By George Harris, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel
What seems bold now may look ridiculous later. John McCain barely knows his VP pick Sarah Palin, passing up some great choices in women Senators Hutchinson and Snowe. If Palin freezes in the glare of national publicity or makes statements too extreme for most women, the spotlight will be on McCain for having the judgment of a river boat gambler and impulse control of a gunslinger.
And that seems quite likely. Palin, for example, has stated that if her daughter were raped, she'd want her to "choose life." A pro life position in the abstract appeals to Evangelicals, but to many women, such a position sounds extreme and perhaps not very loving or compassionate. A little "nuance" would be welcome on this subject, but Palin wasn't picked for her thoughtfulness.
Palin has been popular in Alaska, but does the Alaskan mindset match up with the views of women in Ohio? I suspect that many men may like Palin's strong views and good looks. But it seems unlikely that a majority of women, who are uneasy about abortion but still pro choice, will vote for McCain just because he has picked a woman they don't agree with.
And if the Palin choice turns really sour as she makes gaffes and reveals extreme views, McCain will look like a man who shoots from the hip without much target selection. Not a good image for a man who wants to be president, especially after the nation's experience with a president who has ignored facts at the expense of us all.
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Experience
I really don't understand the posts here who want everyone to understand Palin has no experience.
Isn't Obama less than half way through his first term in Congress? Where is his experience?
Seems to me experience actually running a State government is at least as strong a qualification as particpating in debates and not having to make any hard decisions.
Experience
By your math, it should be a certainty that you voted for both Al Gore and John Kerry over George W Bush, right Rogue? And when you compile your tables, don't forget to leave out that not only did both Gore & Kerry go to Vietnam but that "W" can't find even one person who can corroborate that he was anything but a deserter who would have been shot for leaving his unit in earlier times.
And don't get me started on Cheney ("so sorry I didn't have the opportunity to go to 'Nam"), Limbaugh and others. Yet, I already see neocons attacking Biden for having the same number of deferments as Cheney and having had asthma - a more serious condition than what Limbaugh used to dodge the draft.
Like Limbaugh said, 'never trust a draft dodger'. Of course, he also is a serial adulterer who Republicans used as a point man for the defense of marriage and who still had the audacity to attack John Edwards. What else - oh, mandatory sentencing for drug criminals except for ol' Rush himself, and Jeb Bush's daughter and McCain's wife. It's almost worthy of calling art - folks who constantly bring up 'flip-flopping' but have the flimsiest values imaginable. Everyone makes mistakes. Republicans make excuses and then remake history.
EXECUTIVE experience...
"You tell that dam' Sophie Mukluk that she's the only meter maid this town's got, and she'd better get her fat backside into the Cooshman and write some paper or she's gonna be back in Anchorage trying to get off second shift at Wendy's!"
There is NO justice, we've only got two months to stick pins in Sarah before she goes back to the Great White North for good and gets eaten by a confused musk ox. PUHLEEZ extend the campaign till next spring, PLEASE!
Experience, yeah, experience...
..running the United States of America as a member of the senior deliberative body of the most powerful nation in the world-no, that's stupid...Frozen Tundra, Alaska-hey, do you realize how close that is to Soviet Roosia? Talk about foreign policy experience, buddy! We had one o' them fishing trawlers with all the radar stuff on it pull RIGHT INTO COOK INLET last year--ever see anything like THAT, Obama Yomama?
Oh, to have been a fly on the wall at the RNC when McCain told 'em about Sarah, the Barracuda of Wasilla...I haven't felt so good about being an American since Spiro Agnew got caught with his hand in the cookie jar
Experience
I know that some of you don't like to read long drawn out missives...
so here's the executive summary.........
Congress Military
John McCain 26 Years 22 Years
Barrack Obama 143 days 0
Just think how great a professional of any kind you could be with only 143 days of experience!!!
People want change so badly? . . . . maybe we should lower the experience requirement for doctors, lawyers, airline pilots, etc. This would cause some change!
Obama's 143 Days of Senate Experience
Just how much Senate experience does Barack Obama have in terms of actual work days? Not much.
From the time Barack Obama was sworn in as a United States Senator, to the time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory Committee, he logged 143 days of experience in the Senate.
That's how many days the Senate was actually in session and working.
The one single Senate committee that he headed never even met once.
After 143 days of work experience, Obama believed he was ready to be Commander In Chief,
Listen Edie
For god's shave your legs and your pits...that is just plain gross lady....
Like I said bring on the experience argument, a community organizer for ACORN, please.....
Six munce ago...
...I kudn't spel innernashnul statesmun, and now I are wun...
I Ran A Lemonade Stand- I Too Can Be VP.
Rogue, by your measure of qualification, most of us could be VP of the US. Very weak argument in defense of Palin.
You're exactly right
And so is Passed-Over John. It's clear to any fool who can turn on the television that in the entire nation there's no conservative Republican woman who's better qualified to be Vice President and who could possibly improve P-O J's chances of winning the election. Here's a Big Chief tablet and a big red crayon, Rogaine: stare at it for hours and see if you can write down the name of a better choice for the 2008 Republican ticket, I dare you.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA.....
You know what Edie
I bet you are pizzing standing up? LMAO.....
DEar Fool Tool
Ok lets talk experience. One Candidate has ran a state energy commission. One Candidate has ran a town. One candidate haa ran a State.....
Now one Candidate has worked for ACORN, has spent exactly 143 days actually working in the Senate, and has ran, er, ah, or, no wait, I know, his gums!
Oh I forgot one candidate has "advised and consented" for a numer of years and commanded, er, ah, ran, was in charge, wait, I know a Committee! Whoop de doo!
Quiet, Rouge....
...I'm pi$$ing in my boots and it takes a while to fill them up...
Wish in one hand
"Sore on the butt of mankind" and ----in the other and see which one fills up first!
Rogue a Lemming?
Rogue, the problem with modern conservatism is non-thinkers such as yourself. You are apparently a Republican first and will defend the party against any and all mis-steps.
The strongest political argument McCain was making against Obama was the experience issue. That card is gone now with this gamble of picking Palin.
I understand once the pick was made, Republicans had to circle the wagons. But the election will be decided not by party hacks on either side but by we unwashed in the middle, folks you seem to disdain and have zero personality to convince.
True Palin used to be a beauty queen, but this choice is a pig. You can put lipstick on a pig but its still a pig.
Cold in here, isn't it, Rougie?
Passed-Over John has just ensured that the next Republican President will come along looonnng after you've gone to that big ol' Waianae In The Sky. Hee hee ha ha ho hoooo...
And you are praying against her too...
Right Georgie? Listen don't sweat the "Barracuda" sweat "No Go Joe" Beorgie....
Tell you what you just hide and watch and see who trumps who....