So we have just endured 8 years of the world running circles around George W. Bush while he tried to bully and arm-twist our allies and enemies into doing what he wanted no matter how bone-headed.

And the reason we got someone of his terrible experience and JUDGMENT was because the MSM made the 2000 election about who would voters rather share a beer with?

Do you think Russians care whether they would like to share a beer (or vodka) with Vlad Putin? No, because all they care about in a leader is whether the leader is shrewd, a fantastic negotiator and a poker player who doesn't show his hand sooner than he has to. Russia has grown strong under Putin - American under Bush/Cheney and "yes man" McCain has grown far weaker. The difference is leadership.

So what does McCain serve up? An intellectual lightweight, with no foreign policy experience and the tone and appearance of your local Century 21 realtor (and most homeowners know how full of b*lls**t realtors are today). Basically he wants voters (particularly women) to vote for him because they see a little bit of themselves in his VP choice - who cares whether she is remotely qualified for the deadly serious job ahead as long as Palin increases your self-esteem a la Oprah. I bet Palin's favorite book is "The Secret."

I hope McCain secretly wants Obama to win. Otherwise nothing about this VP choice makes ANY sense to thinking Americans.

Here is why I think McCain's VP pick will ultimately backfire:

It suggests that the McCain camp is so out of touch and patronizing that they think they can put any woman on the ticket and female voters will just go along, even if that candidate has a strong record of supporting policies that are bad for women. Governor Palin is a wolf in sheep's clothing and voters can tell the difference. Disgruntled Clinton supporters might be angry, but they're not stupid.

It reminds me of previous attempts to advertise the GOP's "diversity" - awkward photo ops with token minorities that primarily accentuate the fact that the Republicans are a party by and for white males. Someday, GOP actions will have to match their fabricated image.

How do you figure choosing a woman VP is patronizing to women? I've heard that several times on this board and it's just weird.

Four years of having to listen to McCain say "My friends..." in that unctuous tone of his. Ick. That alone is reason enough to vote for Obama.

I proclaim myself virile!! ...and a MAVERICK!! PS - she's High Maintenance... can I have some more money??"

Oh Johnny.... =|

People can do backflips till Christmas.

The bottom line is this election is going to come down to a couple of key swing states.

McCain could have picked Ridge, won Pennsylvania and won the election. He could have picked Portman, won Ohio and won the election. Or McCain could have picked Romney, won Michigan and won the election. He didn't.

People in Michigan don't care about gender in politics. Have you been there lately? I have. These people's entire way of life, economically, is falling apart. All they care about is having any jobs anytime in the near future.

I'm sorry but I think John McCain made a huge mistake here. I've never been one to follow the polls (if I did John Kerry would have been president), I've never been one to follow the media hype or spin, and I've certainly never been one to follow popular opinion.

I follow the map. Because that's how you win or lose an election. And this pick, quite frankly, just doesn't do ANYTHING for the electoral map. At least Biden helped in Pennsylvania. This helps in Alaska and their 3 electoral votes. Count me not impressed. I could be wrong but then again so could those who are arguing this is such a great pick. Yawn.

on to the Palin drone.

And laughable. I really cannot wait to see Serious National Security conservatives defend the possibility that a 40-something woman who was mayor of a small town in Alaska just two years ago could be Commander-in-Chief. Leader of the Free World. The Unified Executive. Dick Cheney must be setting up a shadow government at this very moment just in case.

Like Harriet Miers, she will be rejected by conservatives and the religious right, but McCain does not get a do over.

So in a gambit to lure away a handful of Hillary voters, McCain throws away the inexperienced argument - the best one he had - alienates family values voters and military conservatives, and puts the judgment issue front and center, even among conservatives themselves.

The fat lady has a lovely voice, don't you think?

is that John McBush is a certified lunatic. The choice of Palin is so loony and irresponsible, it makes George H W Bush's choice of a running mate in 1988 seem great in comparison. His judgment should put even Arizona in play for the Democrats. McBush should really be locked up in a room with padded walls and piped in soft music and taken out only for the occasional electric shock treatment.

...Picking Palin is patronizing because no one, no single rational human being would think that McCain surveyed the field of available Republican candidates in America and thought, "Sarah Palin, she's the one! She's the one to be vice president of a nation of 300 million people! There is no one more qualified than her!"

Instead he thought, "...Hillary voters... try to look less old... Romney is awful..." and then I'm not really sure what he thought after that.

I was stunned by the ridiculousiness of this VP pick, but after reading the Salon comments (a mistake that I'm making for the last time), a lot of people seem to think that it's super-awesome.

Whatever. I would have bet that the American people weren't this dumb, at one point. But that's a sucker's bet. We are this dumb, and more. We haven't nearly even reached our dumbness level yet. We've got dumbness yet to spare.

And now, let the calvacade of 185 crazy insulting comments begin... Farewell Salon; you used to not suck quite so much.