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McCain Willing to Risk Nation’s Security In Order to Win an Election |
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As Ian Fried aptly observes, John McCain has selected a running mate who is two years removed from running a town with fewer than 10,000 residents. Sarah Palin has zero experience in foreign affairs, has been governor for a year and a half, and is just 12 years removed from the Wasilla City Council. This is simply not a serious pick, but it fits perfectly into McCain’s approach to running a presidential campaign.
Barack Obama deftly skewered McCain last night by pointing out that he makes “a big election about small things.” That’s a good way to describe a campaign that runs commercials featuring Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. It is the height of irony for McCain to have claimed that Obama will do anything to win the presidency: in fact, that ought to be the McCain campaign’s slogan: “anything to win”. McCain has changed his position on everything from the Bush tax cuts to offshore drilling and the religious right. Was it Howard Dean who recently observed that the McCain of 2000 wouldn’t vote for the McCain of 2008? Whoever said it, it is on the money.
McCain has said that we are in the fight of our life against Islamic terrorism, that the stakes have never been higher, but he chose someone who is clearly not the most qualified candidate to be his running mate. Does he really expect Americans to believe that Palin would be the best person to deal with Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, North Korea, Russia, the health care crisis, and the economy, should the circumstances require? Is Palin the person best capable of keeping the country safe, if she is required to take the reins. Of course not–it would probably be difficult even to find many Republicans willing to argue this. This choice is not about governing, it’s not about picking the best qualified candidate. It’s about smoke and mirrors, somehow trying to convince women that they ought to vote for McCain because he has a woman on his ticket, no matter what her qualifications or her views, trying to place a shiny object in front of the media that will distract them from a gaffe-free, brilliantly executed Democratic national convention. To say that McCain’s approach is condescending barely scratches the surface.
McCain’s campaign is premised on his love of country, his supposed ability to put country first. But how could someone who really puts America first be willing to take the chance that the nation’s security will be in the hands of someone who, just two years ago, was responsible for managing a small town?
McCain’s selection of Palin is about one thing, and one thing only: a calculation that the selection will help him win an election. I believe and hope that calculation is wrong, but the fact that McCain made this decision, the mos important decision a presidential candidate can make, so cavalierly, so crassly, tells us more about McCain than anything else we knew before.
Andrea Mitchell just said McCain had met Palin one time before today…he is willing to risk the nation’s security on someone he has met once. this is insulting to American voters
I THINK YOU ALL ARE SCARED OF A WOMEN! SHE IS JUST AS QUILYFIED AS BARACK TERRORIST OBAMA! WHO THE HELL IS THIS GUY, HE STANDS UP
IN FRONT OF SHEEPOL AND BASICALLY SAYS I WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING IN AMERICA. WE ALL KNOW THAT SOUNDS GREAT, BUT WE KNOW THATS NOT TRUE.
MCCAIN IS A HONEST MAN FROM WHAT I HAVE SEEN AND I WILL TRUST A MAN WHO BELIEVES IN GOOD OLD HARD WORKING AMERICANS. NOT SOME HOLLYWOOD
CHARECTER, WHO KNOW ONE REALLY KNOWS. STICK WITH WHAT YOU DO KNOW, NOT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE HEAR.THEN THERES PALIN, SHE IS GOING TO SHAKE
UP WASHINGTON. ANYONE WHO CAN SHOOT LIKE THAT DAMN SURE CAN STAND UP FOR AMERICA. SHE IS SIMPLY AN AMERICAN SUCCESS STORY. THATS WHAT THIS
DAMN COUNTRY NEEDS, NOT SOME PRETTY BOY WITH A NICE VOICE. HOW IS HE GOING TO STAND UP TO RUSSIA WHEN WE HAVE NO OPTION. I GARUNTEE YOU PALIN
WILL GIVE THEM A LITTLE AMERICAN TALKEN TO. WE DONT NEED TO DICUSS WHAT MCCAIN WOULD DO, WE KNOW HE WONT COWARD DOWN TO NOTHING! PLEASE
DONT FALL IN THIS BARACK TRAP! I LOVE THIS COUNTRY AND I WOULD LIKE IT TO BE RUN BY AMERICANS NOT FAKE HOLLYWOOD AMERICANS!
Stand up to Russia, you say? Care to tell me how Cheney’s approach is working out right now?
What would John McCain do about Russia besides talk tough?
