McCain's VP pick

Here's an interesting development: McCain selects a female VP!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7588435.stm

And here are the Dems' immediate criticisms of her: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/29/sarah-palin-obama-respons_n_122392.html

We previously discussed how the unlikely Obama candidacy was mostly a product of public backlash from the Bush years. Maybe McCain too. But now McCain's VP choice is mainly a product of Obama and Clinton in the national spotlight for the last year. Well, I guess that Romney and Pawlenty wouldn't have really helped much, and their states are solidly blue (Minn and Mass, not Utah). Ridge is a pro-choice ex-Bushie, and would have played into the Dem's "4 more years of the same" argument. Lieberman is too controversial, and the hard core right would have a cow. Arnold isn't eligible!

Well, with Palin you get a young, working mom with strong conservative bona fides, down-to-Earth appeal, and little baggage. She's also runner-up Miss Alaska apparently (well, not much competion up there!), though my female coworker thinks that her beauty may actually irk some Hillary supporters, who might be expecting tougher, older, but not so photogenic ladies like Hillary, Albright, and Reno. Romney has the perfect family, but Palin isn't far behind (son fighting in Iraq, caring for another child with Down's). She's naive on foreign affairs and defense, but that's McCain's department anyway. My friend from AK says she is tremendously personable and popular up there (80% approval rating), gives great speeches, and has actually taken a stance against bloated oil profits too, despite the typical Dem attack that every Alaskan Republican is "in bed with Big Oil". However she has only been governor for 2 years, and some think she's over her head with her smart advisers doing most of the heavy lifting. So if she can't handle tiny AK, Washington might be out of her league. Though it is refreshing to see two VPs from small states getting a chance.

But let's remember that the VP is a mostly ceremonial, powerless position, at least historically. Only recently has Cheney "revolutionized" the job, and I'm doubtful such an extreme presence will persist with Biden or Palin. Sure she is one heart attack away from Commander-in-Chief and her inexperience might be a concern. But if a future President McCain dies in office, it's going to be very traumatic and difficult on the nation and any VP. Even Thomas Jefferson would have trouble filling the void immediately and helping the nation move forward. But I'm sure that after 6 months in Washington, she'll be a seasoned veteran if she survives. This news is so hilarious. I've never seen such calculated politcal guerilla warfare, copying opponents and neutralizing their advantages. All of a sudden the "experience", "working class roots", and "change" criticisms and credentials from both sides get a lot cloudier. Each ticket can't so easily criticize the other for the shortcomings that they also exhibit, nor can they take credit for qualities that their opponents also possess. I'm glad we've mostly moved past the "patriotism" debate. Now change and experience are no longer the exclusive possessions of a political party, as it should be.

I am not sure if Palin would swing young or women voters to McCain, but definitely adds diversity and somewhat neutralizes "4 more years of the same". I am surprised he didn't try to go after Colin Powell, though maybe he did and Powell declined. That would have really thrown a wrench in the Dem's plans. Two war heroes and a black man versus another black man whose own VP said he wasn't ready to lead a few months ago! Or maybe any former Bushie (even a dissenting one) would hurt McCain and validate the Dems' argument. Well it's true that Palin might be the next Quayle or Ferraro, but I disagree that it's a show of panic and desperation from the GOP. McCain is not broke and he's neck-and-neck with Obama in some national polls. Actually the fact that the Dems are so quick to forcefully denounce her shows that actually they're concerned by her potential impact. This campaign is getting somewhat interesting after all. Well after all these millions spent, we "customers" better get our money's worth!

This news will send ripples around Washington for a while. What a big, calculated risk (or gimmic or Hail Mary pass) - we'll see if it pays off. It may even blunt some of Obama's post-convention bounce. For once, cable news will want to talk about something more than Obama's historic campaign. I wonder how the ultra right feels about it. I wonder if the Obama camp is regretting not selecting Hillary as VP! I know some of her hard core supporters felt it was strange that the Clintons got such prominent speaking roles at the convention, yet she didn't get the nod for VP, even though she got almost as many votes as Obama. An outsider wouldn't have been able to tell if the convention was for Hillary or Obama at times. Well, they say that 2 prima donnas can't coexist on the same ticket, and no one wants the veep to take the spotlight. But if they really wanted to guarantee a Dem in the White House, maybe it was the smartest choice to make? That way not a single Hillary supporter would have jumped ship for McCain, and she has much more clout with Latinos and "working class" whites than Biden, who is far from being a household name. It would have been a slam dunk (not the George Tenet kind). But I guess the Dems let their personal grievances get in the way of what was best for the party, as usual. And even though Biden can wipe the floor with Palin in their scheduled debate, his brusque style may come off as bullying the more sympathetic, younger, and prettier Palin. That was the case when Hillary was in the lead before the Iowa Caucuses, and Edwards/Obama were on the attack.

Well, I guess the GOP has been much better at teamwork and campaign strategy than the Dems since Reagan. The Kennedys hated LBJ, but they needed Texas and frankly it would make their presidency easier if LBJ was out of his power-trip role as Speaker of the House, so they did it for the sake of winning and advancing their agenda. Or maybe this is just hype and won't make a big difference, and Obama's people feel his lead is large enough to win without Hillary. Though now I'm sure his campaign will be begging for her help down the stretch, and Clinton will be accumulating some favors and goodwill within the party. Well, maybe decisions like these and campaign strategy are not totally in Obama's hands, as weird as that sounds. Maybe his staff, funders, or Dem Party pressures really force his hand on some decisions, and he has to make the best of it. But that says something about his leadership limitations too, and it's unfortunate that American campaigns seem to be won or lost over strategy decisions and personal characteristics more than actual policy and leadership considerations.

Also, the McCain camp ran an ad during the DNC that congratulated Obama for his historic nomination. A classy and unexpected move as well. Maybe it's insincere and just a political stunt, but it was a conscious choice that recognized a legitimate accomplishment. I don't know the last time a Dem congratulated a GOPer for anything.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/28/mccain-to-rebut-obamas-bi_n_122102.html