McCain-Palin '08

I have spent the morning and early afternoon trying to figure out, exactly, what I think about this choice of running mate.

The truth is, I think it is a pretty dramatic choice. If your goal is to try and foment strife within the traditional democratic base then there is some merit to the pick. She has an interesting back story, has blue-collar ties, is a staunch pro-lifer (allows for life of the mother exemption, but none for incest or rape), and definitely helps sure up some of Senator McCain's issues with his more fundamentalist base. So on that level I think it is a very intriguing choice.

On another level, I think is reeks of desperation, and worse yet maybe not overt sexism but a sort of hamfisted sexism. I think the most important quality she possesses, at least as a benefit for McCain, is that she is a woman. It smacks of a cronyism that has permeated Washington over the last 8 years. There were several established republican women who, on paper, would have been perfect for McCain, from Kay Bailey Hutchinson, to Carly Fiorina. These are impressive women who no serious political observer would classify as a lightweight. So why not them?

Also there is another aspect of this that is interesting. If Obama is inexperienced, the what is Mrs. Palin? Her resume is even thinner then our Senator from Illinios. Not that I consider age, years in office, or years in Washington a mark of wisdom, but that has been the bulk of McCain's argument. Senator Obama does not have the experience to lead this country, so Senator McCain has chosen a person who has less experience then Barack to be a heartbeat away from the presidency? It is intellectually discordant. Not that I would credit this campaign with intellectual coherence, but this particularly tone death. For more info you can hit up the guys at TPM, if you are curious about Mrs. Palin.

-Cheers