I'm still trying to wrap my head around the Palin pick to be honest.  While I understand how excited she has made the Conservative pick... at the same time it undercuts some of McCain's strongest arguments against Obama... particularly the inexperience one.  Maybe it has worked in his favor as every time Democrats bring up her relative inexperience, it serves to highlight Obama's same faults.  Or, perhaps found that his earlier ads going after his inexperience and celebrity status weren't polling well.  That would certainly explain gaffes like this:

Local Republicans ran out of tickets Monday afternoon for the rally, scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. in the F&M Alumni Sports & Fitness Center, and many people were turned away disappointed. More than 6,500 people are expected to attend the rally. Parked outside GOP headquarters at 902 Columbia Ave. was the new 39-foot "Pennsylvania Straight Talk Express" RV, complete with a picture of McCain on its side.
...
Originally scheduled to be a townhall-style event where audience members could ask questions, campaign organizers changed today's appearance to a rally after it was announced Palin, the governor of Alaska, would attend. No audience interaction is expected to take place.

"Coming off the convention, there's this almost rock star sort of an enthusiasm which is out there," said Dave Dumeyer, chairman of the local GOP. "You try to maximize that the best you can. A townhall-style meeting matches McCain's personal style, but with her on the ticket, the throngs just want to hear her, just want to see her."

A new RV with pictures on the side... kind of like a band tour bus perhaps?  "Rock star enthusiasm"?  "Throngs who just want to see her"?  And all of this coming from someone inside the GOP.  This seems to me to be the biggest case of, "If you can't beat them, then join them" attitude I've ever seen.  Like I said... the earlier ads must not have polled that well.

Link via Reason.