Jack Kelly endorses Sarah Palin.

Today one of the nation's most important conservative columnists, Jack Kelly of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Toledo Blade, endorsed Sarah Louise Heath Palin of Alaska for the vice-president slot on John McCain's ticket. Good for Jack! He calls her McCain's "secret weapon" and a major key to victory: -

There is one potential running mate who has virtually no down side. Those conservatives who have heard of her were delighted to learn that McCain advance man Arthur Culvahouse was in Alaska recently, because they surmised he could only be there to discuss the vice presidential nomination with Gov. Sarah Palin.

At 44, Sarah Louise Heath Palin is both the youngest and the first female governor in Alaska's relatively brief history as a state. She's also the most popular governor in America, with an approval rating that has bounced around 90 percent.

This is due partly to her personal qualities. When she was leading her underdog Wasilla high school basketball team to the state championship in 1982, her teammates called her "Sarah Barracuda" because of her fierce competitiveness. Two years later, when she won the Miss Wasilla beauty pageant, she was also voted Miss Congeniality by the other contestants.

Sarah Barracuda. Miss Congeniality. Fire and nice. A happily married mother of five who is smart and drop dead gorgeous.
But it's mostly because she's been a crackerjack governor, a strong fiscal conservative and a ferocious fighter of corruption, especially in her own party.

Ms. Palin touches other conservative bases, some of which Mr. McCain has been accused of rounding. Track, her eldest son, enlisted in the Army last Sept. 11. She's a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association who hunts, fishes and runs marathons. A regular churchgoer, she's staunchly pro-life.

Kimberley Strassel of the Wall Street Journal said Mr. McCain should run against a corrupt, do-nothing Congress, a la Harry Truman. If he should choose to do so, Ms. Palin would make an excellent partner. ….

Running mates usually aren't named until the convention. But if Mr. McCain should name Ms. Palin earlier, it would give America more time to get to know this extraordinary woman. And because she's at least a dozen feature stories waiting to be written, she could help him dominate the news between now and the conventions.

Sarah Palin is a winner for the Republican Party; I think people long for leaders with the steely strength of character she displays, her quiet determination and integrity. In 2006 in a really bad year for the GOP she managed to defeat the incumbent Governor for the nomination, then defeat the Previous Democrat

Popularity is a great thing, and she has it in mountains, (I only have to mention her and my hits rise dramatically).

Populism on the other hand is a totally negative, narcissistic play at achieving support, and while it works for some it ultimately fails and inevitably drags everything down with it. Someone else is left to pick up the pieces.

Palin has on the other hand been prepared to risk her political support to do what is right and clean out the elements who use position to benefit themselves.