The Republicans and their Picks

Sarah Palin - what an inspiring choice. For comedians, that is. Random notes on a very quick week:

Fox News reported that the McCain camp is getting tired of answering questions about Palin's vetting:

Senior McCain adviser Steve Schmidt said Wednesday the campaign will no longer answer questions about the vetting process.

“This nonsense is over,” he said. “Her selection came after a six-month long rigorous vetting process where her extraordinary credentials and exceptionalism became clear."

Contrast this with The Washington Post story that led off today's stories with details on Palin's meetings with McCain and his campaign officials:

McCain did not speak face to face with Palin until Thursday morning, at his retreat in Sedona, Ariz. He also talked to her by telephone the previous Sunday. McCain had spoken with all of the others on his shortlist over the course of a selection process that went on for several months, but he was least familiar personally with the person he finally chose.

Aides said he went with a gut reaction, but as Michael Smerconish of WPHT-1210 AM noted, what was the rush if this vetting allegedly took place over months?

Equally troublesome are the multiple accounts from Alaskan Republicans who say no one contacted them to go over Palin's background or to assess her qualifications as a VP pick.

Over on Fox News.com, McCain backer Carly Fiorina went off on the media and the Democrats:

“The Republican Party will not stand by while Sarah Palin is subjected to sexist attacks,” said top McCain adviser Carly Fiorina, defending Palin as qualified and declaring women would not “stand for it” when she is subjected to such attacks. “As women, I think all of us are sensitized and outraged when we see sexist treatment.”

Fiorina backed off a bit when asked which allegations specifically were sexist.

Do I have a problem with Palin being a mother of five running for VP? No.
Do I have a problem with Palin's daughter being pregnant? Nope. None of my business. But it's my business if she pushes abstinence-only sex ed on the entire country with such a shitty track record of success. And how 'bout that boyfriend who is being shoved into marriage and got on a flight to St. Paul? Country first? Or political expediency first?

In fact, this pick makes me question whether McCain, who preferred Joe Lieberman and Tom Ridge, but was rebuffed since both are pro-choice, made this pick to put "country first." More like "party first."

Two side notes:

I knew Smerconish was tired this morning when he took a call from a man by saying, "Thank you for your call and your pregnancy," meaning to say "your patience."

When I typed "John" into the post labels field, my choices presented were, in order:
John McCain, John Simm and Pope John Paul II. In other words, a man who hasn't figured out how to use the Internet and whose music choices end in the 1970's; an actor who played a cop transported back to the 1970's, and a Pope who took the papal throne in the 1970's. Coincidence?


- P