Sarah Palin

McCain just announced his VP pick for 2008. It's not Mitt Romney with his economic and governing experience, and it's not Tim Pawlenty with his solid conservative credentials and good record. It's not even Joe Lieberman, a pick for bi-partisan unity. It's Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska.

 

Wow. Just--wow. I'm absolutely blown out of the water. A bold but excellent pick. Executive experience, a record of reform and standing up to her own party insiders (she ultimately killed Republican Ted Stevens' two "bridge to nowhere" projects), inside knowledge of Alaska and the oil industry (who knows better how to get the oil pumping? See my prevoius post on oil timelines).

 

Obama's campaign's reaction shows they've been thrown totally off-kilter. Why else would they make this hilarious statement?

 

Informed of the selection, a Barack Obama spokesman questioned Palin's executive experience.

 

"Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush's failed economic policies — that's not the change we need, it's just more of the same," said spokesman Bill Burton.

 

Note that Obama's campaign wants to put a... former community service organizer with less executive experience than a mayor, and zero foreign policy experience, directly in the presidency, skipping the "heartbeat" entirely. Who says things like that about your own candidate? The spokesman should have started with his second sentence.

 

I dislike the politics of identity, but seeing the way women I care about were cheering for and empathizing with Hillary Clinton earlier this year (part of me was sort of hoping she would win, just because they would like it--I know that's absurd sentimentalism) I can't help seeing the possibility of a woman in the White House, bringing a slightly different perspective to problems, as a nice bonus. And she's the right woman for the job, too.

 

-Max 

 

--

"The presentation or 'gift' of the Holy Ghost simply confers upon a man the right to receive at any time, when he is worthy of it and desires it, the power and light of truth of the Holy Ghost, although he may often be left to his own spirit and judgment." --Joseph F. Smith (manual, p. 69)

 

Be pretty if you are,

Be witty if you can,

But be cheerful if it kills you.