Another brilliant McCain decision

Color me very unimpressed. Only McCain knows for sure why he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate, but for the life of me, I can't figure it. She adds nothing to the ticket - zero - for any undecided who was looking for a reason to vote for him.

Normally, I believe that running mates sway very few voters. However, Dick Cheney, the most powerful (and worst) vice president in U.S. history, has potentially forever changed how veeps will be viewed. Not only that, but McCain's age certainly has to be an issue at least in the back of some voters' minds. On Friday, the same day that Palin was announced, McCain turned 72 years old. As much as he wants to dismiss people's concerns about his age, it cannot and should not go away as a campaign issue, especially considering his choice of Palin.

I'm still laughing about his choice, actually. We've no bigger criticism from the right in the past six months than Obama's inexperience. Now, after all of that, McCain picks a running mate who's greatest claim to fame is being governor of Alaska for two years? Before that, she was mayor of a town with a population of about 7,000. Okay, so much for the experience argument.

On some levels, I do understand the choice of Palin, though. From what I've read so far, she's vehemently pro-life, pro-gun and pro drilling. McCain is still not trusted by the far right, and this pick was certainly an attempt to reach out to them. Too bad for those far right voters that Palin won't be signing the bills into law (or vetoing), nor setting policy in the administration.

As I type these words this morning, I'm watching Meet the Press, and all of the talking heads are buzzing about Palin. So, since Palin, like all Alaskans, is in favor of oil drilling, she's some sort of an energy expert? Gimme a break. The distortions about domestic drilling have just begun by Republicans and Big Oil, believe me.

An interview was just run on MTP where Palin is endlessly pimping the value of Alaskan oil, and she's babbling about how safe it is to drill there. Again, and I've been writing this for some time - two words: Exxon Valdez. And the Obama campaign should be clubbing the Republicans over the head with this issue. Not only did the Valdez oil spill happen, but Big Oil (in this case, ExxonMobile) has fought compensating the people of Alaska tooth and nail whose livelihoods the spill destroyed. Biden should go on the offensive and make her defend ExxonMobile against the people of Alaska when the vice presidential candidates debate. (And Obama should do the same thing.)

Furthermore, Palin is on record as saying during an interview on July 31, 2008 that she "doesn't know exactly what the vice president does," which is also pretty hilarious.

My thoughts on her is that she has many good qualities, but I could never consider voting for anyone even remotely politically like her. This is McCain's pathetic attempt to reach out to evangelical Christian voters, as well as disenchanted Hillary Clinton supporters. In a way, I view it as a slap in the face of Clinton's supporters. What does McCain think is going to happen - Hillary's supporters will just say, "Ooo, there's another woman we can vote for!"? Any, and I do mean any woman who really wanted Hillary to win the nomination couldn't possibly favor Palin - she's almost 180 degrees opposite of where Hillary is politically.

Bring on the GOP convention - it should be another interesting week politically, especially considering the backdrop will be another major hurricane - Gustav - hitting the lower 48 in the next few days. If the Obama campaign carefully words it, I would put out some ads highlighting the Bush administration's criminal incompetence during Hurricane Katrina, especially considering that Bush was busy celebrating McCain's birthday with him in Arizona when Katrina stormed ashore three years ago.

I pray and weep for the people on the Gulf Coast in the coming days, but I will really fear for all of us if McCain and Paulin win on Nov. 4.