Keith, your comment sounds like it was taken from Rush Limbaugh talking points. Calling Obama a terrorist instantly marks you as unserious. You can try to belittle and insult Obama all you like, but most Americans understand that this election is too serious for schoolyard insults. Even McCain understands that the last 8 years have been a disaster and his party has screwed up, as he conceded last night.
You don’t make one substantive point in your comment (saying Palin’s shooting ability somehow qualifies her for national office is one of the more ludicrous highlights). You simply did your best to slime Barack Obama, which is not very effective and sounds like just another angry scream.
On your logic, we don’t need to apply any scrutiny to McCain since it is simply a fact of nature that he won’t “coward down to nothing”. The real question is whether McCain understands why more than 80% of Americans think the country is on the wrong track. His speech last night gave no evidence of understanding, and stood in stark contrast with Obama’s speech a week ago, which spoke directly and specifically to Americans fed up with the Bush economy, Bush’s failure to do anything about 47 million uninsured Americans, and Bush/McCain’s misguided war in Iraq and the related failure to get Bin Laden.
McCain helped Bush win re-election and has stood by his side and voted with him more than 90% of the time, as McCain has proudly mentioned it’s on video). Bush has endorsed McCain and McCain promises to continue Bush’s failed policies. McCain can try to distract voters from this basic reality by appealing to fear and irrelevancies, but Americans who have been watching for the past 8 years know better.
Obama anticipated gutter attacks like yours when he said the Republicans are trying to make a big election about small things. It doesn’t get more petty than your disgusting accusation that Obama is a terrorist. He is an American, as am I, and the fact that you disagree with us does not give you the right to call us “fake Americans”. This kind of divisiveness is dangerous. let’s talk about the issues rather than hurling insults and trying to smear people we disagree with
let’s assess this honestly, does it really matter what John McCain himself thinks of this woman? It’s clear his advisers are pulling his strings on everything, and if they say she’s the one, she’s the one. There’s plenty to attack Palin on, but McCain’s having met her once isn’t a very strong point.
ummm, yes it is. I would expect someone who cared about who their VP selection is to actually KNOW the person in question. meeting someone once doesn’t do it.
though your theory doesn’t work too well either for McCain…advisers pulling his strings. either way, nothing here that speaks well of McCain
with the lack of experience jibe, all you are doing is recycling a GOP (and HRC) critique of obama and turning it on McCain’s VP pick. It didn’t work for me with obama and it doesn’t work for me with palin. she’s a poor pick for a number of reasons, but that one isn’t foremost in my mind. Also, as George Bush has made crystal clear, the president (esp. GOP presidents, who base this tradition on the example of reagan) do what the wizards behind the curtain tell them. Why should the VP pick be any different. I personally don’t care how many times McCain himself has met Palin. The research was done regardless. What if he picked the most qualified person and had met them only once? it would still be the right choice.
I’m not sure how my “theory” doesn’t work well for mccain. Do you think advisors don’t pull his strings? I know you do. So you must mean my theory that he’s a puppet doesn’t “work” well as a defense of mccain. If that’s the case, you misread my intentions drastically. I’m not justifying mccain as a marionette candidate. Being a puppet is never a good thing. I’m saying that if we want to be critical of his VP pick, let’s not base it on his personal knowledge of the candidate. that strikes me as immaterial in the reality of GOP politics and also strikes me as a bit hysterical.
As for Polemic Meanderer, those are dangerous assumptions to make and strike my like Mighty Casey at the bat, you know?
Sarah Palin is no Barack Obama. She has literally zero foreign policy experience, has shown no interest in foreign policy issues, and two years ago her job was to manage a town with fewer than 10,000 people. Do you seriously believe Palin is the most qualified person to be VP? I think most Republican leaders understand this is a farce.
We’re in agreement there, Palin is no Barack Obama and she is certainly not the most qualified person to be VP. But using the fact that she has no foreign policy experience seems to run too parallel to the attacks on Obama. The argument is simpler; she has no experience leading anything beyond her nuclear family.
She and the McCain campaign will crumble, but not because he didn’t sit down for coffee with her a number of times before selecting her (though maybe because his vetters were incompetent). Your most recent post about the GOP playing the gender card is spot on, and as Carville made clear, that shit won’t fly.
thanks LGS
I think Palin was a very shrewd pick by McCain. The Republicans will finally carry all of those electoral votes in Alaska. Not to mention that McCain is basically saying he is immortal. Can Obama say that?
you may well be on to something PM! I wonder who would be McCain’s Secy of State if he wins–maybe Michael Brown of FEMA fame is still available.
