McCain Chooses Palin As VP

So John McCain picked a very inexperienced politician to be one heartbeat from the presidency. Sarah Palin, who became governor of Alaska after McCain and Barack Obama started running for president, is on the ticket for one reason: she is a woman and that, according to McCain’s thinking, means that women who supported Hillary Clinton during the campaign will turn out in large numbers and vote for someone who is Hillary’s ideological opposite, just because she is a woman. I don’t think this strategy is going to fly, though. And if it doesn’t, there is a big danger on this selection ultimately ranking right up there with McGovern’s Tom Eagleton VP pick in ‘72 and George W. Bush’s Harriet Miers Supreme Court pick in ‘05 for bad decisions.

Of course, conservative talking heads are generally playing up McCain’s choice as being a stroke of genius, but crotchety right-wing radio host Michael Savage has a different take. Savage said he’s come to the conclusion that McCain has decided that he wants to lose in November. I have another conclusion.

Both John McCain and Barack Obama have, as I see it, two problems. One, they have such massive, bloated egos that neither could stand to have as running mates people who have demonstrated their ability to attract support and loyalty from voters. People like Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton. No, McCain and Obama have to always be the big shots. Which isn’t a good sign for the future, regardless who wins in the end. Second, I wonder how much these two are allowing others to call their shots for them behind the scenes. That may seem to contradict the view that they are egomaniacs, but our current president seems to fit both descriptions aptly.

Sarah Palin is a very staunch conservative who opposes a woman’s right to choose. Just how many of those Hillary supporters are going to jump parties, once that one solid fact seeps through past their resentment against Obama? Very few, I think. Governor Palin does have one thing going in her favor, though: she hasn’t thought of any more countries for us to invade. Yet. But she’s inexperienced, after all. Who knows what she’ll come up with, given a little time? After all, she’s going to have to go up against Mr. “Crush-the-Enemy” Joe Biden in the vice-presidential debate later on.