McCain knows about task saturation and channelized attention.
and brilliant stealth. If this was leaked out even a few days too early, Palin pick would be old news and obama probably would not have picked Biden. By keeping it a secret even from intrade until right after obama’s big speech, he managed to completely wipe out coverage and reinforcement of that sensation. Obama is now stuck with a dud for VP and no convention bounce.
When you're older than dirt, that part's automatic.
It never occurred to me that fighter-pilot skills might come in handy in directing a presidential campaign. But it seems to be serving McCain quite well. Could it be that it will serve a sitting president even better?