The Sarah Dolittle distraction that John McCain foisted on this country is no doubt a reflection on his judgment, his patriotism and his putting country first.
Sarah has proven in her sparse interviews that she is completely unprepared to be vice president, let alone - god forbid - president. NO SERIOUS PERSON can deny that - they can try, but in the privacy of their own minds, they can't. She is the most unqualified person (including Dan Quayle) ever in my lifetime to run for this office. She makes Katherine Harris look sane and rational.
So why did McCain choose her? His campaign needed excitement, and he wanted to appeal to women. He needed a distraction from Obama's magnificient speech. In short he chose her as a sort of political viagra, to inject life into his lifeless campaign. And every time he praises her as he did in the debate, and this morning on ABC, he mocks the voters and shows his cynical ploy will continue.
In choosing someone so unqualified for this office, when we are at war in two countries, fighting terrorism and a financial crisis at the same time, things that require the utmost qualifications and preparedness in candidates, he has failed his first test of judgment. But beyond that, he has shown contempt for the country, a lack of patriotism in his willingness to put his ambition before his country, indeed mocking his own slogan "Country First."
But what of the voters, the tens of thousands who screamed like maniacs at the convention, the thousands who show up in awe of this person from the frozen tundra? What does this say about them?
It says several things. It says many of them are willing, like the presidential candidate, to put party before country. It says that many of them don't see reality because they have been fooled by the myths the Republican Party is spinning about her.
But it says something even worse, I think, and we have seen this also in the past two elections when another unqualified candidate won the presidency. It says that a significant number of voters are not at all interested in the qualification of a candidate. It shows they have absolutely no clue as to how important the offices of president and vice president are. It shows them treating the presidential election as a beauty contest, or a popularity contest, like something that might take place in high school, or on American Idol. It shows utter disregard for the seriousness of governing this nation, and the seriousness of the situations we find ourselves in.
In short, it shows that a signficant number of voters in this country are not qualified themselves to make the decision they will make on November 4th.