I listened to her acceptance speech on NPR. I think the only reason the Democrats need to worry if their collective name is Wade and they have just made up some crazy kidnapping scheme to get money out of their father-in-law. Ya’know what I am talking aboat?
This election is over.
As an undecided voter at this point, what is the big difference, really, in the experience of Obama and Palin? Obama represents far more constituents, but the actual accomplishments of both are minimal and Obama is at the top of the ticket.
the “big difference”…there are quite a few. Palinhas absolutely zero experience in foreign policy and national affairs. Two years ago she was managing a town with under 10,000 residents. A few months ago, she was asked about the war in Iraq and said she really hadn’t spent much time thinking about it as she has been dealing with issues in Alaska. Barack Obama is a United States senator, has been immersed in foreign policy and national issues for the last 4 years, while Palin was mayor of Wasilla. He has articulated a comprehensive plan for dealing with the economy, health care, the environment, Iraq, and Afghanistan. It’s not clear Palin even has taken positions on these issues.
Wow I just made my first political contribution! I’ve been surprised at the fearmongering going on by a bunch of dems, you know everytime they bring up her experience it’s being compared to Barack’s isn’t that kind of embarrassing to have a VP pick being compared to your Presidential pick?
I think the Democrats risked National Security by nominating BHO. What is he gonna have to check with Joe Biden everytime he has a foreign policy decision to make? Dude, Joe’s at a funeral I gotta wait for him to get back, so I’ll have to get back to you.
Everyone’s presumably worried about McCains cancer coming back, here’s a newsflash people, cancer tends to kill S - L - O - W - L - Y, I think they’ll have time to find a good No 2 for her to be a foreign policy advisor. Hey, Joe Biden won’t have anything to do, maybe he can help out?
Barack Obama was president of the Harvard Law Review, a state legislator, and then a US Senator. He has been ahead of everyone else on foreign policy–he opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning, when it was unpopular to do so. Now, 2/3 of Americans agree with Obama, and the Iraqi goverment and GW Bush have accepted Obama’s view that there needs to be a timeline set for getting US troops out of Iraq. Obama argued that the focus needs to be on Afghanistan–people have pretty much accapted Obama’s view on this point as well. Does Palin even have a position on Iraq or Afghanistan? She is a ludicrous and insulting pick–McCain is insulting our intelligence. He has been saying for months that experience matters most, and he chooses someone with none to be his running mate. That is, quite simply, hypocritical. There hasn’t been a less qualified vice presidential candidate since Dan Quayle, and he looks like a seasoned pro next to Palin. This isn’t about fearmongering, it’s about holding McCain accountable for a dangerous and hypocritical decision.
The selection of Mrs. Palin suggests the republican talent pool is merely a puddle.
agreed
Palin on Obama
by Philip Gourevitch
%u201CSomething%u2019s kind of changing here in Alaska, too, for being such a red state on the Presidential level. Obama%u2019s doing just fine in polls up here, which is kind of wigging people out, because they%u2019re saying, %u2018This hasn%u2019t happened for decades that in polls the D%u2019 %u201D%u2014the Democratic candidate%u2014%u201C %u2018is doing just fine.%u2019 To me, that%u2019s indicative, too. It%u2019s the no-more-status-quo, it%u2019s change.%u201D
This was two weeks ago, at the statehouse in Juneau.
In the state%u2019s Republican caucus, McCain came in fourth, trailing Ron Paul. %u201CI always looked at Senator McCain just as a Joe Blow public member, looking from the outside in,%u201D she said. %u201CHe%u2019s been buttin%u2019 heads with Republicans for years, and that%u2019s a healthy place to be.%u201D Then again, on McCain%u2019s signature issue%u2014the prosecution of the war in Iraq%u2014she did not sound so gung-ho. Her son is a soldier, and she said, %u201CI%u2019m a mom, and my son is going to get deployed in September, and we better have a real clear plan for this war. And it better not have to do with oil and dependence on foreign energy.%u201D %u2666
McCain’s VP Choice: Sarah Palin CALIFORNIA NOW:
Now the question Hillary Clinton posed in her speech at the DNC on Women’s Equality Day really needs to be answered: were we in it just for her?
Were we in it because she was a woman, or because of what she stands for?
John McCain’s choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is a clear move to get disenchanted Hillary voters to support the Republican ticket, but with Palin’s frightening anti-choice, anti-marriage equality, creationist agenda, anti-LGBT views, she couldn’t be further from Hillary Clinton.
Sarah Palin, Thought Hillary Was Whining