Well, that's a relief...

Palin had to choose a choicer:

But Mrs. Palin ultimately chose Judge Christen and said "I have every confidence that Judge Christen has the experience, intellect, wisdom and character to be an outstanding Supreme Court Justice."

"When we looked into it, we felt Morgan Christen was probably the one who would be most in opposition to our issues," AFC President Jim Minnery said. "From everything we could tell, even though he was probably not in line with our values, he was the lesser of two evils."

He admitted, however, that Mrs. Palin was "backed into a corner" by the state's system for selecting judges, known as the "Missouri Plan." Alaska's constitution requires an independent panel to vet and then submit choices to the governor when positions on the court open up. The only names the panel submitted for consideration were Judge Christen and Mr. Smith - neither an obvious conservative choice.

"She didn't have the ability to go out and pick anyone she wanted," said Palin communications director Bill McAllister.