Pro-life conservatives across the country have to be thrilled with John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as the GOP nominee for Veep.  Reformers have to be thrilled.  Inside-baseball analysts have to be thrilled.

Jonathan Martin gives the quick run-down of how the MSM will understand Palin:

Palin is a strong conservative, opposing abortion rights and enjoying a life membership in the NRA.

She also has a compelling personal story, having given birth in April to a son, her fifth child, who has Down syndrome.  Another son is in the Army and is to deploy to Iraq next month. 

Politically, Palin would underline McCain's reform message and offer him a running mate who could not be, in more ways than one, further from the Beltway.

When the Dems come after Palin for inexperience in foreign affairs, the reply will be obvious --the GOP vice-presidential nominee is as experienced as the Democratic presidential nominee but also has executive decision-making that Obama lacks.  

Palin's  tough stance on reform of long corrupt practices is going to give her a very clear advantage over practiced cronyists Obama and Biden.

And she knows the crucial energy issue very, very well, as well as a variety of land-use and property rights issues dear to many in the crucial mountain west.

McCain has turned the race on its head, and if Palin proves to be as able a campaigner as her fans say, GOP and American politics will have been changed in a way that fundamentally celebrates opportunity and talent.  What a contrast to Obama's rhetoric of last night.