No one will really be surprised about this, but here it is:

New York – Republican John McCain’s surprise announcement Friday of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate – some 16 hours after Democrat Barack Obama’s historic speech accepting his party’s presidential nomination – has possibly stunted any Obama convention bump, the latest Zogby Interactive flash poll of the race shows.

The latest nationwide survey, begun Friday afternoon after the McCain announcement of Palin as running mate and completed mid-afternoon today, shows McCain/Palin at 47%, compared to 45% support for Obama/Biden.

In other words, the race is a dead heat.

Good strategy: pick a veep who will energize your base and inflame your rivals, so that it’s all everyone is talking about for the next week. Do so a few short hours after your opponent has just given a landmark and historic speech. Keep such a tight lid on your campaign that even your veep’s parents don’t know she’s being chosen. Choose a veep who complements you, strengthens your weaknesses, and energizes your base.

Bad strategy: hype up your veep pick for weeks. Tell your supporters that they will be the first to know via text message or e-mail. Somehow, the secret gets out though, and the mainstream media knows before your supporters do, who get their super-secret text message in the wee hours in the morning… when they’re sleeping. Choose a veep who is a Washington insider and as liberal as you are, and doesn’t possess much more experience.

If Obama can’t successfully coordinate his VP announcement, then how in the hell can he handle running the entire country?

Hat Tip: My colleague Jay at Stop the ACLU