Few strategists believed that John McCain had any optimal choices arrayed before him as potential running mates.

So with the curtain about to rise on the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee had a difficult and high-stakes decision to make as the conventioneers across the political aisle went home.

In the surprise selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, he has sacrificed some tactical options but gained others. The challenge will lie in presenting Palin in a way that capitalizes on her strengths.

McCain is clearly underscoring his reputation as a maverick in selecting a woman, and that might burnish his appeal among voters who like an independent streak. The choice also may unsettle the Democratic attack squad, who surely had been gunning for the presumed front-runners, such as Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty.

Those were short-term advantages. The opposition quickly got up to speed on the newcomer to the national stage, or soon will be primed.

What McCain needs to do is to quickly settle on a long-term battle plan for the ticket, deploying Palin for tasks that align with his goals rather than distract from them.

For starters, he should caution the governor against making more overt plays for disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters, who almost certainly noted her invoking of the "glass-ceiling" mantra and heard the clang of insincerity. Clinton backers may hesitate to shift their support to Barack Obama because of his perceived inexperience; they are unlikely to see Palin, who is less versed on national and international issues than Obama, as a suitable substitute.

Palin is a social conservative — a fierce opponent of abortion rights, a bedrock issue for most Clintonites. Her tolerance of domestic partner benefits for her state's gay and lesbian employees represents the most tepid support, given that the state high court ordered it done. That can't sit very well with the most socially liberal of Clinton voters.

It would show far greater political savvy if she concentrated on the genuine assets she brings to the campaign.

• In Palin's brief tenure as governor, she has positioned herself as an agent of change, and this should help McCain counter the Democrats' charge that he will simply perpetuate Bush administration policies.

• She is a staunch fiscal conservative, an opponent of federal pork-barrel politics. This resonates nicely with McCain's own positions on the stump and in Congress.

• Palin has championed the development of Alaskan energy resources, which will add authenticity to McCain's platform on American energy independence.

• Her own family — denizens of small-town Alaska, with her eldest son assigned to an Iraq tour — should be well received for solid red-state values. McCain, with a long record as a moderate, does have to dispel the misgivings the GOP conservative base has about his candidacy.

She will need to be carefully coached on matters of foreign policy before she goes up against her Democratic rival for the No. 2 slot, Sen. Joe Biden, who is infinitely more versed on the complexities of statecraft.

The fact that she's the first GOP woman to be tapped as a presidential running mate is, indeed, a significant historical footnote. But since Democrat Geraldine Ferraro beat her to that punch more than 20 years ago, it's best not to oversell her as a feminist heroine.

The Republicans need to spotlight the person she is rather than the figurehead she is not.