Sarah Palin's performance in the Vice-Presidential debate kept reminding me of something, but I couldn't quite put my finger about it. It was the bit about not wanting to dwell on the past, but look to the future. She didn't want to know the cause of global warming, like it was irrelevant to the solution. Somehow it was beyond the obvious suggestion that those who ignore the past are condemned to repeat it, or the obvious lack of curiosity.
Then it hit me: Mark McGwire, testifying before Congress about his steroid use. Or rather, lack of testimony. Instead of answering questions, McGwire kept on with this lame bit about "not wanting to dwell on the past" but wanted to talk about his programs for the future. Yes, yes, Mark, we've seen a lot of your anti-steroid crusade since then. NOT.
The common themes are (1) a stunning lack of willingness to be accountable at all for positions or deeds in the past, and (2) the promise of vague reforms to be left unspecified at the time but which are, in their glittering formulation, so general and based on obvious truisms of universal approval as to be utterly undebatable.
Government waste? Who could be against it? Reform? who could be against reform in the current environment? Steroids? Of course I'm against them! But I'm not giving back my huge salary, or will I confess any past error.
I'm additionally reminded of Mark McGwire, who objected to the media writing stories about his son -- even though he was the one who had thrust him into the media limelight by having him be a personal batboy during his home run record quest. Does this sound familiar? Do you know the names of any of the children of the Governor of Alaska...?
I think we have it: Sarah Palin is the Andro candidate. Some talent, mostly artificial ingredients, and no interest in the past.