Who’s Palin’s running mate again?

I used to believe there wouldn’t be much that could surprise me.

I’ve covered stories that would turn some stomachs and cause heads to shake in disbelief. From an insane woman who killed her boyfriend and ate him (yes, she literally had him over for dinner) to a woman who stabbed her sister to death while both were attending their father’s wake to a horse stuck in a tree (even Paul Harvey picked up that little gem), as a reporter you cover it and move on to the next big thing.

Not so with Gov. Sarah Palin.

From the continuing crush of tabloid reporting on everything personal pertaining to Palin, you’d think she were Brittney Spears or Oprah. But that hounding cast of paparazzi isn’t made up of just the usual suspects. Pulitzer Prize-winning organizations are shoulder-to-shoulder digging through the governor’s trash.

Maybe it’s too much to expect anymore in the age of YouTube and Myspace that Americans can focus on what’s important and prioritize this election. With Palin dominating the national political scene — overshadowing both presidential candidates — many are losing focus on the fact that Sen. John McCain, not Palin, is in line for the White House.

I’ll admit I’m one of those still undecided. Should my vote be influenced by Palin being McCain’s running mate? Absolutely, but only to a point. I’m more conservative by nature and am leaning toward McCain, but my vote will ultimately be cast for either McCain or Obama, not their running mates.

—Greg Johnson, Managing Editor