Palin now has her speech, kind of

Back in the Democratic primaries, Hillary Clinton tried to demean Obama’s experience by saying all he had done is make a speech. With Obama prevailing over Clinton despite the so-called experience gap, the Republicans must have figured their new candidate needed to get on the level with Obama. So now Sarah Palin has made a national speech. It’s not exactly 2004 Democratic Convention quailty, to put it mildly. But it does prove one thing: Gov Palin can read her lines well enough.

Not exactly what the Founders had in mind for the office of Vice-president, however.

Nominating Sarah Palin was a joke, pure and simple. Not a funny joke, mind you, but not a serious effort at governing, either. But that’s to be expected from the GOP. Let’s review.

In 1980, Ronald Reagan, sill held in saintlike adoration by base Republican conservatives, choose George Bush the Elder for his running mate. Poppy had never accomplished much in his career, his accomplishments being handed to him by power-brokers who knew he’d do their bidding. The base hated and distrusted him.
In 1988, Bush picked featherweigh Indiana Representative Dan Quayle who would go on to glory by arguing with a schoolchild about spelling “potato” (Quayle was wrong), scolding Murphy Brown as if she were a real person and not a tv character, and giving Lloyd Bentsen the opportunity to use a line being brought back to thump on Palin: “You’ne no Jack Kennedy.”

in 2000, Dick Cheney was taskd to find Dubya’s running mate. After a long, thorough and wide-ranging vetting process, Cheney, of course, chose Cheney.

Now McCain, unable to pick Joe Lieberman or Tom Ridge or anyone else he wanted to pick, has selected Sarah Palin, without doubt the least qualified person to be nominated for vice-president by a major party — ever.
But she has made her speech. And isn’t that all tha Obama ever did?

The evidence for her lack of qualification to be vice-president — job requirement #1 is to be able to fulfill the office of President, and she’s in absolutely no way qualified for that — is being made by others. It’s a comprehensive case against her. And the net result is this: This is a huge embarrassment.
Not for the GOP; they are being shame or embarrassment. They foisted both Bushes upon this country and could not select a single person of quality or merit this go-round. Many of their candidates for office are hiding from the St Paul convention (Yoo hoo, Gordon Smith, where are you?) They have no qualms about trying to push someone whose only appeal is that she’s so right-wing she makes Ron Paul look like a Massachusetts effete liberal. But for the rest of the nation, to have the world look at us and think, This is what Americans think they need to fix their country?

It’s like showing up at the prom with your cousin: Everyone knows you couldn’t find a real date. Why did you even bother to go?

To be honest, Palin does not have a speech, not in the way Obama does. She also does not have a long record of service, leadership and inspiration. She has proven herself to be, as Wasilla Mayor and Alaska Governor: petty, vindicative, willing to grab federal money, a tax-raiser and just so self-involved she put her unborn child at risk just so she could make a speech in Texas. She would, in fact, make a good warlord for Xena to fight, but to even consider that she might be president?

Should John McCain somehow win in November, I will be among the billions in the world praying daily for his continued good health.