Pluses:
New face, not a Washington insider, Maverick in the Alaskan Republican party, Pro-Life and lives by her convictions, pro-energy independence.

Minuses:
An unknown in the national scene; not sure how smart she is: maybe very smart or Dan Quayle smart; don't know if she can handle pressure; don't know if she can handle the rigours of a national campaign; don't know how she'll do on the debate; can she talk about national economics, Iraq, the Middle east, Russia and Georgia; is a creationist.

Overall, it was a radical choice so the change mantra is not unique to Obama anymore, but neither is the inexperience mantra. If she can handle the exposure of the press in the next week, and campaigning in the next two weeks, she may be alright. We'll have to see.