The more I think about McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin, the more I doubt this really was an off-the-cuff moment for McCain. Sure, Palin, the world, and most everyone in McCain’s inner sanctum—except perhaps a handful—had no idea this was coming. But I think that Sarah Palin has been on McCain’s radar for some time and more than peripherally.

If this is the case, than Palin’s pick could very well be one of the most thought out, strategized, far-sighted political maneuvers in history.

Think about it: For the past several months Obama has been positioning himself as a dramatic agent of change.  The themes of “Change” and “Hope” have been his bread and butter. His outsider past—as weak as it is—has been pushed front and center. In response, McCain countered by pointing out Obama’s obvious experience defect. What this did was get Obama slightly off message which resulted in his choosing of Joe Biden, an entrenched Washington insider, as his running mate to counter the “lack of experience” argument. What Obama did was flinch at a McCain right fake. Sarah Palin is follow-up left hook.

You don’t fake with a right then follow-up with a left hook without thinking about it. It takes time to set the opponent up.

Rightly or wrongly, for many people across the nation, the “experience” argument is not as important as “Change” (“Hope” being empty rhetoric). Where Obama gets it wrong is his belief that Middle America is willing to buy an establishment Democratic Party as an agent of change simply because the Democrats are not Republicans. But for many Middle Americans the change needs to occur with the establishment, whether Democrats or Republicans. Obama’s flinch was picking an establishment insider from one of the most unpopular institutions in American history.

For years the MSM has buttressed McCain’s anti-establishment, independent streak. McCain’s follow-up left hook was picking an anti-establishment, unknown, independent minded governor with an 80-plus percent approval rating in her home state.

In just a matter of days, McCain has seized the mantle of “Change”, something that does matter to many in Middle America, by demonstrating a true willingness to think and act outside of the establishment. All of this while maintaining his obvious edge with “experience”. Obama has lost credibility as an agent of change while now relegated to talking about “experience”.

Brilliant.