Call the “hockey mom” the “hockey grandmamma.”

The presidential horse race is officially off and running — get used to daily bombshells such as yesterday’s news: that Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s unmarried, 17-year-old daughter is five months pregnant. There’s a reason political groups in other countries pay Americans good money to act as their election consultants, CIA-esque manipulation aside. We campaign better than anyone else.

It’s been a while since I’ve written, so I’ll start with my thoughts on Palin as John McCain’s VP pick. Over the course of a few hours Friday, after having read the Associated Press “breaking news” article and listened to some talking heads on cable TV news channels, but previously (and literally) knowing nothing about Palin, they went something like this:

What a brilliant, savvy choice. Kudos to McCain’s camp. In an election that was guaranteed to be historic no matter the winner between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary, how best to keep as many eyes on the other side as possible? Make some history yourself and invite a woman to join your ticket after Obama defeats Clinton in a drawn-out battle that bruises egos. Palin’s young to McCain’s old, and she’s a moose hunter from Alaska — I respect the outdoors acumen. As a Christian, pro-lifer and NRA member, she’ll satisfy that brand of social conservatives the Republicans depend on. And the “surprise pick” part of the story means the media has stopped giving Obama’s convention speech top billing just hours after he left the Denver stage.

I wanted to like the selection for what I thought it was: a good pick for the Republicans that would make for a more competitive election. Then, I talked to a friend who follows the GOP a lot closer than I ever will. He hated the choice and thinks Palin, 44, is too inexperienced, unqualified, unfit for the job. I read some more about her, too.

Turns out she also believes creationism should be taught on par with the theory of evolution in public schools, according to a 2006 Anchorage Daily News report. And there’s actually some confusion about her religion. She’s also wrapped up in something already dubbed “troopergate” — never a good thing, even if unfair at this point.

Oh, and that “outdoors acumen” I referred to. Ignorance was bliss. Palin favors drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; has questioned scientists’ predictions about climate change and its effects on sea ice; and said she would vote against an Alaska initiative that said no large metal mines would be permitted to pollute streams where salmon spawn, McClatchy Newspapers reported.

According to The Washington Post, aides to McCain insist that Palin was fully vetted during the veep selection process and the campaign knew about Palin’s pregnant daughter and the Alaska ethics investigation involving Palin’s dispute with her former brother-in-law, a state trooper whom her sister divorced. But that’s not all. The Post also reports the vetting turned up: her husband’s past arrest for driving under the influence; the ticket she once received for fishing without a license; and a report she supported Pat Buchanan for president in 1996, which she denied at the time. Whoa, she is a maverick.

OK, so she was vetted. One would think, though, that the GOP political machine would have been more prepared for this Alaskan debutante being introduced as vice president to the Lower 48, Hawaii and the rest of the world. Instead, we get:

Wow. I’m interested to see your thoughts on those comments from Cindy McCain. Does Alaska’s proximity to Russia really count as national security experience?

As the next stage of this election season begins, the first day of the Republican National Convention is over and the dominant headlines are Hurricane Gustav, Palin hiring an attorney for “troopergate” and her daughter’s pregnancy, which really shouldn’t even be an issue but is in part because of Palin’s stances on abortion and abstinence-only education.

The Republicans seem to have some convincing to do. With just more than two months to go before Election Day, the audience is only going to get bigger. Palin’s family certainly understands that by now.

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