All week the Dems have been telling us that McCain doesn't have good judgement. His first presidential decision—picking a running mate—confirms it. Meet Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska (44) who reaches us across that bridge from nowhere.
Ooh, look a woman. Oh, so mavericky. Guess that'll stick it to Obama for not picking Hillary. Hey, PUMAs (all seventeen of you)! You were right. McCain is the one, isn't he? (PUMAs here's your essay question: compare and contrast Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton. I think McCain just insulted you. Big time.)
The Constitution defines only two responsilities for the Vice President: To preside over the Senate and to succeed the President in the case of death or resignation.
Get that? A Vice President needs to be prepared to be President. Go work on the concept of President Palin for a while. I'll wait.
Back? The big case that McCain is making against Obama is that he's not qualified for the job. Get out your balance scale, boys and girls. Put Obama's qualifications on one pan, Palin's on the other. Can McCain say with a straight face (or even with his crypt-keeper's forced grin) that Palin is ready but Obama is not? Well, maybe he can. But that goes right to the issue of his judgement.
If (G-d forbid) McCain becomes president... and if (G-d forbid) Palin has to succeed, her only hope would be to appoint Cheney as Vice President and follow the GWB model. (Just kidding. A Vice Presidential appointment must be approved by a majority of both houses of Congress.)
Mickeleh's Take: First decisions: McCain goes for the PUMA bait. Obama goes for someone with deep knowledge of domestic and international affairs. Are you scoring this at home?
I've just made a movie of this post. You'll find it here.
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16 comments:
Well, Obama and McCain both sacrificed one of their best argument to the VP choice:
Obama blew the famous "change the old politics [of old people] in Washington by selecting the Washington's Veteran Biden;
And now, McCain blew the experience thing to Palin...
I'm wondering what they will talk about in the debates.... oh wait. They'll talk about the issues.
Great!
The fact that you believe it was a nod to PUMA show's the transparency and the difficulties Democrats will have to discredit her beliefs, experience, and record.
It could've been called a tie had Obama's campaign not felt compelled to make such a quick reponse regarding his take on McCain's decision for a running mate. Since they did, the score here looks like 2-1, McCain.
The Bridge to Nowhere seems a fair metric. Score: Sen.Obama voted for it, Gov.Palin killed it. Look it up.
@eggsoregano
I did look it up. Not so clear that it was Gov. Palin that killed it. (Even though she had a neat soundbite this morning to say that she did. Starting off with a bit of spin?).
For one thing, the Governor was in favor of it when it was under consideration in Congress. For another, the bridge earmark was so widely ridiculed, that by the time the appropriations were passed, it was no longer an earmark for the bridge, but it went into Alaska's general fund. Here's what she actually wrote, when she dropped the bridge project:
""Ketchikan desires a better way to reach the airport, but the $398 million bridge is not the answer. Despite the work of our congressional delegation, we are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge project, and it's clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and Gravina Island. Much of the public's attitude toward Alaska bridges is based on inaccurate portrayals of the projects here. But we need to focus on what we can do, rather than fight over what has happened."
Source: The New Republic
@christophe maximin
It will prove much easier for the old hand Biden to sign on to Obama's program than it will for new hand Palin to gain presidential stature.
@adam m
Her beliefs are her own business and, provided she doesn't want to impose them on me or undermine the teaching of science in our schools, I'm not interested in discrediting them.
Her record is fine. Short, but fine. Gotta ask did McCain put Country First and find the most qualified person to step into the presidency. Or did he calculate a choice to avoid losing an election. Just saying.
@webpixie
You calling the game after the first two rounds? Watch how this plays out.
@jim
The Obama camp DID congratulated her:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/30/2350843.htm
n the same note Mickeleh, you cannot argue against her ability to lead a country based on experience when you support Obama.
I love everything that I read about her. Yes I agree she hugely lacking in experience and that McCain is reaching out to Hillary supporters. But Clinton now has congratulated her for her nomination (something Obama's camp should have done) and seemed to make it pretty clear that she's (Clinton) cracking open a door for 2012.
One final note, at least the republican ticket has the experience in the proper order
@jim
I'm not arguing against her experience. I'm saying that appointing her kills McCain's ability to play the experience card against Obama. In fact, Politico quotes a top McCain official saying, “I think we’re going to have to examine our tag line, ‘dangerously inexperienced,’”
Get that? A Vice President needs to be prepared to be President. Go work on the concept of President Palin for a while. I'll wait.
Sorry Michael, I took that line as a arguing her lack of experience.
Actually still do
I'd call it a lack of preparation. Recent interviews indicate she's not sure what a V.P does, doesn't know much about Iraq. There's no indication that she knows much beyond Alaska.
In fact, while campaigning in Pennsylvania: "It's great to see another part of the country"
It's funny to compare to international guys such as BHO and Biden to her...
But as the comedian Steve Doocey said, "She knows about international affairs, because she's up there in Alaska, right next to Russia!"
Hahahahahahaha.
Damn, he's good.
I think Palin has been very consistent on the bridge. She was in favor of the highway, wanted the $300m for Alaska but felt the bridge was excessive. At the end of the day: the highway is being built, Alaska got the $300m and the bridge is not being built.
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