Sarah Palin

AGE: 45
OCCUPATION: Governor of Alaska
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 0

PRO: Her VP nomination — along with her steamrolling convention address and ratings-breaking debate — revitalized the GOP's slumping self-image. By 2012, she could be a presidential contender or a red-state Oprah.

CON: What some see as from-the-gut straight talk, others see as ill-informed prattling. And we'll always wonder how John McCain would have fared had he not chosen a nominee who looked like the most famous female comedian in the country.

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