Could McCain have picked a WORSE running mate?

He basically just gave us the "heartbeat away from the Presidency" argument on a silver platter.

He's basically opened the door for legitimate questioning about his age...

how collossally, monumentally stupid!

Most interesting; on one level, McCain-Palin looks like the reversal of Obama-Biden.

As for the experience factor, it will be fascinating to see if Republicans can push the concept that "experience belongs to the presidential candidate, the VP has more wiggle room" as a talking point, rather than a Democratic "you just canceled out the experience complaint." (After all, who ever voted for the presidential candidate solely based on the VP choice? That might have been the case with an Obama-Clinton ticket, but we will never know.)

In any case, for a thoughtful voter, this choice made the race more interesting.

Sarah Palin is the former "mayor of an Alaskan fishing village."

Her husband is a "champion dog-sled racer."

First, please stop posting the same illiterate crap to every single letters page.

Secondly, you're going to lose this time. Get used to it.

...it's the first time the GOP has had a female running mate. Of course that says more about the Republicans than anything else.

She is strongly opposed to allowing women to choose abortion. What about contraception?

This has got to be the worst choice McCain could have made for vice president. The Obama camp must be celebrating...does McCain actually think that the mere fact that Sarah Palin is female is going to win over former Hillary supporters? That is insulting. Sarah Palin is pro-life, pro-gun and a creationist. Conservative Republican women were already going to vote for McCain...I can't see any women who were strong Hillary supporters even considering voting for McCain after this. Wow.

I hope McCain didn't pick Palin, who would be 2nd in line to the Presidency just becaue he thinks it will draw Hillary supporters. Palin is pro-life; pro-gun- pro drilling in the Artice wild life preserve. She touts ethics reform yet herself is under investigation for firing based on a family connetion (shades of Bush). Does the fact she hunts moose somehow make her appealing to anyone but rednecks and hunters? I'm sure she has some great qualities but can anyone see sending her to the Middle East to broker deals? Alaska is a beautiful state but not exactly action central -

And I wonder how Palin will really appeal to evangelicals -as a mother of 5 with a young mentally challenged baby - will they like the fact she's leaving her family to go to Washington? Will be very interesting --

Good grief! Could McCain possibly look more desperate right now? Could he possibly make himself seem less confident? The last thing in the world his campaign needed after Obama's speech last night is to come across as weak and pandering. Well, he just shouted from the rooftops that he doesn't stand a chance in hell of winning and knows it. Should be pretty funny to see uber-Conservatives like Limbaugh attempt to spin this one.

I can see the next McCain ad now: "Hello Women of America, I'm John McCain, and this is my running-mate Sarah Palin, who possesses a uterus and two X chromosomes. Since I know you'll vote for anyone in a dress, I'll see you in the White House in 2009. Thank you."

If you figure that McSame's thinking is that one woman is pretty much like another, and this one is quite attractive, has a passle of kids, and is "pro-life", then I guess this choice makes sense.

When you think about her having ZERO foreign policy experience, hardly any as Gov (of a state he'll already win), and a scandal brewing besides, this is colossally stupid, as others have said.

Nuttin' historic about it, neither.

Can't wait to see Biden wipe up the floor with her in the debates.

The NEW Republican Party: Now only twenty years behind the times!

the mother of Bristol, Piper, Track, Willow, and Trig.

huh?

You're right - there is always more to the story. For example, I notice you carefully avoided mentioning what she is under investigation for.

The allegation is that she tried to have a state official, the Public Safety Commissioner, fire her ex-brother-in-law from his job as a state trooper. (The brother-in-law was in the middle of a custody dispute with Palin's sister. Wouldn't it be convenient if he was unemployed?) When the Public Safety Commissioner wouldn't comply, he was coincidentally fired by Palin in mid-July. (Her reason? She has the right to select her cabinet.)

Palin admits that one of her staffers called the Commissioner and tried to convince him to fire the brother-in-law. She admits that the staffer implied that he was speaking on behalf of the Governor. But she herself couldn't be more surprised because she had no idea why a staffer would go off and call a state official to ask that the Governor's ex-brother-in-law be fired. No idea at all. (The staffer also got thrown under the bus - er, fired for his trouble.)

So what we potentially have here is a vindictive, inexperienced woman who uses power inapproriately. What a glowing example of someone who should be a 72-year-old heartbeat away from the Presidency!

John McBush thinks women are stupid, simple as that.

It seems to me that somewhere I heard (Cspan?) that Palin was a TV newscaster or radio personality before she decided to get into politics. Do you know her educational credentials?

You also downplay here winger bona fieds.

Right.

After this I don't want to hear another word...not one...from the Republicans about Obama's "inexperience". This woman's only experience beyond the local level is a single term as a governor. Which is fine, but I thgink it's hard to argue she meets the commander-in-chief threshold. And there seems to be a real dearth of information about what her opinion might be regarding any of the critical foreign policy issues that face us. Remember, because of McCain's age and general condition, the likelihood that his vice president will be called on to take over for him is significantly higher than usual.