Wow!  This gal is really fucking evil.  I mean really evil, and stupid, and "scary".  They all find her "scary"!  Oh, and John McCain can't use a keyboard and once wore bad clothes in the 80s.

"HOPE, CHANGE, HOPE, CHANGE".  BWAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!!!!

Cartman, you're an intelligent fellow.

Let me ask you. Seriously now.

Forget the campaign for a moment. Forget all about the differences between liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans.

Fuck all the damned swiftboaters and rumor mongers... they're all shit, regardless of political leanings, and they have no cachet outside of their smarmy mud slinging.
And that goes for both sides; for ALL the damned 527's.

Can you, as an intelligent voter, honestly sit there and tell me you believe Sarah Palin to be the best and most qualified choice in the GOP to be the Republican nominee for Vice President in 2008?

Don't compare her to Obamaor anyone else. Can you HONESTLY tell me you have no qualms or hesitations about her abilities?

If your answer is yes, please explain your rationale to me.

Simply put, I do not see it. I try to look at it from as objective a mindset as I can muster. And yet, from where I'm sitting, she's not even the most qualified (for VP) Republican politician in Alaska, let alone the entire country.

Oh sure, I can understand the GOP and conservative love affaire with her. I really can. She appeals to a considerable segment of the GOP conservative base.

But is she the BEST person for the job of Vice President, or was she chosen just for the job of getting McCain elected?

Well , you can make the same case against Obama. Ok so he just went to europe a few weeks ago , and has 100 or so Foreign Policy experts on his campaign staff that keep him informed.
Listen I am no Right wing religious nut case , but Palin comes across much more genuine then the ANNOITED ONE and has had actuall excutive experience even being govenor of Alaska!
Did we have the same argument back in 92 about a certain govenor from Arkansas?

You didn't provide any rationale for your statements but asked for it.

What is the reason for stating what you stated?

One thing I like about Palin is she looks like the real people I meet every day. By the way the most qualified candidate with an understanding of issues didn't win the primary. So, we are left with an inexperienced, unaccomplished candidate and an old war hero.

In nutshell, inexperienced candidate picked the most experienced for VP and the most experienced picked the inexperienced for VP thus balancing perfectly.

Besides the media frenzy, it is all about the outcome at the end in real life and not one started of with in the beginning. Flip flop is the most abused term in journalism and politics. I am only interested in the end result and in politicians that can change their positions based on ground reality.

One reason BO stirred my initial interest was he was new and had not been around playing the game. It turns out he's just a smoother player having learned from the Famous Chicago School of Political Crooks and Flunkees.

Hunter Thompson wrote, in reference to RMN, "How low do you have to sink in this country to get elected President?" (He also said RMN was so crooked he had to screw his pants on.)

The best people are in the military and they stay the hell out of politics. Some say it was always thus, but it sure seems a lot more fucking thus than it used to be.

She may not be the "best," but that doesn't matter.  If McCain drops dead on Day Three, she will have two things going that make me feel okay.

First, she will have top level advisors that McCain selected.  I am happy having what I feel is a good person in office if he/she has good advisors.  I would rather have that than someone I don't think is particularly good who selected advisors that I know I will not like.  As smart as Obama is supposed to be, I don't like the direction he will go in, and I don't like the people who will help lead him there.

Second, with good advise, I trust the common person.  William Buckley once said he would rather be governed by the first 100 names in the Boston phone book than by 100 Harvard professors.  I understand what he was getting at.

I do indeed find it hilarious, and I appreciate all the humor at someone elses's expense I can stumble upon, but I also find "hilarious" the daily Mount St. Helens' of hatred toward Senator Obama which graces this forum on a daily basis.  Not being emotionally invested in either, I can indeed enjoy the spectacle on a non-partisan basis.

I don't take her to be evil, she's probably not stupid, definitely not scary given her impressive rack and tasteful selection of high heels, but that being said, she's got no immunity to criticism, nor should she expect any such immunity.  Palinophiles seem to feel that the good Guv should be immune to criticism. Happily I'm not a Palinophile.

