McCain just lost the judgement card

[Anonymous]

I'm shocked that McCain chose someone could not step into the presidency for his VP running mate. Even worse he is 72 and voters will realize it is possible that a 72 yr old man who has alreay had several bouts with cancer may well indeed need to step down at some point for health reasons. At best this is a terrible miscalculation and at worst a dangerous, irresponsible move for the country. What amazes me is that McCain has chosen to push his message on the judgement and experience and with this move has swept away both possible advantages.

How could anyone trust his judgement after this move? Choosing the right people for senior positions is critical to any success in actualy governing.

[Anonymous]

I would have to say that even if this woman can be president, he is asking the public to make up their minds FAST. I would need more than a few months to be sure. But so far, the bachelors in communications makes the resume look skimpy. She read the news, and those guys have a way of looking very professional, so she could convince a lot of voters.

[jsteele]

McCain only met her once, for 15 minutes, and then had a 5 minute phone conversation. The next time they talked, he offered her the job. So, McCain doesn't really know anything about her either.

[Anonymous]

I've just listened to her biography on the evening news and am mighty impressed with what I heard. Turning down federal funding on the "bridge to nowhere?" Son going to Iraq? 5 kids, one of whom has Down's? Facing down the "good old boy" network in Alaska? She sounds like she walks her talk -- just like McCain. Pretty impressive.

[Anonymous]

"McCain only met her once, for 15 minutes, and then had a 5 minute phone conversation. The next time they talked, he offered her the job. So, McCain doesn't really know anything about her either."

This is so astounding. How can McCain be so irresponsible??? He is very, very weak on the economy and domestic issues. He could have used his VP pick to bring someone in with economic credentials or credibility on these issues, especially after all his mistakes. The media coverage of his chosen advisor saying the economy is fine and Americans are just whiners and then not knowing how many houses he owns was a blow. Romney could have balanced this out showing experience as a governor who has dealt with economic policy and tried to address healthcare issues. Instead McCain picks a governor of a state with no population or real economy, no income tax, and no experience dealing with state issues let alone federal ones. She isn't qualified to be the mayor of major city, or a populated state let alone president.

Th VP pick should be more than a ploy to win an election. Its one of the candidate's first act in establishing a responsible governing body. He really sold out the country on this one.

[Anonymous]

Some people are independent-minded because they have integrity. Other people are "mavericks" simply because they like the attention and don't play well with others.

This choice shows McCain to be the impulsive, arrogant and ambitious person he is.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:I've just listened to her biography on the evening news and am mighty impressed with what I heard. Turning down federal funding on the "bridge to nowhere?" Son going to Iraq? 5 kids, one of whom has Down's? Facing down the "good old boy" network in Alaska? She sounds like she walks her talk -- just like McCain. Pretty impressive.

She did not "turn down federal funding on the 'bridge to nowhere'". She lied about this when she spoke after being introduced as McCain's VP pick. She supported the "bridge to nowhere". When Congress increased the amount that Alaska would have to pay, Palin cancelled the project, but kept the money.

McCain has spun this women so badly that I'd be surprised if she knows what way is up at the moment. As you look deeper, you will find almost everything we were initially told is turning out to be false.

[Anonymous]

Having a child with Down's and a son in the military hardly qualifies her to be second in command.

[Anonymous]

McCain's poor choice of Palin shows he's impulsive and reckless. She's another lightweight just like Harriet Meirs. I don't know who was in charge of vetting her, but just wait until it all comes out.

[Anonymous]

Independent minded might be naivete. Question: Is there a graduate degree between those two?
He was at the BOTTOM of his class in Navy, she has a degree in communications...???

Let's not hear anymore about unqualified Black men like Obama or Clarence Thomas.
Ahem. Um. Flame me, but it must be fun being White.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Independent minded might be naivete. Question: Is there a graduate degree between those two?
He was at the BOTTOM of his class in Navy, she has a degree in communications...???

Let's not hear anymore about unqualified Black men like Obama or Clarence Thomas.
Ahem. Um. Flame me, but it must be fun being White.

Yep, Obama can't win. Work hard and get an Ivy League degree so you can prove yourself to the world at large and then get called an elitist by the son and grandson of admirals who apparently slid through the Naval Academy doing the minimum.

