Rove: Palin Could Decide Race

Vice-presidential nominees usually have little direct effect on the outcome of an election, writes Karl Rove in the Wall Street Journal, but Sarah Palin could be the exception. Rove consults two experts, who agree that some VPs can have an unusually large “indirect effect,” as they underscore a candidate’s virtues and flaws. McCain chose Palin as "someone who shares his maverick outsider attitude and is willing to challenge party orthodoxy and politics-as-usual."

"Taking on Alaska's good-old-boy politics and beating the incumbent Republican governor might be seen as evidence of the political courage and independence voters are looking for this year," he writes. "And with women more undecided than men, Mrs. Palin could add more than a point to Mr. McCain's total—maybe two or three—which could make the difference in a close contest." (More Sarah Palin stories.)