Candidate McCain's Big Decision

A writer in The New York Times wrote an article entitled, "Candidate McCain's Big Decision" concerning the upcoming presidential candidate McCain and how he, you could say, went-out-on-a-limb once he appointed Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate this Monday in St. Paul during the Republican National Convention. Although the article pointed out Palin’s many foibles, the real topic of this article should have been focused entirely on McCain’s inability to chose a vice who would have the qualifications and ability to run in this horse race we call election season. The decision made is not only questionable but foolish on McCain’s account, “This country needs a leader with sound judgment and strong leadership skills. Choosing Ms. Palin raises serious questions about Mr. McCain’s qualifications,” as put by the writer in The New York Times article. Not only has the presidential nominee made himself a popular subject to put under the light of severe criticism, but by declaring Governor Sarah Palin as his vice Mr. McCain has also deprived himself completely of any criticism of Obama’s inexperience and now seems to be way over his head in the quickly upcoming election.

This article revealed more information concerning Sarah Palin’s leadership skills than the piece needed. I think that the article would have been taken just as serious if the writer didn’t note on Palin’s upsetting advocacy of a political party for the secession of the state of Alaska and her attempts to censor certain books from the library in the town she was mayor over. 

What should be considered is Ms. Palin’s political experience, which is highly questionable, being only a squalid 20 months that she has been governor of Alaska, and than before that she when was mayor of a small town with roughly the population of about 6,500 people, or better put, about the same size of a large high school (http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/04/palin.reax.irpt/index.html). Before considering Palin, it was rumored that McCain was leaning towards Joseph Lieberman as the Arizona Senator’s prime Vice Presidential choice (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/21/joe-lieberman-mccains-vic_n_120385.html). Experience is not a question when it comes to this Independent Democrat, having been elected to the U.S. Senate in 1988, so what swayed McCain’s final VP decision? I suppose it would be the Republican Party. 

Although experience and integrity back up Lieberman as a prime choice, his politics were at question. I can truly say that when it comes to politics, there is no right or wrong, but only compromise, and to say that Governor Palin is a premium choice would be definitely incorrect. The vice presidency may not be as lofty as the position of president, but considering the fact that McCain would be the oldest man elected in office with a poor health record, it makes a significant difference whither or not the vice president is qualified to run a nation or not. A serious situation to acknowledge is if the worst should happen, and Mr. McCain happens to keel over, would Gov. Palin honestly be prepared to be the next president of the United States? 

I think that McCain chose Palin as a genius strategy to win over the evangelical voters, along with the Hilary groupies. The Republicans are, of course, going to back up Mr. McCain, but I believe that the reason is only because he is their only hope in keeping the white house. McCain is not conservative, but he is republican. Electing Palin as VP was a stroke of genius on his part, but I do not believe that Palin has the qualifications to run our country if it came down to that reality. I can only see him using her as a tool to gain more voters. I would have to say that i agree with the article. I think McCain’s decision was not thought through as well as it should have been.