The difference is that McCain is desperate to gain women's votes. Obama isn't. McCain's chief competition also wasn't a woman. It's a pandering move b/c it's reaching out to a part of the constituency that was largely ignored; women were not ignored in the Democratic race.
VP nominations are designed to be pandering, political moves. This makes sense.
Yes, but even by that standard, this one is remarkable.
Welcome to a world where blacks and women are viable contenders. While having equal opportunity for candidates is obviously a step in the right direction, we're seeing the unfortunate side effects.