What a week! Mc Cain’s choice of Sarah Palin seemed, at first, purely political to me—a calculated choice designed more to improve McCain’s chances of snagging more female voters—than it was guided by the principle that a vice presidential choice is or should be fundamentally about governing. And its announcement certainly soaked up all post-convention buzz about Obama’s speech and whether he sufficiently answered the vexing question of his “specifics.” Now, after a day and evening, and after reading a few columns and listening intermittently to the cable pundits, Mc Cain’s announcement has me more depressed than anything else. If McCain wanted to offer the vice presidential spot to a woman, then why not offer it to a Republican woman who actually has the depth of experience that would enhance his claim that experience is vital—-as well as change? Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison never crossed his mind? Or Senator Olympia Snowe? Imagine the excitement and the respect either choice would have garnered. And imagine—crazy, I know—-that news analysts might actually be comparing Hutchison’s or Snowe’s knowledge/experience with national domestic issues; foreign policy or the economy to those of Senator Biden’s. But instead of selecting a qualified candidate to run with him, McCain selects a neophyte. I mean no disrespect to Gov. Palin; however, her experience—now as a governor of a sparely populated state [about 600,00] and previously as a mayor of an extremely small town —-is woefully inadequate preparation to be selected as a vice presidential candidate. Seriously. The most important criteria of any vice president is the ability to assume, in a moment, the Presidency. Times never get any easier; the position never becomes any less complicated; the stakes never get lower. In recent history, more than a few vice presidents have had to do that: Truman, Johnson, Ford. No one can assume that any president will finish a term, or that a vice presidential choice’s main impact is about grabbing a news cycle rather than governing. McCain showed some trait—I don’t know whether it’s rashness, thoughtlessness, or disingenuousness—-to pick Gov Palin as his running mate. He showed a fundamental disregard for the American people to make the claim that she’s ready to assume the presidency. And Palin’s acceptance of the nomination shows hubris. And we’ve had too much of all of those traits over the past eight years to serve our country well. One of the most important traits of any President is judgment. And McCain’s decision in the first “important” judgment as a candidate showed a staggering lack of it.

yup we all need to be nicer and give this woman a good looking over just like we did for Obama—-remember they are all politicians and they are all millionares and they all have an agenda………….both sides….

Palin’s accomplishments seem to be limited to fighting corruption in Alaska which is a significant issue for Alaskans and explains her high popularity rating in the state. Corruption is a straightforward issue - you either break the law or you don’t. The main issues facing our country, e.g. the economy, Iraq, the healthcare crisis, etc. are not so straightforward.

WoW indeed! I stumbled right into a goldmine of great topics and discussions. I love this site…and I’m not even gay, Whoopi! Personally, I think Palin is very easy on the eyes which was probably a factor in their decision. However, I don’t think this whole thing will stick with the public because McCain’s main argument against Barack was that he doesn’t have experience, but now he picks a VP that doesn’t have experience…..can anyone explain that logic to me? Limbaugh likes her because she likes guns, is athletic, and is pro-life…strangest reasoning I’ve ever heard as far as political pre-requisites go. Anyway, congratulations for her, I’m sure she didn’t expect this at all a year ago. Doesn’t sway my vote though, but good stunt by the GOP. Thanks for the great blog Whoopi! You’re the greatest!