No, McCain spent 5 1/2 years in a POW camp because he got shot down over Vietnam. I doubt when he took his plane up he was saying to himself, "I'm really glad to be flying this mission so I can give people the right to secede from the Union." Please try to remain marginally rational.

By the way, secession is rarely a noble act nor a noble notion. It's one of the most destructive paths a state or territory can take to its parent nation, and usually born of irrational anger and self delusion. Just look at the history of states, regions or counties that have tried to foment modern secession movements: they go through the inevitable fiscal analysis and find out that—SURPRISE!—they really need the parent region to be able to afford things like roads, schools, police, fire and hospitals.

The fact is, you could throw out everything about Palin related to her daughter's pregnancy and her gender and she would still be a scandalous choice for VP. Go ahead, throw out EVERYTHING. I'll wait...

...tum-dee-dum...

There. OK, as Thomas pointed out very accurately in an earlier post, the issue is McCain's judgment or lack thereof. Let's not forget that the purpose of VP is to be available to step in as POTUS should the president die or be incapacitated. That's the only Constitutional purpose for the job. So set aside nonsense about Weathermen and bastard kids and look at who our two presidential nominees have given the country as their potential successors:

Obama gave us Joe Biden, a six-term senator and lawyer who has been chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Yes, he's had some alleged problems with plagiarism and verbal diarrhea, but overall he appears to be an experienced, carefully-vetted statesman who would be very able to step into the Oval Office.

McCain gives us Sarah Palin, who he apparently vetted for about 15 minutes and chose because she carries around a matched set of ovaries that will supposedly hypnotize the PUMA crowd into voting for her. She's got 18 months of experience as governor of the most sparsely populated state in the union, no foreign policy experience (or it would seem an opinion on Iraq) to which her son is about to be deployed), and was an active member of a separatist group that appears to really "hate America," making her a ready target for scandal and attack should she ever have to step into the presidency (to say nothing of her family affairs, which, like it or not, are fair game for many people and would become another huge distraction were she to take office).

So what do these VP choices say about the presidential candidates? What do they tell us about their judgment and their attitude toward this country? I think Obama's choice was competent and prudent, if not very daring. But it points to an awareness that the most important quality for a running mate is that he or she be someone who is ready to become president at a moment's notice in a time of great stress and still be an effective leader.

I don't think it's possible to see McCain's choice as anything but contemptuous for the American electorate and a sign of impulsive, irresponsible thinking. He has selected someone who, aside from her inexperience, would be beset by scandal and distractions from the moment she took office. I shudder to think of what would happen if this unprepared young woman were to be thrown into the Oval Office should McCain drop dead of a heart attack. It appears that McCain chose her--probably against the advice of campaign officials who were screaming, "NO! For the love of God, no!"--despite her complete lack of qualifications simply because he assumed the "angry Hillary feminist/lesbian" crowd would automatically fall in behind her. So once again the GOP shows its misogyny as well as its revulsion for Americans.

I submit that based on McCain's judgment in making this pick alone, he has proved himself, to quote a GOP favorite, unfit for command.

She'll be gone by Friday, compelled to step down due to "important family matters," and probably with a shotgun wedding to plan. But seriously, the GOP won't let this continue. They may be corrupt, power-mad and intolerant, but they're not stupid. Romney or Pawlenty will step in immediately and they'll spin Palin as a "family-minded Christian bravely exiting the spotlight for the good of her daughter, blah, blah."

If for some reason they don't show her the door, then the lunatics truly are running the asylum and Obama will win by 20 points come November.

By the way, I read that her boyfriend/baby daddy is 18 and she's 17. I don't know if he was 18 when her little bundle of political embarrassment was conceived, but if he was, isn't that statutory rape?

Thanks. I'm not up on the law on that.

I predicted Friday for Palin's graceful exit from the ticket. Now I'm thinking she might not last until the first pitch of tonight's Dodgers/Padres game.

As long as the MSM has the sense and balls (hardly a given) to question McCain's judgment in selecting this woman of questionable experience, conduct and character for his running mate, the Dems will continue to make hay out of this until November.

Poll women voters in about a week, after the incredible, contemptuous insult of the Sarah Palin pick has a chance to sink in, and see what they have to say. I'm betting it's uuuugly.

Holy s--t, that library story is chilling. She's a Christofascist of the first order. What a loon. The Religious Wrong will eat her up while the rest of the country doubles over watching McCain backtrack.

Obama by 15 pts. in November if the GOP doesn't find some way to send her back to the separatist home school where they found her.