By Masudur Rahman

Senior Reporter

By now, I’m sure everyone has heard that John McCain has picked Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate.

This news shook up the 2008 presidential race and surprised many, not only because most people had no idea who Palin was, but also because it marks the second time that a woman has been a vice-presidential candidate for a major U.S. political party since 1984 Geraldine Ferraro, who ran with Walter Mondale on the Democratic ticket but was defeated by Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

I have to admit, when McCain was the presumptive nominee, I really wasn’t too excited about him and didn’t think that I was going to vote Republican. My gut feeling was that he flip-flopped on several issues, making him a little bit untrustworthy.

And now that he’s the official nominee, my feelings about him still remain the same, but one thing made me excited about the prospect of voting Republican this November, Sarah Palin, because she is a MILVF: a mother I’d love to vote for.

Palin is an incredibly attractive 44-year-old woman (yes, three years younger than Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama). She’s been the governor of Alaska and was the mayor of the small town of Wasilla a few years before that.

But enough about her political experience. I’d rather talk about her looks.

Palin is a rare breed of female politicians: attractive.

She also falls under that rare breed of females who get more attractive as they get older. A quick Google search will show that as a young woman, she didn’t look like someone who most people would consider “hot.” But as the years progressed, she became more and more beautiful. And somewhere along the way, she added on a pair of glasses that make her even sexier. I can’t imagine how much prettier she can get in four years, but it’s safe to say that she’ll be quite a sight for sore eyes.

Even though I’m not a big fan of McCain, I think we all should vote Republican in the presidential election, because Palin needs to be elected as the vice president.

Almost all of us are sick of hearing about the current wars, possible future wars and the economy nonstop for the last few years. The reason why I think we’re so bored of political talk is because it’s usually men talking and there’s a limit to how long we can look at those men’s faces without our brains turning off. But if Palin is elected as vice president, we’ll have something to look at while we hear boring political speeches.

And I apologize to Hillary Clinton fans, but this is something that Clinton just could not have accomplished. I’m not saying that Clinton is unattractive, only that the years seem to have taken a much greater toll on her than on Palin. Also, shapely skirts make men more attentive than pantsuits do.

I don’t think I’m being too misogynistic here, because I’m not saying that looks are all Palin brings to the table. Her record shows that she also holds up her end of the bargain as a politician and a public servant. As mayor, even though she left Wasilla millions of dollars in debt and secured more than $27 million in earmarks from the federal government, she did manage to cut property taxes and build a hockey rink. And as governor, even though she requested millions of dollars in earmarks from Congress, she did push for ethics reform in Alaska.

But what impressed me most about Palin was her stint as chairwoman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, where she exposed the corruption and abuse of power of several Republican officials.

People looking for a key to my heart, take note — there’s nothing sexier than someone who fights corruption and injustice.

Some people question her ability to serve as vice president because she has five children, including a 4-month-old boy with Down Syndrome. I say that it makes her all the more impressive, holding public office while keeping track of her children.

Of course, it’s impossible to keep track of all her children, as was proved with the revelation a few weeks ago that her 17-year-old unwed daughter Bristol is five months pregnant. Because of this, some people question Sarah Palin’s ability as a mother and a teacher of family values. Other people think that it’s ironic that Sarah supports the federal funding of abstinence-only education in schools, and opposes funding of comprehensive sex education that would teach schoolchildren about condoms and birth control pills and other safe sex measures.

But for me, the implication of this news is far simpler. Come November, Sarah Palin could be a GILVF: a grandmother I’d love to vote for.