We White people get points just walking into the room and many of us refuse to acknowledge that subtle but powerful advantage to ourselves.

I'm curious. Does anyone know how hard McCain worked to get into the Naval Academy? Did he have the grades and the references (teachers, not dad) he needed or did he get in primarily through connections?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Independent minded might be naivete. Question: Is there a graduate degree between those two?
He was at the BOTTOM of his class in Navy, she has a degree in communications...???

Let's not hear anymore about unqualified Black men like Obama or Clarence Thomas.
Ahem. Um. Flame me, but it must be fun being White.

Yep, Obama can't win. Work hard and get an Ivy League degree so you can prove yourself to the world at large and then get called an elitist by the son and grandson of admirals who apparently slid through the Naval Academy doing the minimum.

We White people get points just walking into the room and many of us refuse to acknowledge that subtle but powerful advantage to ourselves.

I'm curious. Does anyone know how hard McCain worked to get into the Naval Academy? Did he have the grades and the references (teachers, not dad) he needed or did he get in primarily through connections?

It sounds like you don't understand much about how the service academies work. The legacy factor is exceptionally strong in the service academies. There was no real chance McCain would fail to get into the Naval Academy. Tradition is of tremendous importance. There is also a strong tradition of what's called "the good-bad cadet" within the academies. Of course these traditions benefit white men, but they are hardly unique to McCain's experience.

In regard to McCain and Palin's educations as a possible line of attack, it's not a good one, IMO. Joe Biden's academic record is extremely weak, given his near-the-bottom finishes both at the University of Delaware and in law school. And given the video of him berating a questioner ("I have a higher IQ than you do") and exaggerating about his academic record, I am sure this is not something the Obama campaign wants to pursue. That episode, more than anything, helped drive him out of the presidential race the first time he ran, in 2007. Obama's education is highly impressive, but most of the nation's college graduates went to schools much more like the University of Idaho than Columbia and Harvard. Attacking Palin for being a graduate of the University of Idaho will not go down well with voters who perceive such attacks as attacks on themselves and their own educations.

[Anonymous]

[email address reducted wrote:]There's a well done article in the Post today on McCain's vetting process.

But a few points worth noting --
McCain interviewed her at the Natl Governors' Assoc meeting in February
He talked to her again at a social gathering (this was the 15 minute conversation)
Last Wednesday she was interviewed by two aides
On Thursday she was interviewed first alone by McCain and then by McCain and his wife

According to the article, she was not a last minute pick and always made the cut because of her reform spirit.

According to my conservative friends, today's Post story is accurate and even leaves out some of the behind-the-scenes movement advocating for Palin. Her name not only surfaced as a potential running mate very early in the process, for months there has been a strong "draft Palin" movement among some young Republicans. The Republicans have their own netroots, and a young guy who now works at Townhall here in DC started the draft-Palin movement. I feel sure McCain had a Hillary strategy and a not-Hillary strategy, and when Hillary wasn't Obama's pick that clinched it for Palin but she had been out there all along. McCain had the benefit of watching HRC fail to knock off Obama with the lack-of-experience argument. He's made some inroads using it, but not enough. Time for a shift to a reform ticket, and Palin's a perfect fit for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm curious. Does anyone know how hard McCain worked to get into the Naval Academy? Did he have the grades and the references (teachers, not dad) he needed or did he get in primarily through connections?

It sounds like you don't understand much about how the service academies work. The legacy factor is exceptionally strong in the service academies. There was no real chance McCain would fail to get into the Naval Academy. Tradition is of tremendous importance. There is also a strong tradition of what's called "the good-bad cadet" within the academies. Of course these traditions benefit white men, but they are hardly unique to McCain's experience.

Well, that would be why I asked the question, wouldn't it?

Sarcasm aside, thanks for your feedback on it. I really have no idea how these things work with regard to the service academies.

I should clear one thing up. I did comment on the benefits of white privilege but I did not mean to criticize McCain's entrance into the service academy as something he received through white privilege (although I'm sure it's a factor -- that surprises no one). But my question is this, if he were a regular working class white guy with no connections, would he have gotten in? When I asked that question, I hadn't yet read his detailed bio in the WaPo this morning. Sounds like he was anything but a model student at Episcopal High School. The article didn't address grades, teacher recommendations, or test scores so for all I know he had a 4.0 but generally he doesn't sound like the kind of guy who could have gotten into the Naval Academy without being a legacy.

