Palin tapped as McCain's VP choice

I find the comments on your blog very interesting. It seems that many of the readers agree that McCain went way out on a limb picking Sarah Palin as his running mate. That being said, millions of voters seem to be falling for it and the "biggest fish" caught in the net is Obama. He seems totally freaked out by her. It will take someone with credibilty to set the record straight and let the voters of America know just how out of touch she really is . Having her as close to the seat of power makes me very uncomfortable. I heard your name mentioned on MSNBC as someone who has sucessfully debated her. Perhaps you should contact NBC, CBS,ABC,FOX etc and offer your opinion of her. America will listen!!!!

I found your blog while I was researching Sarah Palin. I am a very frustrated Republican, and I will most likely vote for Obama-Biden this year. My disappointment with McCain is that he has pandered to the extreme right wing of our party and sold out by selecting Palin. Instead of showing "change" by bringing the party back to center,after eight years of wastetful spending, arrogance,and mismanagement, he has put Palin a heartbeat away from the most powerful job in the world. This shows McCain's disregard for what is in the best interest of the country Am I wrong? Is Palin as out of touch as she seems?

Dear Andrew, I try to listen to videos that shed new light on Palin (not such a bright light), but they are no longer available on Youtube or Myspace. Biden challenged her in his speech at Green Bay, and when I tried to watch the video it was no longer available. What concerns me most is the amount of power the Republican party seems to have over all forms of media. It feels like I am in the Twilight Zone. I am learning just how much pull big business has over this country. I am flumuddled by the how many people are so easily duped. Are we like adoring sheep just ready to follow the hype of mainstream media over the cliff to our demise? We are the most powerful country in the world, and with great power comes great responsibility. Sarah Palin is in no way, shape, or form able to lead our country as the global community we must head toward. The world is not made up of fundamentalist, gun-toting, conservatives with one belief system. We must repair old alliances and form new ones through peace, understanding, environmental awareness. We must drop the notion that our way is the only way and see that there are many paths to take. What scares me most is that so many of the U.S. citizens of voting age will not be able to access the truth and will blindly follow McCain and Palin. I am mortified by the things I am seeing and hearing. Facts seem to be omitted and are disappearing before my very eyes.

With McCain on the verge of passing Obama after the pick of Sarah Palin. The only evident truth is that YOU just don't get it. Sarah Palin is a working hard playing hard activist environmentalist UBER (a progressive word so you understand) Queen of the Forest! She has added just what the Dem's are afraid of. Someone like us. Middle Americans who earn a living not a welfare check.

I am a life long Republican who is finally switching over to Obama. The Palin pick proved that McCain has absolutely no judgement at all, especially to lead this great country of ours. I have now donated to the Obama campaign and encourage all others to do the same. Our future is at stake.

Gov Lite as VP. McCain really spun it in this time. I was a solid McCain supporter. Now I'm not sure what to do in November. Please excuse me while I loose my lunch.

