A month ago, I would have flunked a social studies pop quiz that included the question: Who is the governor of Alaska?

Frankly, I had no idea and probably would have scribbled something stupid.

Now, of course, there are many correct answers to this question. Here are a few:

n Sarah Palin.

n The woman whom John McCain, in a shameless gesture to entice Hillary supporters, picked to be his vice-presidential running mate on the Republican ticket.

n The hot chick standing beside a swimming pool wearing a red, white and blue bikini and holding a high-powered rifle.

I’m sure that some of these pictures are fake, created by liberal Photoshop wizards. But it didn’t take long for photos of Gov. Palin to start popping up in e-mail inboxes all over the world. If Al Gore did indeed invent the Internet, he must be pleased that Democrats are using it to such lengths.

The first one I received was obviously a party photo. There’s the governor of Alaska standing in a kitchen with a glass of wine on the counter, showing plenty of cleavage in her light blue blouse and plenty of leg in her short, tight black skirt. Oh, and she’s wearing black, spiked high heels to complete the outfit.

I realize it’s the latest trend now for politicians to appear on Leno and Letterman. However, it might be more appropriate for Gov. Palin to schedule her first television appearance with Stacy and Clinton on “What Not to Wear.”

Another image of Gov. Palin is actually a T-shirt. The front of the shirt has two pictures: one showing Ms. Palin sighting down the scope of what looks like an M-16 rifle, and the other — a more candid, relaxed moment — showing her leaning up against a full-dresser Harley-Davidson.

The caption underneath the two photos reads, “Machine guns and motorcycles… Hell, Yeah!”

If you think I’m making fun of John McCain’s vice-presidential choice, you’re right. But I also think it was a brilliant move by a guy who needed a political lift. In fact, I don’t think Sen. McCain could have chosen a better running mate.

Face it, Democrats can secretly distribute all the embarrassing pictures of Sarah Palin they want, but they can’t publicly make fun of her. She has an unmarried, pregnant daughter, but they can’t question her parenting skills. If the Democrats breathe one word of criticism about her character, it will backfire. If the media ask tough questions, they will be seen as bullies.

In one fell swoop, Sen. McCain has put Democratic candidates Barack Obama and … er … oh, you know, that guy who’s his running mate … Joe something or other … on the defensive.

Anyway, millions of women voters are disappointed that Hillary Clinton didn’t gain the Democratic nomination. The Republicans offered them a viable alternative.

Gov. Palin may not have the political pedigree of Mrs. Clinton, but neither does she carry Hillary’s political baggage, which includes a former president of a husband who so lusts for another crack at occupying the White House that he seemed determined to shove his wife down our throats.

It remains to be seen whether Gov. Palin’s presence on the ticket is enough to sway huge chunks of voters to the Republican camp. But at least for now, everybody’s buzzing about Sen. McCain’s candidacy.

Just a month ago, he was in danger of being an afterthought and an also-ran.

Steve Booher’s column runs on Monday.