Well, this was an interesting 48 hours in American politics

The risk when selecting a relative unknown to be your vice-presidential candidate in relative secrecy is that you don't have the opposition and the press doing your grunt work for you. An under-the-radar candidate doesn't receive full-bore weapons-grade scrutiny until the limelight is upon them. And I expected something to come out about Gov. Sarah Palin, something embarrassing yet merely a hurdle to overcome -- like calling Hillary a whiner, slumming it in sports journalism, or just accusations of inexperience.

And then...oh my God.

I'm trying to figure out if this timing is a blessing or a curse for the Republican ticket. Do you want your VP candidate fielding questions about allegedly covering up her daughter's pregnancy as her own before the convention? Does that give you ample time to chat with Barbara Walters, put this story into your own framework? Or, if there is truth to this (and your brain trust missed it), do you get a plan B -- hold an uncomfortable news conference announcing that the family scrutiny is too much and drag Pawlenty or Romney onto the ticket?