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Was McCain's "Surprise" worth the Secrecy?
You've got to hand it to the McCain campaign. Today "should" have been spent analyzing and admiring the American anthem that was Barack Obama's call for Americans to grasp our destiny. But by naming not just a VP, but surprising us with 2-year Alaska governor Sarah Palin, McCain also snatched all the media attention. Even the blogs supposedly about Obama's speech, over on HuffPo, seemed overrun by people reeling over the surprise.
I'm sure plenty of better analysts than me will discuss Palin's qualifications or lack thereof (she seems nice enough, even cool, but her complete lack of national experience and the fact that she opposes rape and incest exceptions for abortion bans--oh, and being a Republican--has made up MY mind).
Instead, I want to note: WAY TO SHOW US YOU CAN BE AS SECRETIVE AS BUSH, McCAIN.
To pull off this surprise, the McCain campaign didn't just deliberately mislead the press--by never letting us see an official meeting or even consideration of Palin, by leaking his fake-out short-list, etc. He mislead ALL OF US. He chose someone who wasn't on anyone's radar, which means he chose someone against the recommendations of pretty much the rest of the country--even Alaska! (Not that they don't love Palin in Alaska, which speaks well of us--but they sure didn't expect her to be a VP pick this early in her career). AND HE MISLEAD HIS FELLOW REPUBLICANS.
Romney and Pawlenty both feel they've been manipulated, and rightly so.
So here's my question. At what point does pulling off a "surprise" cross over into being downright secretive? While we're all discussing McCain's choice of VP, I hope some of us will look beyond the woman who was chosen and look at how the man who wants to be our 44th president CHOSE her. In secret. Behind the scenes. Without consulting his peers.
And elect Obama.
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