Sarah, Small and Pale

In his first major decision as a presidential candidate, Republican John McCain (BushBitch-AZ) fell flat on his face, proving to every American from Florida to Alaska that he has no intention of governing as his "Country First" campaign slogan suggests. While some in the mainstream media are praising the selection, many political pundits and bloggers - of both the left and the right - call this move for exactly what it is: a really bad, very political, and highly cynical pick. Sarah Palin is nowher near ready for the vice-presidency (and by extension obviously, the presidency)...not by a long shot. As it is, she's barely ready for the job she currently holds.

Various reactions from around the "inter-web"...

Think about what the Palin pick really says about how McCain views this campaign and how he views his potential responsibilities in national security.

Think about how he picked a woman to be a heartbeat away from a war presidency who hadn't even thought much, by her own admission, about the Iraq war as late as 2007.

Think about the men and women serving this country who have every right to trust that their potential commander-in-chief, whatever their party, would have some record of even interest in foreign policy before assuming office.

This is his sense of honor and judgment. This is his sense of responsibility and service.

Here's the real slogan the McCain campaign should now adopt:

Putting. Country. Last.

-Andrew Sullivan, author of "The Conservative Soul."

The longer I think about it, the less well this selection sits with me. And I increasingly doubt that it will prove good politics. The Palin choice looks cynical. The wires are showing.

John McCain wanted a woman: good.

He wanted to keep conservatives and pro-lifers happy: naturally.

He wanted someone who looked young and dynamic: smart.

But maybe...it will reinforce a theme that I'd be pounding home if I were the Obama campaign: that it's John McCain for all his white hair who represents the risky choice, while it is Barack Obama who offers cautious, steady, predictable governance.

But question: If it were your decision, and you were putting your country first, would you put an untested small-town mayor a heartbeat away from the presidency?

-David Frum, conservative blogger at the National Review.

Senator John McCain’s choice of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate is irresponsible. Senator McCain has repeatedly said that he puts his country first, not his ambition. This is an example of raw ambition. She has no experience outside of Alaska, one of our least populated states. And the experience she does have as governor amounts to less than two years. Governor Palin is not prepared to be “a heartbeat away” from the presidency. Mr. McCain has made a mockery of his own campaign and of his party.

-Elizabeth Rounds of San Francisco, in a letter published in today's New York Times

And then there is the fact that John McCain doesn't even know Sarah Palin. He met her twice before asking her to join the ticket, and all evidence points to the fact that he didn't look into her all that well. Uber-blogger Josh Marshall has been all over the Palin "Trooper-gate" scandal that is brewing up in Alaska...

Gov. Palin is in the thick of her own very Bush era scandal over her attempts to have her ex-brother-in-law fired as a state trooper, using her clout as governor. Now we've learned she's invoked the Alaska version of executive privilege to withhold emails dealing with the case.

Finally, Palin seems to be quite the bitch. Here she is cackling as a conservative radio host rakes a fellow Republican over the coals...



I highly suggest you scroll down Josh's blog and learn about the controversy over the firing. Between that and the readiness issue, it is plainly obvious that John McCain jumped the shark with this selection. As Sullivan pointed out, this isn't putting country first. In fact, it's putting country last.