What Judgement?
If the first major judgement call a Presidential candidate makes is the Vice Presidential pick, then John McCain's judgement needs to be seriously questioned.
In Alaska, several state leaders and local officials said they knew of no efforts by the McCain campaign to find out more information about Ms. Palin before the announcement of her selection, Although campaigns are typically discreet when they make inquiries into potential running mates, officials in Alaska said Monday they thought it was peculiar that no one in the state had the slightest hint that Ms. Palin might be under consideration.
As I surmised earlier, the Republican Party Machine is so right wing that McCain's real choices for VP, Lieberman or Ridge, were nixed in the last five days. Only then did they start vetting Palin.
But both men favor abortion rights, anathema to the Christian conservatives who make up a crucial base of the Republican Party. As word leaked out that Mr. McCain was seriously considering the men, the campaign was bombarded by outrage from influential conservatives who predicted an explosive floor fight at the convention and vowed rejection of Mr. Ridge or Mr. Lieberman by the delegates.
Read the whole Times article. The Rove Swat Team is mindblowingly incompetent. That they screwed up the country so badly for eight years and still at the end, McCain put them in charge of his campaign, reveals a very weak man, who makes snap decisions without all the information.
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J, with all due respect, what is your main objection to Palin? It has to be on the issues and not "experience", because experience is a problem for both Obama and Hillary. We need to give her a chance to open her mouth and hang herself, before starting these attacks based on nonsensical arguments. Hillary had plenty of baggage Democrats completely ignored -- to their detriment, because now they have to overlook Palin's or be labled hypocrits.
September 2, 2008 12:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Your concern trolling is duly noted, both in this and several other threads I have read this morning.
You McCain trucker cap is in the mail.
September 2, 2008 2:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
maybe you should read my blogs, Brew. You'll discover what a terrible troll master you are.
September 2, 2008 10:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
How about supporting the breakup of the United States? That'll do for starters.
September 2, 2008 10:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
The issue involved here isn't Palin. Governor Palin may turn out to be a good Alaska governor, but less than two years in that position, marred by a personal family vendetta against another Alaska official, is not enough to rate her above average. Her family problems are not relevant.
The issue involved here is McCains utter lack of the personal qualities a US President must have. Foremost among those qualities is good judgment. The US president has the power to cause enormous damage to the whole world, as the current president as demonstrated. It should be unconstitutional to put the country at risk by nominating a person to that office who is impulsive, prone to anger attacks, and who has a habit of acting without thinking.
The very first test a presidential candidate faces is his choice of a vice presidential candidate. That candidate may be called upon to replace the president with absolutely no advance notice - as Lyndon Johnson was. It is a serious duty the candidate has, to select someone who could handle that assignment.
A person whose only public experience is 18 months as a governor of a state with a smaller population that 46 other states, and a few years as mayor and city council member of a very small town, is in no way qualified to become president without any warning.
McCain failed his first test, and failed it so miserably even his sycophantic MSM admirers were struck dumb. This is the equivalent of getting a 5 score on a SAT test but still being offered an academic scholarship to MIT.
September 2, 2008 2:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's interesting -- i made the point months ago we need competence tests for every federal office -- especially President. Yout shot it down. You are now suggesting psychological profiling, which would have eliminated LBJ and Nixon for sure and maybe Bubba with his sociopathic tendencies. That would be difficult to pull off, but we need some fundamental election reform. We've got too many totally unqualifieds making it into positions of power.
September 2, 2008 10:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
A Question - Should we have a VP pick who is under ethics investigation? It seems as if that would be a Disqualifier!
To me it seems that it would be a legal policy and position that anyone under investigation by a federal or state Court, that it would be an automatic disqualifer for the V.P. (or for that matter, Presidential) job. I think the GOP knew that all the time!
However, if Barack was under investigation or Biden they (the press and opposition party) would crucify them.
September 2, 2008 3:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
"under investigation" is not a good litmus test, because you open up room for the party in power to start "investigating" opponents before every election. However, if there is a conviction of abuse of power here, she should be disqualified.
September 3, 2008 9:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
BrookD,
your quest for a system that will never exist is admirable.
Don Quixote.
September 3, 2008 12:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
How about secesstionist tendencies. (a.k.a. treason)
September 2, 2008 10:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
If Barack Obama or Joe Biden had any hint of the most minor allegation that currently are dogging Ms Palin, there would be an all-out media scrum to destroy our candidates. It is amazing to me that The R's can have an unvetted VP candidate (is McCain the most oblivious person alive??) with the kind of dirt that would make Atwater and Rove quiver with anticipation, and it's just glossed over like yesterday's news...who is driving this narrative?? If it's the MSM, then they need to be taken to task. I think that they're finally realizing that McSame is not the cuddly bear they dreamed he would be...now they need this in their face 24/7 until they realize that this is not a f*****g maverick, this guy is on the winger express, heading for the impoverishment of the American middle class.
September 3, 2008 9:10 PM | Reply | Permalink