Troy, you need to submit your question to him for one of the debates (in the style of
)...
"So Mr McCain, tell me, why did you opt for attractive former beauty queen Sarah Palin as running mate?" 
If he wanted a woman, why not one of the other more experienced female candidates like
Hutchison or
Snowe? Prior to this announcement, both of those were discussed in the media here as very able women candidates.
I hear the arguments about choosing a
Governor rather than another Senator, and about choosing someone more youthful. But still, undermining one of the central pillars of your campaign's attack against Obama - that's very brave. As is choosing someone
for VP who.....
Quote:
|
John McCain first met Sarah Palin only six months ago and had just one conversation with the Alaska governor before offering her the vice presidential slot on the Republican ticket, the Arizona senator's campaign said Friday.
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For someone so relatively unknown, then based on this information, she must have made quite an impression on him.
And he says he chose her because she's "someone with strong principles, a fighting spirit and deep compassion, she's got the grit, the integrity and commitment to the common good which are exactly what we need in Washington today". That's fair enough, although I'd say those are all qualities that would have been used to describe any other VP choice, male or female, and I'm still left wondering, why risk your own platform of attack by choosing someone so unknown? Is this REALLY just the Clinton factor?
Quote:
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McCain himself didn't speak with the Alaska governor until last Sunday — one day after Barack Obama named Joe Biden to his ticket.
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Holding off on this decision until one day after Obama played his hand. It's possible it still might have been her of course....
I should add, these things aren't remotely, in themselves, criticisms of her as a candidate - hopefully that's obvious (though I think there's a fair bit to challenge, not least her views on homosexuality and atheism), but rather a wincing at the way these decisions are made. I'm at least heartened to read that she's a prominent member of Feminists for Life, so presumably she can't be all that bad.... can she?
To expand on what Cacophony has already said, it's also interesting how both presidential candidates are completely silent on what they themselves lacked, and sought to gain in their choice of running mate. Instead we get these nebulous endorsements, but it's never straight-up admitted. It's quite funny.