Ding, ding, ding.
In this corner, we have the junior Sen. Barack "I'll take the high road" Obama and Joe "everyone needs an attack dog" Biden. In the other corner, we have senior senator and, lest we forget, former prisoner of war John "grampy" McCain and Alaskan Governor, moose-hunter and mother of five, Sarah Louise Palin.
The Palin nomination was a shocker, evidently even to her. In an interview with Larry Kudlow on CNBC's Kudlow & Co., Palin dismissed the possibility of being nominated for the job and asked, "What does the VP do every day?"
Then on Aug. 29 at a Dayton, Ohio, rally the Grand Old Party presidential hopeful McCain let loose the vice presidential bombshell that was heard around the world. Personally, I laughed so hard I peed a little.
The Huffington Post reports Palin and McCain met for only 15 minutes four days before the announcement. Political pundits on both sides of the aisle speculate both McCain's vice president finalists Joe Lieberman and former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge garnered such intensely negative GOP insider feedback that the Arizona senator was obliged to seek comfort outside the box.
When asked about Palin's international inexperience, Cindy McCain suggested to ABC's George Stephanopoulos the geographic proximity of Russia and Alaska gave Palin insight about "what is at stake there."
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So, who is Palin, besides a self-described "hockey mom?"
Palin was born in Idaho but grew up in Wasilla, Alaska. In high school, she was a point guard and captain of the basketball team where she was known as Sarah Barracuda on account of a last-minute, game-winning free throw. So forget the attack ads and the debate. This whole thing could be settled with a simple Palin versus Obama game of one-on-one.
Crowned Miss Wasilla in 1984, Palin went on to place second in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant for which she received a college scholarship. In 1987, Palin earned a bachelor's degree in communication and journalism from North Idaho College.
She went on to serve two terms on the Wasilla City Council, a city with a population of 6,700. From 1996 to 2002, she served as mayor. Palin made an unsuccessful bid for the lieutenant governor's seat in 2002. In 2003 and 2004, she chaired the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, while also serving as ethics supervisor for the same commission. In 2006, Palin was elected governor of Alaska.
Historically, Palin is the first female GOP vice president nominee. She could also be the first vice president nominee that may have to concede from the race due to an impending prison sentence. Reportedly, Palin has retained an attorney in connection with an ongoing ethics investigation regarding the improper dismissal of a public safety commissioner. Allegations include cronyism and criminal abuse of power. There is, too, that pesky Certificate of Involuntary Dissolution issued by the State of Alaska for failure to properly license an Anchorage car wash.
On the upside, Palin could make ankle bracelets chic.
On Sept. 3, at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, Palin introduced herself to a perplexed nation. Among the stunned was former Speaker of the House Gail Phillips of Alaska, who said that after the nomination announcement, she called 30 to 40 people including political, business and community leaders, and basically no one knew Palin was being seriously considered for the vice president spot.
Vetting is a process all presumptive candidates must endure. Picture yourself standing naked in front of the entire world - this is pretty much what vetting is about. Arthur B. Culvahouse, the Washington, D.C., lawyer in charge of vetting vice president candidates for the McCain camp, reportedly informed McCain about Palin's pregnant-teen-daughter situation. Culvahouse may, however, have overlooked the fact that Palin vetoed monies for a home for unwed teen moms while governor.
The GOP at the RNC did their best to rally behind Miss Congeniality as she spoke of McCain's guts regarding the war in Iraq. Palin proudly proclaimed she "would rather lose an election than lose a war."
A card-carrying National Rifle Association supporter, Palin is feverishly against a woman's right to choose, even in the case of rape or incest. She is vehemently against gay marriage and reportedly enjoys shooting at wolves from the air.
What is going on here should be totally transparent even to the most casual political observer. In choosing Palin, McCain is scrambling for the scraps from Hillary's table. It is an insult to suggest that just because governor Palin has a womb and big hair that women will rush to undo more than a century of hard-won rights and freedoms. McCain's lack of judgment here is a bright, flashing red warning light of the fumbling, bumbling disastrous mayhem that will surely follow if he is elected.
