Experts: Palin chosen for women's votes

— -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain's surprise pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate is an attempt to court women still angry after the most promising female presidential candidate in history lost a bruising Democratic primary, strategists in both parties agree.

The debate is over whether it will work.

By making Palin just the second woman to win a spot on a major party's presidential ticket, McCain has "clearly served notice that this campaign is going to wage a strong effort for women voters," Ann Lewis, a senior adviser to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, told USA TODAY. Clinton lost the Democratic nomination battle to Barack Obama and is now urging her supporters to back the Democratic standard-bearer.

The historic nature of Palin's selection put Democrats in a bind, one that was vividly illustrated by the two contrasting statements the Obama campaign put out after McCain introduced his running mate to a boisterous rally in Dayton, Ohio.

One, issued in the name of the Democratic presidential candidate and his running mate, Joe Biden, was congratulatory, calling Palin's selection "another encouraging sign that old barriers are falling in politics."

A separate statement from Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton offered a harsh critique of Palin's credentials, saying McCain "put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency."

Clinton herself lauded the choice while maintaining her ideological criticism of the McCain campaign.

"We should all be proud of Gov. Sarah Palin's historic nomination, and I congratulate her and Senator McCain," Clinton said in a statement. "While their policies would take America in the wrong direction, Gov. Palin will add an important new voice to the debate."

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, brushed off the criticism of Palin, whom she said has "risen to every challenge." Murkowski's praise is significant because she's the daughter of former Alaska governor Frank Murkowski, whom Palin defeated in the 2006 primary. "She's a tough Alaska woman," Murkowski said of Palin.