Through his campaign Obama has referred to himself as a “post-partisan” politician.  The sort of guy to whom labels like “Republican” and “Democrat” doesn’t matter.  Well Chris Wallace but those claims to the test this Sunday asking Obama’s campaign manager David Axelrod to explain when Obama has ever taken on his own party like both Palin and McCain have.

Whilst bumbling his way toward an answer (the best thing he can come up with is Obama co-sponsoring some very non-controversial bi-partisan bills that passed almost unanimously), Axelrod claims that McCain didn’t pick Joe Lieberman to be his running mate because he was afraid to.

Given the way McCain has bucked his political base (much to their consternation) on things like taxes, illegal immigration and environmental issues it’s hard to imagine the guy being afraid to pick someone like Lieberman.  I think the truth is that McCain wants to win this race more than anything else, and that he knew choosing Palin would bring the sort of credibility to his campaign that conservatives have been craving.

And by no means was Palin a sure pick.  I don’t believe for a minute that Palin is too inexperienced to be VP, but she is untested in a national campaign.  Her injection into this race didn’t have to go well.  It could have gone very, very badly.  That it hasn’t is a testament to both McCain’s judgment in picking her, and her own brilliance as a politician and campaigner.