Sexism As A Policy Statement

By BlackJack

Today, from the Republican cluster... er, convention in St. Paul, MN, John McCain accused Barack Obama of sexism for questioning Sarah Palin's level of experience. If the pattern holds true, McCain will follow that up with the 'elite' tag if Barack Obama is heard using the word hope. It makes no sense in context.

Sarah Palin's experience consists mostly of 20-months of service as the governor of Alaska - a great, beautiful state but also one with a total population equal to that of the city of Knoxville, TN. Regardless of the Republican candidates defensive talking points, Ms. Palin's resume would fit on the inside of a matchbook cover with room enough for a photo and some space for notes.

Perhaps McCain is just getting cranky after a weekend of more downs than ups. His VP selection started Monday (a holiday, mind you) by announcing that her 17-year-old, unmarried daughter is pregnant. This after a weekend when it came to light that Palin had hired a private lawyer in an ethics probe in Alaska for trying to get her former brother-in-law, an Alaska state trooper, fired.

Now comes word that the Republican faithful are quietly questioning McCain's judgment and wondering how thoroughly his campaign's vetting process looked into Ms. Palin's colorful, and perhaps troubling, background. Reports last evening detailed a process that may have started as late as the day before the VP announcement last Friday. In some reports Palin was contacted once on the phone, answered a campaign questionnaire, and endured a 5-hour in-person interview by a McCain lawyer.

"My vetting process was completely thorough and I'm grateful for the results," McCain told reporters in Philadelphia after a visit with firefighters.

What's really bothersome about these revelations is that, considering McCain's age, Ms. Palin could very possibly become President without a thorough vetting process. Her past is fairly cloudy at best, including membership in a group that promoted the secession of her home state from the Union as recently as 1994.

Palin's own comments are already starting to haunt McCain; meanwhile she has yet to even get far enough into the abbreviated Republican convention to accept the nomination. During her introduction speech on Friday Palin stated that she had told congress that Alaska didn't need the infamous "Bridge to nowhere". Unfortunately for Palin it came to light that she had kept the federal funds.

It would seem that McCain chose Palin simply for shock value in an effort to overshadow Barack Obama's brilliant acceptance speech last Thursday evening. Polling would indicate that he failed in that effort as Obama's numbers rose sharply over the weekend while McCain's haven't moved.

There is a silver lining for McCain, however -- the media has been so busy discussing the unknown Palin that they seem to have overlooked the fact that his campaign is taking on water at an alarming rate.