Palin Appoints Pro-Choicer to State Surpeme Court

So Sarah Palin surprised everyone again by appointing a former Planned Parenthood board member to Alaska's Supreme Court. From the Anchorage Daily News:

Last week, without explaining why, Palin took the unusual step of asking the Judicial Council to send her all information it had on the two finalists, Christen and Palmer Superior Court Judge Eric Smith.

The council nominated them from a slate of six applicants. It takes four council votes for a candidate to be sent to the governor. None of the other candidates received any votes.

The head of the Alaska Family Council -- a Christian pro-family, anti-abortion group -- on Wednesday sent an e-mail to thousands of people asking them to urge Palin to pick Smith, not Christen.

Perhaps I'm being far too cynical, but I tend to think that Palin selected this woman, only the second to ever sit on Alaska's Supreme Court, to reinforce her "mavrickyness" and paint herself as more moderate for a potential 2012 run.