http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/gerard_baker/article4677799.ece

I will also go ahead and point out something that I'm sure remains an underlying feeling to many of us this morning. We find ourselves in an interesting situation where we suddenly have a candidate for vice president that represents everything we want conservatism to be. Unfortunately last night we saw McCain's shortcomings in this area. He's not exciting, he's not confidently and intelligently in your face. He's not ready to go for the jugular against liberals. There could be a building tension within conservative ranks, wanting more Sarah while being stuck with 'ol John McCain. She's far more exciting and articulates conservatism with a confidence not seen since Reagan. So, was this 1976 all over again last night? Should McCain lose, she's the new standard bearer of Republican conservatism. If McCain wins, what does he do with her? Will she outshine the president? McCain is a humble enough man to let his surrogates shine, but it will be interesting to see what such a firebrand does with the lazy role of veep. My mind keeps going back to Theodore Roosevelt, another firebrand who quickly ascended the ranks, spending only a short time as veep before inheriting the presidency. I'll end the analogy there.