Many people may not know that McCain could have picked a qualified Alaskan woman for VP as opposed to the former part-time mayor and novice Governor, Sarah Palin.
Senator Lisa Murkowski has served as Alaska's junior senator for 6 years. She was appointed by her father to replace him in the Senate after he was elected Governor. In 2004 she was elected to a full term.
More Alaskans voted for Lisa in 2004, 149,446 (48.62%), than they did for Sarah in 2006, 114,697 (48.3%).
Lisa attended Williamette University in Salem, Oregon, 1975-1977 and in 1980 received a B.A. in Economics from Georgetown University and in 1985 a Law degree from Willamette University..
more below the fold
From Wikipedia, her career in Alaska State Politics:
In 1998, she was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives and served as House Majority Leader for the 2003–2004 session. Murkowski sat on the Alaska Commission on Post Secondary Education and chaired both the Labor and Commerce and the Military and Veterans Affairs Committees. In 1999 she introduced legislation establishing a Joint Armed Services Committee.
and her U.S. Senate Committee assignments:
Committee assignments
Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Subcommittee on Energy
Subcommittee on National Parks
Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Subcommittee on Children and Families
Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs (Ranking Member)
Subcommittee on European Affairs
Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs, and International Environmental Protection
Committee on Indian Affairs (Vice Chairman)
She votes with Republicans 80% of the time. She is a Roman Catholic but is a member of Republicans for choice. She has however not voted in any way to offend the Alaskan Republican fundy base. She voted for SCHIP.
I do not see any significant legislation that she has authored. It looks like she cosponsored "The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Latin Americans of Japanese Descent Act." She probably knows more about Energy and Foreign affairs than Gov. Palin and can speak knowledgeably without extra special coaching from Joe Lieberman.
In 2006 & 7 she was caught up in a "Road to Nowhere" of her own called the Keystone Drive Project involving earmarks from her, Stevens and Young that would have improved the access in an area where she had been sold property at below its value. She seems to have weathered the storm by selling the land back to the original owner who has been testifying in the VECO case about other land deals that benefitted Stevens.
In my opinion this wiff of corruption is much less than the abuse of power allegations that comprise Troopergate, the investigation of which McCain's Lawyers are trying to shut down at all costs.
In today's Fairbanks News-Miner, Lisa gives a more sober assessment of Palin's preparation than the current McCain-Palin Rah Rah machine:
“I think what we need to recognize is that Palin has been governor of a state now, and has been immersed in the issues that face the state of Alaska,” Murkowski said. “She moved up from being a mayor to statewide office and was able to expand her portfolio from beyond what mattered to the people of Wasilla to what mattered to the entire state.”
snip
“In an expanded role as vice president, I fully believe that she would rise to whatever issues were presented to her, whether they are issues on energy or the housing crisis or Pakistan,” Murkowski said.
Is it okay for a Republican to admit the obvious that Palin is not ready on day one?
Surely the final verdict is not yet in on how well Palin has been able to expand her portfolio to cover State wide issues since she hasn't been in office as Governor long enough and is still just getting the hang of it.
Don't get me wrong here, I'm a Dem and have never voted for Lisa. However, I think McCain might have gotten a more long-lasting advantage with fewer negatives by selecting Sen. Murkowski.