John McCain has a well-deserved reputation as something of a maverick. It has always been his calling card. And it’s likely some in his party have not always thought it his most endearing trait.
So it probably should have come as no huge surprise last week when the Arizona senator and presumptive GOP presidential nominee dropped a bombshell when it came to his choice for a running mate.
The early line seemed to be focusing on Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Maybe, it was believed the unconventional McCain would look to blunt the choice of Sen. Joe Biden by Democratic standard-bearer Barack Obama by going with former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, the nation’s first director of Homeland Security.
Instead, McCain stunned everyone by picking newly minted Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
The choice cements McCain’s reputation as someone who does not always follow the party script. The biggest advantage Republicans seemed to have, one we’d heard ever since Obama tapped Biden, was that it simply confirmed everyone’s fears: Obama was not ready to lead, did not have the experience to command the Oval Office, and was bringing the veteran Biden on board for much-needed ballast.
So much for that advantage. Palin’s resume leans more toward experience as a business executive than it does political seasoning.
She was the mayor of a small town in Alaska before successfully capturing the governor’s mansion. She’s in the middle of her first term.
At first glance, the argument could be made that McCain was making a blatant play for Hillary Clinton backers, the so-called PUMAs still licking their wounds that their favored candidate, who many insist was still the best candidate in the field, was denied the throne.
But the reaction to the Palin choice was interesting in that many women and former Clinton backers reacted angrily to the idea that they could be so easily lured to the GOP camp.
The waters surrounding Palin and McCain got decidedly more choppy over the weekend.
First Hurricane Gustav appeared on the scene and wreaked havoc on the schedule for the GOP convention in St. Paul, Minn.
Then Hurricane Palin got revved up. First it was announced that the McCain choice for VP had hired a private-practice attorney to defend her in the investigation into the firing of her public safety commissioner while she was Alaska’s chief executive.
Apparently this stems from a flap in which Palin’s sister was involved in a nasty divorce from a state trooper. It’s thought that Palin wanted the trooper canned. Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan balked. It cost him his job.
Then Sunday came another little bit of news involving Palin. The campaign announced her unmarried 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is pregnant. She will have the baby and is expected to marry the father. That certainly is in line with Palin’s strong stance opposing abortion. What it says to those in the party who like to talk about abstinence is something else.
But really what it should say to all of us is this: Is this really any of our business? Does it have any effect on Palin’s ability to serve as vice president?
To his credit Obama immediately steered clear of the issue. He has repeatedly said family matters should be off limits during the campaign.
The maverick McCain was looking for buzz and bounce in his choice of running mate.
Her certainly got it. Whether it was what he expected remains to be seen.
So it probably should have come as no huge surprise last week when the Arizona senator and presumptive GOP presidential nominee dropped a bombshell when it came to his choice for a running mate.
The early line seemed to be focusing on Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Maybe, it was believed the unconventional McCain would look to blunt the choice of Sen. Joe Biden by Democratic standard-bearer Barack Obama by going with former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, the nation’s first director of Homeland Security.
Instead, McCain stunned everyone by picking newly minted Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
The choice cements McCain’s reputation as someone who does not always follow the party script. The biggest advantage Republicans seemed to have, one we’d heard ever since Obama tapped Biden, was that it simply confirmed everyone’s fears: Obama was not ready to lead, did not have the experience to command the Oval Office, and was bringing the veteran Biden on board for much-needed ballast.
So much for that advantage. Palin’s resume leans more toward experience as a business executive than it does political seasoning.
She was the mayor of a small town in Alaska before successfully capturing the governor’s mansion. She’s in the middle of her first term.
At first glance, the argument could be made that McCain was making a blatant play for Hillary Clinton backers, the so-called PUMAs still licking their wounds that their favored candidate, who many insist was still the best candidate in the field, was denied the throne.
But the reaction to the Palin choice was interesting in that many women and former Clinton backers reacted angrily to the idea that they could be so easily lured to the GOP camp.
The waters surrounding Palin and McCain got decidedly more choppy over the weekend.
First Hurricane Gustav appeared on the scene and wreaked havoc on the schedule for the GOP convention in St. Paul, Minn.
Then Hurricane Palin got revved up. First it was announced that the McCain choice for VP had hired a private-practice attorney to defend her in the investigation into the firing of her public safety commissioner while she was Alaska’s chief executive.
Apparently this stems from a flap in which Palin’s sister was involved in a nasty divorce from a state trooper. It’s thought that Palin wanted the trooper canned. Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan balked. It cost him his job.
Then Sunday came another little bit of news involving Palin. The campaign announced her unmarried 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is pregnant. She will have the baby and is expected to marry the father. That certainly is in line with Palin’s strong stance opposing abortion. What it says to those in the party who like to talk about abstinence is something else.
But really what it should say to all of us is this: Is this really any of our business? Does it have any effect on Palin’s ability to serve as vice president?
To his credit Obama immediately steered clear of the issue. He has repeatedly said family matters should be off limits during the campaign.
The maverick McCain was looking for buzz and bounce in his choice of running mate.
Her certainly got it. Whether it was what he expected remains to be seen.
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