Appx 7 weeks to Election Day.

In answer to your question, let me ask you one in return. Is the VP candidate EVER selected because they are BEST qualified for the job?

That was a rhetorical question of course, VPs are never selected on that basis. They are always selected to either help deliver a certain demographic or bring in a key state. This election is no different.

Biden was brought in to shore up Obama's weakness in foriegn policy, Palin was brought in because she is female and has the added benifit of rallying the "Jesus" crowd.

Oops, I almost forgot. My answer is no of course she is not the best person for the JOB of VP, but it is appearing she is by far the best person to help advance her running mate to the office of POTUS, and that is really the job of a VP candidate.

I don't particularly like her views on many subjects, but she is not running for president. It is amusing how both the left and the right, but especially the left has forgotten this. The more they and the media make Palin the focus, the more sympathetic she is going to appear and rather than temper the criticism of Obama for HIS lack of experience this will make his inadequacies for the job even more apparent.

there was not a consensus number one selection. Russell Maryland out of the University of Miami was not on anyone's list as a top college player. Yet the Dallas Cowboys made Mr. Maryland their number one pick and number one overall in the draft.

When Jerry Jones was asked why did he pick Mr. Maryland when there were many players better than him? He replied; "Mr. Maryland is the best player for us".

You see Dr. Gonzo, that is the point. Gov. Palin may not be the best VP selection that Sen. McCain could have selected. Frankly, I would love someone from the business community as a VP. Meg Whitman, Rick Wagner, et al, or a military leader i.e. Gen. Petreaus, are all better choices but Gov. Palin is the best running mate for Sen. McCain and for us.

The rationale why I like Gov. Palin is that, she has executive experience and has made tough decisions. One example of her intiativeness is the $30 billion TransCanada natural gas pipeline which is the largest infrastructure construction project in North America. For thirty years, previous governors have attempted to get this pipeline funded and built and failed.This pipeline will bring fuel to the lower forty-eight and reduce our dependency on energy from foreign countries.

Gov. Palin is a doer. She walks the talk. Dr. Gonzo I'm sorry but I don't see those characteristics from the Democratic ticket. They complain and whine, but what have they done?



-- Modified on 9/14/2008 1:12:05 PM

No, she isn't the most "qualified" VP candidate.  She was selected to boost McCain's candidacy (as all VPs).  There is no way to determine who is actually "qualified" to be President based on their resume, but Palin's is thin.  I personally feel more comfortable with executives (Governors, etc.) with real leadership positions over career legislators like Biden and McCain.  Kerry in 2004 really disturbed me because he never asserted himself in the Senate.  At least McCain, Biden, and Clinton were "Leaders" of sort in the Senate.  McCain's record by far exceeding the others. Obama has never actually been a senator.  He became a Presidential candidate the moment he was elected to the senate.

I just can't believe the effort the Dem party is putting fourth trying to crush this woman.  They are throwing the kitchen sink at this perceived lightweight.

Eisenhower struck me as such a man.

Colin Powell struck me as such a man.

Unfortunately, those who are most pro-active in seeking power, are the ones who are most ;ikely to abuse it when they have it.

Power Corrupts.
Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.

No greater proof to this idiom than the current administration.

Politicians count on this sort of emotional response. That way the real issues don't get discussed.

Colin Powell definitely falls in that category. He also seems to have the good sense to not throw his hat into the presedential ring.

His gain, the country's loss.

private sector. Years ago I worked for Ross Perot's old company. I trust you can guess the name. He made a point of hiring officers from the military. I was never in the military, but all my leaders in my early years were, and to this date, the best leaders in the corporate world I ever had. Many candidates for jobs come with similar competencies and skills, but what sets them apart are their attributes, i.e. leadership, character, integrity and empathy to name just a few.

Thank you for bringing back some good memories

The question posed said don't compare her to Obama.  Answer the question.  Do you think she's the best qualified.  Personally, I think if the repubs wanted a woman, Liz Dole was the best pick.