McCain taps pro-gun/ pro-hunting Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as running mate

According to Politico.com, a top aide to Senator John McCain says Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has been chosen by the Arizona senator as his running mate.

As a child, Palin reportedly used to rise at 3 a.m. with her father to go moose hunting before school. Today she is the married mother of five who enjoys hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling.

Oh, and her favorite meal is moose stew.

"She is a strong believer not only in the First Amendment and religious liberty, but she believes in the Second Amendment and that it is one of the more fundamental rights of all citizens, and I think John McCain couldn't have made a better choice," said former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, who is now chairman for the Coalition for a Conservative Majority and vice chairman of the 2008 Republican Platform Committee.

From her 2006 gubernatorial campaign website:

“I am a lifetime member of the NRA, I support our Constitutional right to bear arms and am a proponent of gun safety programs for Alaska's youth... I have always strongly supported the personal use of fish and game by Alaskans. I grew up hunting and fishing in Alaska, and I am proud to raise my children with this same uniquely Alaskan heritage. ...Anti-hunting groups who oppose hunting and fishing rights will be the winners if we allow them to pit us against ourselves... As an Alaskan with strong beliefs on this issue, I am confident in my ability to build consensus among diverse user groups and reconcile the many competing interests in a manner.”

NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox says "Governor Palin doesn't just talk about supporting the Second Amendment, it's part of her life, and she did her part to vindicate the Second Amendment for all Americans when Alaska joined 30 other states in signing a legal brief supporting [Dick] Heller's challenge to the D.C. gun-ban."

Sandra Froman, former National Rifle Association (NRA) president and current board member, calls Palin an “outstanding pick” who would “energize the gun rights community.”

“How can you go wrong with a moose burger-eating, fishing governor?” she observes.

The NRA-ILA states Gov. Sarah Palin would be one of the most pro-gun vice-presidents in American history. And thus, unlike the choice of Joe Biden, who took the already terrible prospect of an anti-gun President Obama to a new low, Gov. Palin is likely to significantly boost support for John McCain among gun owners.