John McCain met Gov. Sarah Palin only twice before he selected her to potentially take the second highest office in the land. To some, this may be but a minor detail in the entire veep saga, but it does have tremendous consequences for our country. This fact also tells us a lot about John McCain.
How does he know he will get along with her and that their governing styles are compatible?
He doesn't know. McCain didn't even attempt to build a partnership with his running mate. And why should he? He wasn't looking for a running mate when he chose Palin.
He was looking for an electoral lottery ticket. Nothing more.
She was chosen solely for political gain, without a thought about good governance. Whatever happened to country first?
When Obama chose Biden, he chose someone he knew for a fact he could get along with. They are colleagues in the Senate, and were even rivals when they ran for the Democratic nomination. Joe Biden even brings a skill that is badly needed-- intimate knowledge of foreign policy.
John McCain, on the other hand, hasn't had the opportunity to work Palin, or even interact with her. What if they don't get along? It obviously doesn't matter to John McCain.
He doesn't take Palin seriously. He either believes she'll fall in line and accede to all of his demands, or he just doesn't care about her views or positions because she won't be a force to reckon with.
Sarah Palin brings no expertise in any issue area that is of high importance to this country. She is no expert on economic matters, if the economy if Alaska is any indicator, which has been the recipient of many an earmark. Nor has she demonstrated a knowledge of foreign policy.
Can we expect a person who really has no idea about the responsibilities of the job of the vice presidency to understand the differences between Sunni and Shiite?
John McCain and his minions know this. And they don't care because she's going to bring them the votes of folks who solely vote on issues of identity politics.
Let's not heave conniption fits over his pick. After all, he rolled her out on a Friday, on the heels of a long weekend. I'm disappointed that the diary list was filled with what's wrong about McCain's pick instead of praise for Obama's speech. We knew that the chattering class would be distracted, but we shouldn't be.