My guess is before John McCain watched Barack Obama's historic speech Friday night, he had already made up his mind about who would be his running mate. And, no it wasn't Governor Sarah Palin. I'm sure he was sitting back in a chair with that heinous looking grin on his face, thinking to himself that Barack Obama doesn't have the guts to challenge me. Well, my friend, Barack Obama did challenge you and made you look like a damn fool.
So, after that speech, I'm sure Senator McCain made a call to his VP pick (Pawlenty, Romney or Ridge) and said, thanks, but I'm going into a different direction.
And with that we got Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska.
With this selection I'm not sure what is more mind-boggling, the irony or hypocrisy.
The irony is that after many years of treating women like third-class citizens, the 2008 Presidential ticket for the Republican party is going to feature a woman for VP.
The hypocrisy is that for many years Conservatives have decried affirmative action as reverse discrimination. That it takes away from those who are qualified for a certain position and given to those on the basis of Gender and Race. Yet, John McCain chose an individual who is clearly unqualified for the position, while overlooking women like Christine Todd Whitman, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Susan Collins, and Elizabeth Dole. Republicans whose credentials dwarf those of Sarah Palin.
The symbolism of this is much appreciated.
Yet, how can John McCain re-package himself as a maverick when he chooses a individual who is a female version of George W. Bush?
How can he stand there and question Senator Obama's judgment when he has selected a politician who is currently under investigation for abuse of power?
Here are some more facts about McCain's running mate. And I'm sure these have already been written about be these are worth repeating:
Her financial portfolio is managed by Smith Barney, which helped financed Enron. And really do we have to remind people about Enron?
Governor Palin is unaware of McCain's Iraq plan.
Governor Palin didn't like Hillary Rodham Clinton's perceived whine. So, I guess there goes the "Hillary vote."
And, of course how can we forget, she doesn't know the duties of the Vice President.
But the most telling of all and this strikes the most for me. A 28 year old male who doesn't have Health Insurance. She shares the same failed consumer driven Health Care system. Which puts profit over patient.
Sounds to me that John McCain isn't running with Sarah Palin, but with George W. Bush.
This selection affirms John McCain's hostility towards women. I'm sure Governor Palin is a wonderful mother and a upstanding member of her community, but clearly even she can recognize the vanity in all of this. For McCain really sees women as window dressing rather than equals.
I still hold firm to my predication that this will still be a close election, but it would not surprise me that Barack Obama wins in a landslide on November 4, thus finally sending the party of Reagan and Bush into the political wilderness where they belong.