Republican McCain gambles on Palin pick

By Steve Holland - Analysis

DENVER (Reuters) - Republican John McCain plucked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin out of relative obscurity as his vice presidential running mate on Friday, a high-stakes move aimed at shaking up a presidential race in which he is the underdog.

McCain's selection was guaranteed to generate excitement in the Republican Party ahead of its convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, next week at a time when many Republicans see gloom and doom facing them in the November 4 election.

But Palin's pick also raised some questions, since she has only been governor of Alaska for less than two years. At 44, Palin is younger than Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, 47, who is frequently accused by McCain of lacking experience to be president.

And with no foreign policy experience, it will take quite a deal of preparation to get her ready for an October 2 debate with Obama's running mate, veteran Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Nonetheless, political analysts thought she was a good choice for a presidential candidate who turned 72 years old on Friday and needed to make a move to do something dramatic in a race that favours Obama.

While running even with Obama in opinion polls, McCain is facing a difficult environment in trying to extend Republican control of the White House to three straight four-year terms, with unpopular President George W. Bush leaving a weak U.S. economy and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Look, I don't know if she's a game-changer, but she is certainly a good strategic chess move," said Larry Sabato, political science professor at the University of Virginia.

"She changes the image of the Republican Party from purely white male to more diverse, and that's good for the party in a year in which the Democrats have the first African-American nominee."