One More...

Ted's been putting out a fair amount of political commentary on the old blog of late in favor of John McCain. In most cases I've played devil's advocate, while stressing I'm still undecided - which is still the case. So I thought I'd throw a quick bone in favor of McCain/Palin by sharing a few quick positive thoughts on Gov. Palin.

• The contempt (it's the perfect word for this situation) shown Palin by the media and liberals is completely unfair. Whatever people say, she wasn't handle the Governor's seat in Alaska - she earned it with confidence and intelligence. It's especially galling coming from so many celebrities - a segment of the American population that makes a living playing make-believe - many of whom never even attended high school.
• The whole angle that she doesn't have enough foreign policy experience is a joke. How much foreign policy experience did Bill Clinton gain as governor of Arkansas - a state that probably out-hicks even Alaska? How much did Ronald Reagan, victor in the Cold War, gain acting and sitting as governor of California? If you answered 'None', you're spot-on.
• Enough with the argument about whether or not you'd be comfortable with her as President. This is a contrived attempt to spin McCain's age. What if Obama were to die in office? ZOMG! Biden is 66! I don't know if I'm comfortable electing a secondary official who maybe, possibly, potentially could die while in office.
• One thing that I think is often too easily overlooked in Presidential races is leadership. Senators and Congressmen like to stress how they led committees as examples of leadership. That's crap. I don't think you can quantify what it takes to be the person where the buck stops -the one who everyone looks to when a final decision needs to be made. Sarah Palin has been in that position as governor of Alaska. She has been the final arbiter, the one who says, "This is what we're doing. End of discussion." She hasn't had the luxury that Biden and Obama and, even, McCain have had in the Senate, blowing their idealistic horns and grandstanding while knowing full well it doesn't mean a damn thing because the majority will win out. That's putting on a show knowing there's no risk involved. Being the person in charge involves risk and gravitas with everything you say and each decision you make. Everything you do is scrutinized. Call me naive, but I think that's a huge advantage for Palin over everyone else in this race, her running mate included.

So there you have it - a little fair-and-balanced by yours truly. I think that tonight's VP debate should be very telling, but not for the reason others might think. If McCain loses ground as a result of a poor Palin performance it won't be because Palin has been exposed as an amateur, it'll be because McCain will have been exposed for picking a gimmick running mate for the sole purpose of getting himself elected - a selfish act that would belie everything McCain has said or done in his career to get to this point.

P.S. Still undecided, but that may change after tonight...