This story is part of the Beacon's coverage of the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul. To read the rest of our stories, click Convention Coverage.

Sandwiched between two highly scripted national political conventions, Sen. John McCain's choice of one-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate stood out in many ways for its lack of convention.

By the time the presumptive Republican presidential nominee introduced Palin, a self-described "hockey mom who never planned to run for public office," to a national audience at a rally Friday in Dayton, Ohio, a national debate on whether McCain's gamble would pay off already had already begun.

His supporters paint Palin as a government reformer who is just the far-outside-the-Beltway-candidate needed to help McCain bring change to Washington. A devout Christian who is anti-abortion, opposes same-sex marriage and belongs to the National Rifle Association, Palin will certainly appeal to the social conservative base that has been slow to embrace McCain.

But Democrats were quick to characterize the choice as a transparent attempt to attract women voters - particularly disaffected supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton -- and a sign that McCain lacks judgment in choosing a candidate who they say is not ready to be one step from the presidency.

Most policy experts and pundits are in agreement on this: McCain threw the country a political curveball.

"My first reaction was complete surprise," said Laura Arnold, a political science professor at Webster University. "I can see from a tactical point why she was selected as an effort to shore up the base. But I also see the danger in the selection. It's one of those picks that when we look back at this election we'll say, that was either the best move or the worst move."

Joel Goldstein (right), a professor at Saint Louis University Law School and a leading authority on the vice presidency, called McCain's decision "one of the more transparent political choices in our recent history."

He said the choice makes sense in that social conservatives have never been convinced that McCain is one of them. The Arizona senator also needed to emphasize his maverick reputation to appeal to independents, Goldstein said. Most of the vice presidential candidates helped in one direction but not the other, while Palin can be seen as helping on both fronts, according to Goldstein.

"This looks like a deck shuffler; he's trying to do what (Democratic presidential hopeful Walter) Mondale did in 1984," Goldstein said. "He knew he was 20 points down and if he didn't throw all the cards in the air there would be little hope. On one level it begs the question: Does McCain really see this as such an uphill battle? It's odd considering how close the polls were before the convention."

The Experience Factor

Goldstein said he, too, was "stunned" by McCain's choice, in large part because of Palin's lack of political experience. Before becoming governor, she was mayor of a small town in Alaska. And at 44, she is younger than Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama.

Palin is also a stark contrast to Obama's vice presidential pick, Sen. Joe Biden, whose 35 years in Congress is seen as a counterweight to Obama's less than four years as a U.S. senator.

"The two main filters candidates use in choosing their running mate are: Are they presidential and is there something in their background that's too embarrassing," Goldstein said. "The real question in this selection is: Is she presidential? Nobody would have mentioned her as one of the top 10 Republicans most likely to be sitting in the Oval Office. She hasn't dealt with international and national economic issues.

Palin's political experience, Goldstein added, is less than any vice presidential candidate since Spiro Agnew. He said the experience question is particularly important for both sides this year given the critique of Obama as being too green and the age (72) and health history of McCain.

Democrats have seized on that message.

"The most important thing in a vice presidential nominee is whether they are ready to assume the presidency, and clearly John McCain's pick has failed in that effort," said Jack Cardetti, spokesman for the Missouri Democratic Party.

Missouri Republicans are pushing back on that claim. In a statement, Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt said, "As a fellow governor I understand the experience she will bring to Washington, having managed a large budget, led the state's National Guard and made tough executive decisions for her state including cutting spending."

GOP gubernatorial candidate Kenny Hulshof emphasized Palin's image as a reformer. In a statement released by his office, he said, "As governor, she has proven to be a legitmate agent for change by enacting sweeping ethics reforms, taking on entrenched special interests and reforming state government to make it accountable to taxpayers."

Doug Russell, chairman of the Missouri Republican Party, underscored that view: "Throughout her career [Palin] has proven herself to be a true reformer, and a tough executive, someone who has a record of delivering on change and reform. Missouri voters can take comfort in knowing that she understands the problems facing the country and will do all that she can to protect our values and keep America safe and strong."

The issue of experience will likely factor heavily in the vice presidential debate this fall in St. Louis. Arnold, the Webster professor, noted that Palin will have little time to adjust to the national stage before facing Biden, an experienced debater.

"Biden is comfortable speaking off the cuff, but he can also sound condescending, and the minute it comes off like that it's a problem for Democracts," Arnold said.

Added Goldstein: "The bar is low for [Palin]. It's easy to go after Mitt Romney or Tom Ridge, but it's harder to go after someone who could be your daughter."

The Women's Vote

Then there's the obvious issue of gender. During her unofficial acceptance speech Friday, Palin acknowledged what former vice presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro and Clinton, both Democrats, had done to open up national politics to women.

In a clear effort to reach out to female voters, she added: "We aren't finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all."

Carrie Almond, president of the Missouri Federation of Republican Women, said Palin's nomination is a "fabulously exciting day for Republicans and women."

Still, Almond said she didn't think gender played much of a role in McCain's decision, nor does she think female voters in Missouri will focus on gender when voting come November.

"Republicans are committed to what Republicans believe in," she said. "Male or female, it's not going to change what people think."

Arnold said she viewed the reference to Clinton as a clear attempt to attract some of her supporters. "It would be a mistake for Palin to say, 'I'm very similar to Hillary Clinton,' because there are some clear policy differences."

Stacey Newman, executive director of the Missouri Women's Coalition, who served on the leadership council of a state women's group that supported Clinton for president, said that while Palin's nomination is a "big step for women's candidates, what's going to be clear really fast is that she doesn't support women's rights," referring specifically to her stance on abortion.

Newman, who now said she plans to support Obama, added that to attract female supporters, Palin will need to address women's issues such as pay equity and take a stance on anti-violence legislation, a hallmark of Biden's time in the Senate.

"It's insulting to women to think that someone will vote on the sole basis of gender," she said.

If elected, Palin would become the first woman to be vice president. She is only the second from a major party to be nominated.

Said Arnold: "This makes it a historic election no matter who wins."