The whole Palin/McCain process is an embarrassment. Regardless of the specifics (well discussed in other letters) this whole affair is just one gaffe after another.

It reminds me of the little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar, protesting that no, really , he didn't reach for the cookies.

Regardless of the specifics, If I were John McCain I would be very unhappy. This whole affair would make me feel as if I were incompetent and didn't use good judgment.

Well, maybe Sen. McCain doesn't feel that way, but I suspect lots of people do feel that way about his behavior. And I bet a lot of them are Republicans and independents.

This whole thing is ugly; are we supposed to believe that Sen. McCain is showing wise judgment, mature leadership skills and presidential demeanor? Forget the issues for a moment; the Palin affair demonstrates at the very least sheer political incompetence. Not the first time we've seen this, but at least it came before the vote, so no one can say we weren't warned.

I thought Sarah Palin delivered a well crafted speech extremely well. She's attractive and a formidable speaker. If this were the final exam for a speech class, I'd give Gov. Palin an A+. She certainly rallied the troops.

But it's not a speech class, but an interview to ultimately become the President of the United States. If Sen. McCain were elected, she would be just a heartbeat away from that office. Given the significance of becoming the Vice President, how did she do?

For the faithful, she did a fabulous job. But pleasing the religious right, who are only about 20% of the population, should not be the sole litmus test for demonstrating the skills and experience necessary to be President of the United States.

My take is that she essentially said the following things:

John McCain is a war hero, and Barack Obama is not.

John McCain will keep taxes low, and Barack Obama will raise taxes.

John McCain is strong and powerful and will protect us and Barack Obama cannot and will not.

I thought Gov. Palin's tone was often arrogant and hostile.

In effect she had the job of belittling and demeaning Sen. Obama, and she did her best to achieve that objective.

But ask yourself this question: how did she do about answering the questions regarding her experience, policy positions and temperament? How did she do about demonstrating that she has the experience to deal with the most powerful politicians on the planet?

How did she do regarding understanding the scientific principles of evolution, and having a clear-eyed view of the results of her policies regarding sex education? How did she do about understanding the environment? How did she do about truly understanding the impact of additional drilling in the arctic? How did she do about demonstrating tolerance for points of view different than hers?

I didn't hear any substantive answers to any of these questions. And when the next president takes office, he will have to deal with these very difficult issues. We may love to be moved by speeches which give easy answers, but where is the substance? Well, we didn't hear it - because there isn't any.

If the McCain/Palin ticket wins, then the ignorance of the electorate will have been well rewarded. Be careful what you pray for . . .

I have watched many a political debate and Gov. Palin's performance was predictable. She seems fairly poised, but doesn't actually know much. One of the deceptive things about answering questions is that it takes a great deal of knowledge and experience to provide a simple but complete answer. Clearly Gov. Palin is way out of her depth.

For example: the NATO question. I've heard and read that most of our military leaders are definitely opposed to Georgia and Ukraine becoming members - precisely because of the collective security issue. A well informed politician would know this and be very careful about blithely stating that we'd come to Georgia's defense if it was attacked by Russia (which in fact it already has been).

Gov. Palin's performance is just that; there is no substance. We should not be surprised that she doesn't know much - I suspect the vast majority of elected politicians wouldn't do any better. But - the vast majority of elected politicians aren't running for Vice President of the United States.

This campaign is about selecting the chief executive officer of a major world wide corporation.If you were a member of the Board of Directors of this corporation (which you are), which slate would you select? Which slate has demonstrated the temperament and knowledge to guide our country through the changes that are now required.

I'm proud that the Senators Obama and Biden are on the ticket; I believe they will represent us well. Intelligent, calm and experienced, they are the slate best suited to lead our country.