Kyle Moore at Comments From Left Field writes:
Whether Palin was a good pick or not is not exactly relevant. What is relevant is the nature of John McCain’s decision making in this instance.
Let that simmer with you for a moment. At the first sign of trouble, McCain abandoned his game plan and went instead with a high risk maneuver that thus far seems to have some pay off, but is coming with a high cost.
What does that say about how he’ll behave in the realm of foreign policy? Will he abandon any semblance of a safe and tested plan in favor of a high risk move that will put us and our families in danger? What about terrorism? In a McCain administration, I think that this indicates that instead of pursuing a smart and tough anti-terrorism policy, he would engage in a reckless and reactionary response that would only make us less safe and likely put us in another war.
We can discuss the lack of qualifications for Sarah Palin, and there are plenty, but the biggest problem is that it indicates that John McCain’s temperament and judgment is far below the standards necessary to serve in the Oval Office.
Kyle's one of the smartest unsung observers of U.S. politics in the blogosphere and he's hit a nerve for McCain here. Once the initial rush of stories about Palin subsides, people will be left wondering why McCain tapped her.
Even some of her own Alaskan Republican colleagues admit she's not ready for the Veep slot.
State Senate President Lyda Green said she thought it was a joke when someone called her at 6 a.m. to tell her the news.
"She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president? said Green, a Republican from Palin's hometown of Wasilla. "Look at what she's done to this state. What would she do to the nation?"
It seems to have been one or all of three: 1) a vain attempt to convince Hillary supporters that the should think with their vaginas in the same way men like McCain think with their penises, 2) to shore up McCain's standing with the abortion/hangin'/guns loving and science/polar bear cub hating base, 3) an act of supreme desperation brought on by the Democratic Convention.
None of those possibilities will especially inspire confidence in him as President. But unless McCain comes right out and admit which it was then Americans have to think that, when the going gets tough, McCain will once again pull one of the flakies he's infamous for. Does anyone want to vote for a man who - when facing down Putin, Ahmadinejad or Bin Laden - is likely to just roll the dice and pull a judgment call of Palin quality out of the bag?
