Expertinent is a regular Stumper column featuring interviews with experts on the news of the day.  

Graham, to the right of McCain (AP Photo / Stephen Savoia)

ST. PAUL, Minn.--Very few people know John McCain as well as Lindsey Graham. An old friend and confidant, the South Carolina senator has spent more time on the trail with the Republican nominee this cycle--from Southern barbecue joints to Midwestern mill towns--than any other politician (and even some McCain staffers). Earlier this afternoon, Graham graciously agreed to give panel of NEWSWEEK reporters and editors an exclusive look inside McCain's hush-hush vice presidential selection process. As has been reported, Graham lobbied McCain hard in the final hours to choose their mutual friend, Sen. Joe Lieberman, whom he believed would be a "transforming pick." But in the end, McCain tapped Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin instead--surprising even Graham, who found out "for sure" only last Friday, the day of the announcement.

For me, the most fascinating part of the conversation came when Graham delved into Palin's positives, framing her first and foremost as "the right persona for what [McCain] want[s] to do" and "a compelling story" rather than someone who's ready to occupy the Oval Office at a moment's notice--effectively admitting, in other words, that she's a campaign pick rather than a governing pick. Indeed, Graham believes that the recent flurry of negative news about Palin--her teen daughter's pregnancy, her husband's DUI, her ancient fishing violation and especially the "questions" about whether having a child with Down syndrome should prevent her from running for veep--will only accentuate that narrative and redound to her (and the GOP's) benefit. "People can relate to her more than they can relate to the other three," he said. "Her story in many ways reflects modern America, and I'm thinking that's going to help us--warts and all." Also worth noting: how aggressively Graham turns the tables on Obama when asked about Palin's inexperience (something we predicted would happen the day she was unveiled). Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: What does it tell us about John McCain that he met Sarah Palin twice and offered her the job at the end of the first interview?
Lindsey Graham: I think the basic point here is--I underappreciated it a bit--is that John was committed to making a transforming choice. Pawlenty was by everyone's estimation a safe choice, a solid choice. And if he would've been the pick we would've been talking about an accomplished governor of the state of  Minnesota who stuck with John during difficult times and is a solid conservative. But Tim is Tim.

What do you mean by that?
He's a guy. And at the end of the day John was looking at trying to do something different. Lieberman was one road you could go down. I thought that would be a transforming pick. It would be John telling the country that these are unique times and we're all under siege. Everybody in America is threatened by this radical Islamic movement throughout the world. Joe understands it. Joe has been a great ally. I trust him. Party label don't mean what they used to before the war. That's one story.

You know Senator McCain well. Why did he pick Palin?
With her, I think John was drawn ... and trust me, he's been talking about her for quite awhile in bits and pieces. I think he met her back in February sometime at the governor's conference and mentioned to me how impressed he was with her. If you know anything about John and the appropriators and the battles inside the body this makes perfect sense. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. And it just wowed him beyond belief that she would take this group of people on. When you think about it, all the battles between him and Ted [Stevens, the Alaska senator under investigation for corruption] ... he saw in her a lot of himself. The closer we got to having to pick--and the problems you could see going one way versus going the other--I think he was comfortable that she was the right person to send the message he wanted to send.

Did he know enough about her record of reform to be assured? Or was it merely instinct?
I think he knew enough about her confrontations with powerful people in the state to feel like she's the right persona for what I want to do. I don't know if he knew any more about what Tim had done than what she had done. I don't know if he knew any more about what Romney had done in Massachusetts than what she had done. At the end of the day, I think she was ... I honest to God believe it was personal appreciation; chemistry, from the persona that she projects; and what she was willing to do to people in her own party and stand up to corruption. Now compare that to Joe Biden. I love Joe Biden. Everybody likes Joe Biden. But I would argue that he hasn't tried to change the culture in Washington at all when it comes to how we spend money and the way we run the town. Joe Biden is as comfortable as he can be with the way the Congress is operating. We are not.

When did McCain tell you he was going with Palin and what did he say? Tell us about that conversation.
It was pretty late in the process. This was a need-to-know deal. They held this very tight. At the end of the day, it was the reform message that won out. It's the message he feels most comfortable with.