I am a moderate Republican who has voted Republican most of my life. I voted for a Bush for president 3 of the 4 times it was possible to. I could not bring myself to vote for GW in 2004 after getting us into a ridiculous war, abrogating the Constitution, etc., etc. In 2000, I thought the best candidate in the presidential contests on either side of the aisle was John McCain. I valued his forthrightness and appreciated that he tried to distance himself from the religious right. And frankly, despite being the good Republican that I am, I agreed with his initial stance on the Bush tax cuts (disclosure - given my tax bracket I benefitted from that tax cut). Initially, I thought that Mr. McCain could conceivably win the presidency for the Republicans in 2008. A series of events make it nearly impossible for me to consider voting for him, however, not the least was his choice of Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential candidate. I cringed when I saw his embrace of the religious right and am enraged by his backtracking on his stance on the Bush cuts. So much for the Straight Talk Express! I also think that while he was right on the surge he is wrong for not endorsing a plan to negotiate with the Iraqis on a plan for a timely and responsible withdrawal from Iraq. But I am truly baffled by his choice of Sarah Palin. I am astounded that he could be so critical of Obama's thin credentials and lack of experience then choose someone with even fewer credentials! Is inexperience OK for the Republicans (especially if the inexperienced candidate is a staunch supporter of the far right wing of the party) but not OK for liberals? So much for the Straight Talk Express. One could argue that she is not the presidential candidate, but the vice presidential candidate making her inexperience irrelevent. I hate to bring up McCain's age, but he is 72 and would be the oldest first term president in US history and has had multiple bouts of cancer. I cannot imagine her being ready to assume the role of president of the United States if the unspeakable happened. She has a reputation for being a reformer but, contrary to what she said in her acceptance speech as McCain's vice presidential candidate, she supported the "Bridge to Nowhere" on her gubernatorial platform. Here's the rub, once the project fell through she kept the federal dollars earmarked for the bridge and used it for other projects. Those are not the actions of a reformer. She allowed the office of the Governor to be used as a weapon in her sister's nasty divorce/custody dispute by trying to get her ex-brother-in-law (by my read of the press reports a threatening, unsavory man), a state trooper, fired. She denies involvement, though the Public Safety Commissioner, Walter Monegan, whom she replaced states that he felt pressured to fire the trooper. She was either directly involved or knew that the office was being used to pressure Monegan. Either way it was an abuse of power. After 8 years of abuse of power, I was looking forward to McCain's reforms. In 2007, Palin dismissed the entire State Creamery Board after they voted to close the Matanuska Maid dairy, a state owned dairy that was losing money hands over fist. Disappointed, Palin canned the entire Board of Agriculture and Conservation, the agency that oversees the Creamery Board, and appointed a new Board. The new board promptly appointed themselves to the State Creamery Board and overturned the decision. Now, I think her motives for wanting to keep the dairy in business may have been correct, but the methods were shady at best. Regardless, it does undercut any claim she would make about being a fiscally responsible reformer. She also does not believe that global warming is man made and fought against listing the polar bear as an endangered species. McCain is running on a platform to decrease carbon emissions as they have been implicated in global warming. How does he square those differences? Palin does appeal to some consitituencies in the Republican party. With her right to life views and her views on creationism she obviously appeals to the conservatives. As a moderate Republican, however, I strongly believe that appealing to the conservatives is a sure path to defeat. I am enraged at what I feel is a betrayal at the hands of the conservative wing of the party. As a hunter who strongly supports guns and the NRA, she is like a character out of a Ted Nugent wet dream. That faction of the Republican Party does not need pandering to, they will always vote Republican. I believe this was in part a misguided attempt by McCain to appeal to independent voters, especially women, who were disappointed by Clinton's defeat by Obama. If so, I believe that that was one of the stupidest political moves I have EVER seen. Clinton supporters did want to see a woman in the White House, but not an NRA, right to lifer with a very thin resume. They are too smart to be fooled by putting a poseur in the Vice Presidential slot on the ticket and, I suspect, will be completely enraged by the messages his choice sent: women are interchangeable, put one on the ticket and they will vote for you. I also have very serious concerns about how this decision was made. Some have metioned that it appears to have been a "senior moment". Perhaps, I have no way of knowing that. What I do know is that it appeared to be an impulsive act with more concern paid to winning at all costs than with an eye to Americans who are rightly concerned about succession plans should something happen to him. Recall, he accused Obama of going to any extreme, including 'losing' the Iraq war, to win the election. What I also know is that McCain has a history of rash and impulsive actions, in short, it appears to be part of his constitution. I strongly believe that his rashness and impulsivity have to be taken into account when decidine to vote for or against him. This Republican plans to vote for someone else.

Palin says she welcomes the investigation into her questionable actions in office. This kind of reminds me of way back when Gary Hart was running for president and stood accused of monkey business with TV actress Donna Rice. Hart responded to the rumors by daring the press corps: "Follow me around. I don't care. I'm serious. If anybody wants to put a tail on me, go ahead. They'll be very bored." Careful, Governor. The press corps loves a dare. I just can't help but feel bad for poor old Harriet Miers. Bush promised her a spot on the Supreme Court after serving him faithfully as White House chambermaid but she was forced to withdraw her name from nomination when it became clear that she was totally unqualified. Then she was not even considered for any other measly position like Vice President on the next GOP ticket. VP is definitely a lesser position and Miers may console herself with the knowledge that Sarah Palin is even a lesser candidate. Now how long before Palin withdraws from nomination?

McLame has an obvious lack of judgment! His choice of Palin reeks of desparation, impulsivity and indecisiveness!!! That's all we need, another BUSH in the white house!! How do you pass over numerous obvious, creditable, qualified applicants only to choose someone with so little experience, in Alaska of all places, and who is a mother of five, all after you met only ONE time! Are we to beleive that this hockey mom will put her kids on the back burner to do the country's bidding? This is tragic!!! Kill all the noise about her executive experience. I am not impressed!!!! This so called experience is less than 2 years and resembles nothing of what is necessary to stomp with the big dawgs in Washington. Nothing!!! Washington will eat this woman alive!!!!! Palin looks more like a pawn, a tool, a gimmick to get votes than McCain's sincere choice of the best candidate! Change we can believe in? Looks like the same ol crock of bull to me!

