Palin wasn't McCain's first choice -- Lieberman was.

In case you missed this:

ABC's Jan Crawford Greenburg reports: It wasn't until Sunday night that John McCain, after meeting with his four top advisers, finally decided he could not tap independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut to be his running mate. One adviser, tasked with taking the temperature of the conservative base, had strongly made the case to McCain that it would be a disaster for the party and that the base would revolt. McCain concluded he could not go that route.

So the man McSame thought would make the best vice president was vetoed by his fundie base. And he caved.

But he's very Mavericky!