Yeah, maybe, although I’ll have an easier time believing that after a gangbusters speech tomorrow night. Fred says here that a lot of women identify with her. True?

If McCain’s strategy was to reach out to women voters, however, thus far it hasn’t been successful. The night after the announcement, slightly more women voters viewed Palin as the right choice for McCain’s running mate, but now 41% say she was not, versus 36% who still believe she was a good choice. Forty-one percent (41%) of women say they are less likely now to vote for McCain because of Palin, as opposed to 31% who say they are more likely to support him. Women voters were essentially even on this question in the earlier survey…

[E]ven a plurality of men (47%) say Palin is not ready to be president in the event of the 72-year-old McCain being incapacitated while in the White House, although 32% believe she is ready. Women voters by a nearly two-to-one margin believe Palin is not ready…

Voters overall by a 48% to 29% margin say Palin is not ready yet to be president, a view shared by 74% of Democrats and 48% of unaffiliated voters but only 16% of Republicans.

He told Hemmer earlier in the interview that he’ll be speaking tonight in praise of McCain but they’d be better off using him to sell Palin. Lieberman can take care of pushing Maverick’s maverickiness; Thompson’s presence, fame, conservative cred, and even stereotypical masculinity make him a money choice to bolster an unknown woman candidate’s credibility. Exit question: Which Republicans does he have in mind as being “sore” about the Palin pick? Hmmm.

Update: Actually, maybe Huckabee should introduce her: “I don’t know if you realize this but Sarah Palin got more votes running for mayor in Wasilla Alaska than Joe Biden did in [his] quest for the presidency…”

Link: sevenload.com