The way I see it when John McCain picked Palin... Senator MaCain was having a SENIOR moment! Problem is... his senior moment effects the entire country! What a sad day it is when Senator McCain put himself and the Office of the President of the United States of America before the American people. I was for Hillary now I'm for Obama.

I am a woman, 55, white and married with children. Yes, I am one of the Hillary women that the media and the GOP are so obsessed with. I supported Hillary but now support Obama as I am a Democrat FIRST. I find McCain's pick insulting to all the women of this country. If the GOP thinks we are that shallow and gullible they couldn't be more wrong. I voted for Hillary because she is intelligent, savvy,& an experienced leader who would lead this country in a new direction. The Democratic women will not vote for Sarah Palin because she doesn't stand for anything we believe in. There is absolutely no comparison to her and Hillary. This is a desperate ploy by the GOP and McCain looks confused by this pick as well. Women everywhere will see through this.

I was really shocked to see that John McCain chose Gov. Palin to be his running mate. We all can see that this was a desperate move, and that McCain would do anything to get into office. I don't believe that John McCain would even regard her as Vice-President if they were to win. She would basically be his secretary, and I said this not because of who Palin is but because of who McCain is. I really feel for her, McCain's White House will allow her to experience what most women in American face everyday, you have the job just because you are a woman, your opinion isn't needed. I agree that this pick is an insult to my wife, my mother, and every woman in the United States. Truth is, as a man, I believe women are more informed than men on a lot of things, and they deserve to be respected not pacified.

by the GOP to appease the evangelicals of the party---he wants their money, though I'm sure he had their support. One blog quoted a well-known evangelical as emailing his constituents "Palin=Guns,babies,andJesus." She's a pawn who loves the attention but is too stupid to realize exactly why she's there. "You Go Girl" is now the country's new motto.

... in this election. Her position on global warming is not going to help dispel the perception that she is an intellectual light weight. Concentrated solar power plants are something even an intellectual light weight can understand. http://cleantechnica.com/2008/02/22/acciona-dedicates-us-first-new-concentrated-solar-plant-in-16-years/

I like your article. This was clearly a last minute choice. I think John McCain just wanted some attention so he chose Sarah Palin. He thinks women are so shallow that we would vote because of gender and forget qualifications. She appears so meek and fragile that Joe Biden better be careful when he debates her because she looks like she could bust out in tears just one harsh word and if that happens he would look like an evil man. John McCain is using this poor women as a puppet in his game and she is so blinded by the opportunity that she does not see it. They are going to try to play to the emotions of the American people by constantly reminding us that her child has Downs Syndrome. That is unfortunate but that does not qualify you to be given the power to run these United States. She is no Hillary Clinton and she can not replace Hillary. Hillary is strong and exuberates power and commands respects and she can go toe to toe with the big boys. She is no cheerleader like Palin. Chemistry between the President and the VP is important. John McCain said he met Palin twice. He doesn't know if he can work with her or not. He knows just as much about her as we do. Not much. There was clearly no chemistry between the two. Actually they looked as uncomfortable as two strangers meeting for the first time. I just think there is enough corruption in Washington already than for her to bring her corruption baggage Alaskan style. Just admit it Senator McCain you choked.

I am so happy to read the messages on this site. I lived in Alaska 26 years before returing home to Arizona two years ago. Like most of the posters here, I am totally bewildered at he choice of Sarah for Veep, and even more mystified by the fact that the national media hasn't yet picked up on the fact that she has had major problems in Alaska. The cartoonist for the Tucson Daily Star HAS picked up on the vibe and gets it. Today he portrayed Sarah as a Barbie Doll brandished by John McCain. Thanks, Andy, for maintaining a site where we can all express our collective disbelief.

Strange. Why wasn't the name Andrew Halcro on the slate? Really, you DO need to get over this. You are sounding pathologically obsessed with this woman. Actually, you've been pathologically obsessed with her for months. Face it, you lost to her in the run for the Republican side of the gubernatorial ticket. You've been bitter ever since. Get over it. Find something new to blather about.

...Here is a better suggestion CJ; there are a million other blogs on the internet...how about if you just skip mine and go on to another.

In fact, she has more executive branch experience than any of the other three running combined. It should scare the bejeezus out of everybody to think of Obama running this country after such a tiny amount of experience.