Palin Choice May Be an Appeal to Independent, Female Voters AMES, IA (kuni) - John McCain's VP pick of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin reflects his desire to reestablish his maverick status, and to appeal to disenchanted female Hillary Clinton voters, according to political commentators Steffen Schmidt and Arnie Arnesen, speaking on Iowa Public Radio's "Talk@12."

"He needed to reestablish his maverick status... and Sarah Palin fills that gut, maverick, not-really-vetted, quirky decision of John McCain," said Arnesen.

"She clearly is providing us with a lot of excitement, a lot of passion, and a lot of questions," Arnesen said.

McCain won the Republican nomination during the primary season due to his appeal to centrist voters and his perceived independence, according to Schmidt. McCain needs to stick to that reputation, Schmidt said, to win in November.

Palin is a Washington outsider and the first female on the Republican presidential ticket, but her politics are farther to the right than McCain's, according to Arnesen.

"The problem with Sarah Palin is she is Pat Robertson in a skirt," Arnesen said.

Palin supports government involvement in social issues, particularly on abortion. She is a strongly pro-life politician. © Copyright 2009, kuni