How well should a Presidential candidate know his VP?

Everyone has been shocked at John McCain's pick for VP. Call it a cynical move if you want (because it is) but it shows the Republican candidate still deserves his reputation as a maverick.

On the plus side, Palin's conservative credentials will go down well with Republican voters and go some way to shore up McCain's perceived lukewarm anti-abortion stance. Her plucky backstory of mother of five's meteoric rise to the top may attract some voters who otherwise would have gone for Hilary Clinton. On the downside, her inexperience and the tokenism of her selection may repel as many swing voters as it does attract.

The most amazing revelation to me though is that McCain has only met his running mate once, and that six months ago. Does it matter that he hardly knows her? I suppose his team will have briefed him but that cannot make up for getting to know a potential candidate personally. Palin's selection is truly a gamble but does at least keeps the Democrats guessing and hence on their toes.