We knew John McCain was superstitious. He carries his lucky coins everywhere. And having a hurricane arrive during your convention on the anniversary week of Katrina might make anybody in his position superstitious.

What we didn't know is that he is a high stakes political gambler.

Certainly he took a huge gamble naming Sarah Palin as his running mate. Judgments on the choice vary. It was driven by desperation. It was a Hail Mary pass. It was a daring political masterstroke. We'll see.

McCain named Palin, 44, the same day he turned 72, highlighting rather than defusing the age issue.

She has been the governor of Alaska, a state with fewer people than most major American cities, less than two years. By comparison, Barack Obama with all of four years in the Senate is almost a wizened political veteran.

That would seem to take the experience issue off the table, especially because her Democratic counterpart, Joe Biden, has been a U.S. senator for 26 years and an extensive background in foreign affairs. Their debate this fall may be the most watched political event of the campaign.

Clearly the Palin choice is aimed at Hillary Clinton supporters who feel cheated by the process. But Palin and Clinton are at the opposite ends of the political spectrum and while a few may vote for Palin determined to get a woman into the White House no matter what she believes it's hard to see them deserting the liberal Democrats great numbers.

As far as the Republican social conservatives and evangelical Christians, so skeptical of McCain, are concerned, she was an inspired choice. She is anti-abortion, pro-gun rights and against gay marriage to name three touchstone issues.

All four of the candidates have compelling autobiographies and Palin's is especially so. A mother of five, married to a blue-collar oilfield worker and snowmobile champion, she worked her way up through local politics -- and this must have appealed to McCain -- regularly taking on an entrenched Republican establishment.

Still, she has never been on the national stage before or faced the full-court-press scrutiny ahead of her. She faces a steep learning curve on national and international issues, and almost dare not make a mistake lest she come across as seriously unqualified. McCain could get away with confusing Shias and Sunnis. She cannot.

Obama took the safe choice with Biden. McCain has gambled the White House on Palin.