The “Executive Experience” argument: Can we please stop this nonsense? Palin was an “executive” of a very small town and then, for two years, of a very small (population-wise), weird state with massive oil and gas revenues to pay the bills. Senators, like McCain and Obama and Clinton and Biden, are intimately involved in issues related to national governance, including foreign affairs, homeland security, disaster relief, justice and law enforcement, the environment, the military, and so on. The idea that Palin is more qualified to deal with these issues on a national level because she had final authority to negotiate a pipeline is silly. The idea that any of the Senators are unprepared because they only participated in national government and didn’t make final decisions by themselves is silly.
What’s even scarier: Palin has displayed a marked tendency to fire competent people in highly-placed, well-paid positions and replace them with cronies, including, in one instance, a high school friend whose primary “executive experience” consisted of managing a mailbox franchise. In that sense, I suppose, she is a true Republican– look at Bush’s attempts to put Harriet Maier on the Supreme Court. Maybe she could appoint her mother-in-law to the Supreme Court.
Palin is also a book-burner– she is lying about that little episode in her life– and she’s either a hypocrite or a liar about abortion: she suggests that her daughter made a “choice” about keeping the baby, while insisting that, if she could, she would make it illegal for anyone else to have a “choice”. In fairness, she hasn’t tried to push the social agenda as governor… but then, a governor does not appoint Supreme Court justices or the Attorney-General of the United States.
Palin and her staff occasionally used personal e-mail accounts to conduct state business so they would not–so they thought– be subject to subpoena, if anyone dared to challenge her actions. Can’t wait to see who she appoints to the office of Attorney-General. But that certainly is good preparation for someone who might inherent the constitution-bending role of Dick Cheney.
All politicians “fudge”– well, they lie– to a certain extent. Palin is a bit unusual in the zest with which she embraces this task at the Republican convention and interviews, even when there are tapes and emails showing the contrary. McCain must be hoping that this information doesn’t filter down to the bubbas and marges of U.S. politics by November. The lies pertain directly to her aura of incorruptibility– in fact, we learn quickly that Ms. Palin is immensely corruptible and corrupting, as well as unqualified for the office she aspires to.