John McCain’s selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate was the single best move he has made in this entire Presidential election cycle. His choice of Palin over several better-known candidates not only reinforced his reputation as a political maverick, it also shored up the rickety platform of support that the Republican party’s conservative base had demonstrated for him in the months since he locked in the nomination.
Governor Palin’s hard-line conservative rhetoric is strongly backed up by her “performance” both in office and in her private life. Her critics on the left say she doesn’t have the experience required to be a good President should the responsibilities of that office suddenly be hoisted upon her, but a logical examination of the facts tells a different story. In fact, her executive experience, first as a mayor and then Governor, actually exceeds that of Barack Obama himself.
Obama’s experience is limited to a lackluster performance as a state senator from Illinois followed by not even an entire term in the U.S. Senate (where he has been absent from the Senate floor almost as much as he has been on it). Governor Palin on the other hand has served with distinction in two executive positions, taking on and besting some of the most powerful special interests in the entire nation as well as her own Republican party establishment in the state of Alaska.
Obama chose Washington insider and long-time Senator Joseph Biden to be his running mate primarily as a means to make up for his own obvious lack of political and executive experience, yet his supporters have made the mistake of trying to paint Palin as not ready for the job which she is seeking. But close examination of their respective records clearly shows that she is already better prepared to step into the role of President than Obama.
Obama is seeking the most powerful position on the planet while Palin is at the bottom of the ticket running with Senator John McCain, a man who was not my first choice for the Republican nomination, but is nonetheless far and away the most experienced overall of the four candidates we will have to choose from come November.
In a nutshell we have McCain, a distinguished veteran Navy pilot and long-term prisoner of war who has served most of his adult life in the U.S. Senate paired with a proven conservative with an equally proven track record of exceptional performance in two executive positions. In contrast, at the top of the Democratic ticket we have a man whose only real accomplishments have been the ability to give fiery speeches and instill a rock-star like sense of awe and admiration in the hearts and minds of folks who favor style over substance and are eager for “change” whatever the costs.
To paraphrase Hillary Clinton (Obama’s principle opponent in the primaries), McCain is ready to lead this country on day one while Obama will likely need a hefty dose of on-the-job training while attempting to lead the world’s greatest superpower in the midst of billions of people in several countries who would love nothing better than to eradicate us Americans and our way of life from the face of the planet.
As for me, I’ll be voting for McCain, secure in the knowledge that should he fail to complete his term for whatever reason we have a staunch conservative with rock-solid credentials and a proven record of success ready and waiting to take over without skipping a beat.
Go Palin! Oh, yeah, and McCain.