the Democratic presidential nominee, and unlike Obama, she has an actual track record of reform and taking on her own party to get it.

Ed also points out that if McCain wants to make a splash, Palin would be a good choice. And Ed’s right: McCain needs to do something to liven up his base. As of right now, Obama’s supporters are fanatical. For the most part, McCain’s are dreading having to vote for him. Sarah Palin as McCain’s running mate could make this race a lot more exciting, and would not only appease the base, but wake them up! And that’s exactly what McCain needs if he truly wants to be able to win the Presidency. A passionate base is crucial to victory, and a reluctant base can lead to a heavy-handed defeat.

So, as for jumping on the Palin bandwagon, I’ll do it. I’m already there. The only question is whether or not McCain will even consider her.