The WaPo article was fascinating because in an odd way his story is reminiscent of W's. Young guy who parties too much who can't live up to the standards set by father and grandfather and feels inadequate about it. But presumably McCain turned his destiny around on his own (don't know -- have to read more about him) while W was essentially handed a baseball team by his family's friends. Now unfortunately the WaPo bio stops at the point at which McCain went off to Vietnam, so we don't get to see yet what it was that turned him around from being an angry loser with a chip on his shoulder to a Senator of some accomplishment. (Presumably it wasn't just the prison camp experience because he said himself he had some growing up to do when he came home and dumped his wife.)

I give McCain a lot of credit for "growing up" and I have a certain amount of respect for him that I will never have for W. However, it is disappointing to see someone who most likely got into the Naval Academy only because of his family ties call Obama an elitist! Puh-lease!

We certainly have compelling personal stories from our candidates this year! Seems as if both had to work to overcome youthful self-destructive behavior. I thought 2000 was a story that would have been over-the-top for a Hollywood movie but 2008 is really turning out to be quite the drama with unbelievable characters and twists at every turn! Stay tuned, y'all....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'm curious. Does anyone know how hard McCain worked to get into the Naval Academy? Did he have the grades and the references (teachers, not dad) he needed or did he get in primarily through connections?

It sounds like you don't understand much about how the service academies work. The legacy factor is exceptionally strong in the service academies. There was no real chance McCain would fail to get into the Naval Academy. Tradition is of tremendous importance. There is also a strong tradition of what's called "the good-bad cadet" within the academies. Of course these traditions benefit white men, but they are hardly unique to McCain's experience.

Well, that would be why I asked the question, wouldn't it?

Sarcasm aside, thanks for your feedback on it. I really have no idea how these things work with regard to the service academies.

I should clear one thing up. I did comment on the benefits of white privilege but I did not mean to criticize McCain's entrance into the service academy as something he received through white privilege (although I'm sure it's a factor -- that surprises no one). But my question is this, if he were a regular working class white guy with no connections, would he have gotten in? When I asked that question, I hadn't yet read his detailed bio in the WaPo this morning. Sounds like he was anything but a model student at Episcopal High School. The article didn't address grades, teacher recommendations, or test scores so for all I know he had a 4.0 but generally he doesn't sound like the kind of guy who could have gotten into the Naval Academy without being a legacy.

The WaPo article was fascinating because in an odd way his story is reminiscent of W's. Young guy who parties too much who can't live up to the standards set by father and grandfather and feels inadequate about it. But presumably McCain turned his destiny around on his own (don't know -- have to read more about him) while W was essentially handed a baseball team by his family's friends. Now unfortunately the WaPo bio stops at the point at which McCain went off to Vietnam, so we don't get to see yet what it was that turned him around from being an angry loser with a chip on his shoulder to a Senator of some accomplishment. (Presumably it wasn't just the prison camp experience because he said himself he had some growing up to do when he came home and dumped his wife.)

I give McCain a lot of credit for "growing up" and I have a certain amount of respect for him that I will never have for W. However, it is disappointing to see someone who most likely got into the Naval Academy only because of his family ties call Obama an elitist! Puh-lease!

We certainly have compelling personal stories from our candidates this year! Seems as if both had to work to overcome youthful self-destructive behavior. I thought 2000 was a story that would have been over-the-top for a Hollywood movie but 2008 is really turning out to be quite the drama with unbelievable characters and twists at every turn! Stay tuned, y'all....

Sorry, I truly didn't mean to be sarcastic. I have friends who attended service academies and a friend who wrote a book about West Point's class of 1966, and because of that I wrongly imagine that many people have the same information about them that I do. I apologize for appearing sarcastic. In general, though, the service academics certainly don't carry the cachet of Columbia or Harvard, and I imagine that's part of the basis for characterizing Ivies as elitist. In many jurisdictions now, it's difficult to get enough applicants for the academies. Although they offer a tremendous and free education, their rigor and post-graduate service requirements seem to turn off many young people now. And a couple of the people I know who attended were women, and their experience was just a nightmare.

Again, my apologies for appearing rude.