She’s a fresh-faced beauty queen with a sparkling smile. She’s also Sen. John McCain’s choice for a vice presidential running mate.

Her name is Sarah Palin and until recently, very few people knew a thing about her. Suddenly, she has brought a touch of celebrity to the Republican Party. Although she doesn’t come close to competing with Barack Obama’s celebrity status, she has invigorated the GOP in a way it hasn’t seen in years.

Palin may have unexpectedly stepped out of the snow and into the spotlight, but that does not make her the smartest choice for McCain’s vice-presidential pick.

Palin, a 44-year-old mother of five, has been governor of Alaska since December 2006. On almost every issue, she scores a homerun with steadfast conservatives. Palin is a fierce pro-life advocate. She opposes same-sex marriage and supports offshore drilling. The former Miss Congeniality believes in the constitutional right to bear arms and is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. She advocates teaching creationism alongside evolution in public schools.

But the very characteristic McCain was banking on to help him beef up his ticket is exactly where she falls short. Palin lacks recognition due to her tremendous lack of experience.

With less than two years experience as Alaska’s governor, Palin has not had enough time to establish herself as a hard-hitting player in the political arena. She may tout a 79 percent approval rating among Alaskans, but she has no national experience.

With McCain recently celebrating his 72nd birthday, many Americans, including faithful members of the right wing, were looking for him to choose a running mate who would be ready to step in if, health-wise, anything were to happen. Palin’s lack of experience only exaggerates concerns about McCain’s age.

With a multitude of other choices, all of whom have had twice the experience and voter base of Palin, the pick was clearly a political ploy. She’s a new and young face. If McCain were to win the White House, Palin would make history as the first female vice president. She is known, among her small Alaskan base, for being a strong ethics reformer, thus she can bring change and end corruption. Does it sound like McCain was taking cues from the Obama campaign?

Instead of appealing to die-hard Hillary Clinton supporters in hopes of gaining their vote, McCain has offended them with this obvious maneuver. Instead of winning over middle class Americans who need to see budget reform, he has turned them off by picking a running mate whose budget balancing abilities remain to be seen.

The circumstances around her 17-year-old daughter’s pregnancy may inevitably help her among pro-life supporters, but scandal immediately following her nomination is not a great way to gain support.

In the end, no matter what voter he was trying to appeal to, McCain’s choice of Palin as a running mate is too big of a risk and will likely cost him any chance he had at the presidency.