Though John McCain's selection of Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate, a historic first for a Republican, does him some immediate good prior to his convention, the long term ramifications of the choice are frightening.
By selecting her, McCain relinquished his best weapon in the fight against Barack Obama-the argument that Obama does not have sufficient experience to be Commander-in -Chief. So his answer is to pick a Governor of an uncommon state with no experience at all in national issues to be one heartbeat away from the presidency. Experience is now off the table as a club to attack Obama.
Having a virtual unknown on the national stage as his running mate reignites the issue of McCain's age at just the wrong time. A 72 year old man weakened from years in captivity and already a cancer survivor several times over would have been better served by someone truly ready to stand toe-to-toe with the Chinese, the Russians, and Osama Bin Laden in the event of a President McCain's demise. Sarah Palin is not that person.
If this choice was supposed to capture the hearts and minds of Clinton supporters simply because she is a woman, Senator McCain misses the point. Clinton supporters won't flock to Palin because the issue is not that Palin is a woman, it's that she's not THE woman.
Fine governor, fine woman, fine mother, former fisherperson, pro-life Catholic, and spouse of an oil industry worker...but Vice-President of the United States?
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