Sarah Palin is not a good choice. She's still only into her first term as a Governor, and I hate to say it, but she'd get murdered by the press if she were put into the national spotlight. She's still best known here for being a former mayor and prom queen. Yes, she's world's better then our last Republican governor, but he was so bad his successor had nowhere to go but up (Bush syndrome).
She's unknown to the rest of the country, she's from Alaska, which is solidly Republican (and puny) anyways, and besides having breasts and ovaries has no qualifications for being on the big ticket.
Also, my Midwestern gf swears that Pawlenty is not so well liked in his own state, so maybe he's not the savior of McCain's presidential campaign either.