Friday, August 29, 2008

John McCain has chosen Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, as his vice-presidential running mate. I hope he knows what he's doing.

Let me say quickly, that I like Governor Palin. She is a principled conservative, unswervingly pro-life and proven as a tough reformer. I like that she is athletic, loves the outdoors and is married to a Yup'ik Eskimo. I'm also proud of her for choosing to have her fifth child when she knew in advance that he had Down Syndrome.

Yet two years ago she was the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska: population 5,500. The entire state of Alaska does not have a population as large as my hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. Alaska is 670,000 or so. Nashville is 1.2 million.

I'm concerned that McCain's maverick, "I'll-do-it-my-way" style may have gone astray on this one. True, she might do brilliantly. But then again Biden may eat her alive in debates and she may pale on the national stage. Voters may fear that the aging McCain, already beset with cancer, cannot be well replaced by such inexperience should the worst case occur.

What is certain is that there were better choices. In an election largely about judgment, McCain may have just made another mis-step.

One last thought: If McCain wanted a politically experienced woman who is a principled conservative, articulate and good looking, he should have chosen Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.

More soon.

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