Legal Commentary

What the Palin Pick Says About John McCain

By Jeralyn

Andrew Sullivan gets it mostly right today. John McCain is not fit to be President.

And then, because he could see he was going to lose, ten days ago, he threw caution to the wind and with no vetting whatsoever, picked a woman who....was going to reignite the culture war as a last stand against Obama. That's all that is happening right now: a massive bump in the enthusiasm of the Christianist base. This is pure Rove.

Yes, McCain made a decision that revealed many appalling things about him. In the end, his final concern is not national security. No one who cares about national security would pick as vice-president someone who knows nothing about it as his replacement. No one who cares about this country's safety would gamble the security of the world on a total unknown because she polled well with the Christianist base. ....

More...

McCain has demonstrated in the last two months that he does not have the character to be president of the United States. And that is why it is more important than ever to ensure that Barack Obama is the next president. The alternative is now unthinkable. And McCain - no one else - has proved it.

Thanks, Andrew, for stating it so succinctly and putting it in proper context. The parts I didn't agree with I didn't quote. I don't think her family situation has any bearing on the real issues, which are her lack of experience and preparedness to be Vice President.

For me, it's about her record, her lack of record, her lack of national experience and her position on issues as well as the danger of granting the radical right an opportunity to demand a quid pro quo from McCain in exchange for his picking one of their own. If he wins, it will be because the radical right enthusiastically got on board once Palin was chosen.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on September 10, 2008 (boomark / email).