How Sarah Palin short-changed herself out of the White House

The set up looked great, but follow-through fell short.

If Senator John McCain is kicking himself this morning, it should not be for choosing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. I will say the same thing about Palin that I wrote about Mike Huckabee in January ("Iowa Caucus Ruckus"): my plumber has more foreign policy experience (a statement that is perhaps even more appropriate now than it was ten months ago given Joe the Plumber's recent rise to fame).

But I also stand behind my earlier statement that Palin was a smart VP pick. Politically, she was a great counter to McCain’s socially liberal policies and she energized the republican base. The ticket was well-balanced. The campaign fell apart in the strategy.

Rather than focusing on Palin’s real assets the campaign spent most of its time defending strengths she doesn’t actually posses, ridiculously clinging to their claim that Alaska’s proximity to Russia makes her a foreign policy buff.

Palin is no political lightweight. She has battled corruption in Alaska, been an advocate for families with special needs children, and her experience on the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is particularly relevant as our nation vies for fuel independence. These are all strengths that would have helped create a well-rounded administration. Twenty years in the senate have given McCain enough experience in foreign and economic policy for the both of them. We should look for vice presidential candidates to posses skills or experience that the presidential candidate lacks.

I could blame the liberal media for unfairly attacking and haranguing Palin, but ultimately that just feels like a cop out. The campaign failed to refocus attention on Palin’s strengths, and that’s really too bad.

McCain will be 76 by the next election, and it’s unlikely he’ll run again. As for Palin, I wouldn’t support a bid for the presidency in 2012, but as Vice President she’d have done alright. If not, Mac could always send her on a peacekeeping mission to Africa.

Palin's debate debacle

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s performance at the Vice Presidential debate last night concerned me. I have always believed she was a smart choice for VP (see “McCain-Palin is a Winning Ticket”), but last night the “pit-bull with lipstick” I had grown to love during the RNC had too much bark and not enough bite.

I don’t want to criticize without offering some possible solutions, so Governor Palin, here are a few ways you can win back my confidence:

1. Get the facts straight. Fast-talking rhetoric and charm are impressive during a debate, but in this technology-driven world the facts will catch up with you in the morning (probably even sooner). That doesn’t mean you should change your style of speaking, just make sure you have rock-solid facts to back you up. Here’s an example from the debate last night when you could have used a fact-checker:

Palin: “Now, Barack Obama had said that all we're doing in Afghanistan is air-raiding villages and killing civilians. And such a reckless, reckless comment and untrue comment, again, hurts our cause.”

In August 2007 Obama did say that American troops in Afghanistan were killing civilians (“We’ve got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we’re not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there.”). Unfortunately, that’s because it was true. At the time, 286 civilians had been killed by US troops, according to the Associated Press; Afghan insurgents had killed 231.

I hate that he said it too, but the facts are pretty damning.

2. Keep up on current events. When Sen. Joe Biden claimed that our commanding officer in Afghanistan said the surge principles we applied in Iraq will not work there, you admirably tried to call him on it. Unfortunately, Biden’s information was more current. Tuesday’s Washington Post reported that Gen. David McKiernan “stated emphatically that no Iraq-style ‘surge’ of forces will end the conflict [in Afghanistan].”

Here’s the link.

Along those same lines, our commanding general in Afghanistan is McKiernan, not McClellan. I hate to nit-pick, but this is the kind of blunder that made our current president an international laughing stock. Let’s not give Tina Fey any more fodder for SNL.

3. Learn phonics. It’s pronounced NUCLEAR, not “nu-cu-ler.” Way to sound exactly like Bush.

Since you’ve been governor for less than two years, I’m inclined to give you a second chance. My confidence is wavering but not lost. A few simple changes could bring it back in full force.

A Note to Sen. Joe Biden: McCain didn’t vote against funding alternative energy 20 times, it was 11. Stop exaggerating. Also, McCain didn’t refuse to meet with the government of Spain, his simply declined to commit to any meetings during an interview.

McCain-Palin is a winning ticket

John McCain is brilliant. Some have called the GOP presidential candidate crazy in the wake of his VP selection, but Alaska Governor Sarah Palin fills a void in the Republican ticket that only a socially conservative, small town hockey mom could.

Palin both balances the ticket and shakes it up. McCain was smart to chose a woman: whoever wins the election in November, it will be a red letter day in American history. If Obama wins, he’ll be the first black president. If McCain wins, Palin will become the first female vice president. He couldn’t choose another old white guy (although Obama was smart to add one to his ticket), and a female candidate adds variety without competing with the diversity on the Democratic ticket.

Luke warm feelings about McCain and his pseudo-conservative views have recently left Republicans with little to rally for, save a mutual dislike for Barack Obama. But Palin has sparked excitement in the party. She’ll draw votes from Bible Belt conservatives who, when it comes down to it, choose their candidates based more on shared social beliefs than political experience.

She’s the LBJ to McCain’s JFK.

Palin’s sharp wit is exactly what Republicans need to counter Obama’s epic rhetoric. While Democrats are swooning over Obama, I’m betting the Republican faithful will be lining up around the block to listen to one of Palin’s speeches. She’s a natural in a way that McCain, for all his Washington experience, could never hope to be. Her speech at the Republican National Convention last night proved it.

Of course, Palin can’t hope to draw Clinton supporters to vote Republican, as has been recently suggested. But I don’t think that was ever McCain’s plan. It’s insulting to both liberal and conservative voters to argue that they will vote for a candidate because she has the same gender as someone they supported in the primary election. McCain is a maverick in part because he doesn’t really follow the conservative philosophy of his party. If the GOP ticket failed to appeal to social conservatives (a significant and sizable demographic), McCain risked losing those votes, and probably the election. Adding Palin to the ticket helps voters forget, if only temporarily, that McCain is barely a Republican by traditional standards.

Palin’s dysfunctional family only adds to her appeal. It’s been proven again and again that Americans are endlessly forgiving of personal or social indiscretions (as long as you don’t do it with their money or lie about it later). Having a pregnant, unwed daughter only serves to humanize the vice presidential candidate and makes her a champion not only for pro-life ideals but family values as well. The Democratic ticket will have a hard time competing with that.