Around Anchorage and the state, people watched 24-hour news channels, switched the dials on their radios and hit refresh on their computers to keep abreast of the national buzz.

Nearly everyone had an opinion.

Some praised Palin's ability as an effective leader, a popular governor who fought big oil and finally made progress on a gas pipeline project. Others said she doesn't have the needed experience or knowledge on national issues, particularly foreign policy and the economy.

Outside Costco in East Anchorage, Dr. Thomas Green and his wife, Irene, loaded groceries into the back of a pickup. "We are very happy with Governor Palin," said Green, who also happened to be the military doctor who examined Palin's son, Track, now 19, for his entrance into the Army last year.

"She may help sway Hillary's lady folk," he said. "And, this stuff about being inexperienced, they can't knock Sarah that way, not from the Obama campaign."

Several spaces away from him in the parking lot, Mike Bonito was getting out of a truck on his way into the store. Bonito is brother-in-law to Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, who on Tuesday won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

"It's going to be great for Alaska," he said of the Palin pick. "If she does get in there, I'm sure she's going to be pushing for a lot of issues that are really important for us Alaskans."

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Filed under: * Economics, Politics • US Presidential Election 2008

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