Was it Thursday? They announced it on Friday morning.
I don't know when John made up him mind as to which road to go down, but it was a cliffhanger.

But did you learn Friday morning, the same day everyone else did?
Well, I knew Friday for sure, and we had talks the night before. He held this very close to the vest. I think he was really thinking hard.

What's your sense of where things stand now with all the stuff that's come out over the last day or so?
If this it, we won't be talking about it two weeks from now. Politically, I think what's been accomplished here is that we've energized the base beyond anything I've seen in politics. Not so much just because of her, but for some people [i.e., social conservatives] what didn't happen [i.e., a pro-choice pick]. There's a real sense of relief out there. That said, there are not enough Republicans to win the election. If your model is just to get Republicans fired up, you can't win. They tell me there are about 12 percent of voters who are really undecided. About half of those people are women. With them, I think Governor Palin's personal story is going to connect. When you look at the four people running, I would argue that her story is closer ... that people can relate to her more than they can relate to the other three. Most of us haven't experienced what Joe Biden has experienced. Very few have experienced what John has experienced. And Barack Obama is a unique man--he's had unique experiences. But Governor Palin's story in many ways reflects modern America. I'm thinking that's going to help us--warts and all.

You said "if this is it." That's the big "if" hovering over this convention.
The campaign sent out talking points today about how many pages of forms she filled out and how many lawyers met with her. This idea that John said, "Joe ain't gonna work--what's that lady's name?" That ain't what happened. That's not gonna stick.

But surely your party didn't want to be discussing Palin's daughter's pregnancy on the second day of the convention? What does that say about McCain's management style?
But what is the discussion? Did we know she was pregnant? Yeah, we knew. She knew. It's something that's hard to hide. Would you want to say, here's Governor Palin: great reform governor--and her daughter's pregnant. Is that what you say on the first day? 

Maybe I'm missing something, but what is wrong with what's happening? What if John had said, "No, I'm not going to put you on the ticket because your daughter has this problem"? Most Americans would say, "Whoa, that's unfair." John wouldn't do that. It wouldn't have been right to keep her off the ticket. I think people understand that.

Y'all are playing with fire here if you talk about this too much. You run into the issue of "would you ask this of a man"? Joe Biden lost his wife and his daughter at 29. Was there a real pushback saying, "Joe, you should be home with your two kids that survived"? Joe Biden has proven a couple of things in his life: you can overcome tragedy, raise wonderful kids and be a good senator. Quite frankly, that's what I'm saying. America does not want to hear this. There are elements in America who do, sure, but most Americans have enough going on in their family life--you have a Down syndrome child, the support network for vice president is pretty large. What about the mother and father out there with a Down syndrome child who both have to work? That's where America is at. The idea that she shouldn't go to work because of this is not an option for a lot of people, and they don't want to hear folks say that she should be put in a box and not allowed to fulfill her dreams. The American people can handle this--because a lot of Americans are handling this.

You've focused for years on foreign policy. Are you comfortable that Governor Palin knows enough about world affairs to take over the presidency at a moment's notice?
That's why I want Barack to lose--because I'm not comfortable with him. I'm very comfortable with her. The basic argument that I would make is that John has set the bar very high for Obama. I think that most us would agree, whether we like John or not, that his lengthy experience in the area of foreign policy is right up there at the top with American political leaders. But I think Obama was wrong about Russia and Georgia, he was wrong about Iran and he was wrong about the surge. So when people ask me if she's ready, I say, "Compared to who?" Let's look at what we know about her and what we know about Barack Obama and see if she's as ready as he is. And I would argue absolutely yes. Domestically, she's much closer to where the American people are. She understands energy much better, she's been right on taxes, she's been a true reformer and not a just good speechgiver. And in the arena of foreign policy, she will have John McCain's team around her. Ultimately, she will be able to make these decisions much better than Obama has, because what he has done in decision-making so far has been unnerving. I'd like to have that debate every day between now and Nov. 4. Who's best prepared to be president: Sarah Palin or Barack Obama?