Bye, Bye, John.
I've been riding my usual rounds of the Internet for the last hour or so, and it's ALL PALIN, EVERYWHERE. The consensus: McCain has colossally screwed up his chances. He didn't vet Palin. He gave his campaign no time to do the due diligence necessary on a pick of this sort. His decision was rash, irresponsible, dangerous.
AND Palin is a wacko. Lay aside for now all the things we've already learned about her: she doesn't believe in evolution, doesn't think humans are responsible for global warming, likes the "sport" of shooting at wolves from a hovering helicopter. You can forget all of that. You can even forget about the fact that she is willing to put her 17-year old daughter through the humiliating ringer of worldwide media scrutiny for the sake of her own political ambitions. Because here's the killer -- the thing that will suck the life out of her political ambitions and out of the McCain/Palin ticket: she's a secessionist. For a few years, she and her husband were members of a group that advocated Alaska's secession from the Union. [See links below.] Election game over!
I think there's a pretty good chance Palin won't be the Republican nominee for vice-president three weeks from now. The McCain campaign will decide it has to cut her loose. But that will be fatal, just as it will be fatal to keep her on the ticket. McCain candidacy = dead.
Again, the problem here isn't Palin. She's no doubt a fine person, even if she is saddled with some really strange ideas. The problem is McCain: his failure to vet her, his impulsiveness, his disregard for the imperatives of serious governance.
Because I don't have the energy to do otherwise, I'm simply going to give you links to the best stuff I've just run across in the last hour. There's some repetition in here, but that's life.
Enjoy. And join me in kissing the McCain candidacy goodbye.
For your evening reading about Palin/McCain:
- Palin and Her Radical Secessionist Compatriots and, oh yes, More on That and, oh my!, even more!
Isn't it all wonderful? John McCain has destroyed what small chance he had of winning this election. But he's a maverick! Don't you see? He should be encouraged in his bold maverickness, his audacious maverickicity. So, sign this petition to encourage him to keep Palin on his ticket. This was a great choice, John. A great choice. You're a great American.
The more we watch this campaign the more we wonder when Biden will dump Obama. That may be the only course that will stem the Democrats' panic, so evident in your posting of the day.
Posted by: patient reader | September 03, 2008 at 09:17 AM