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As we watched Sarah Palin on TV the last couple of days, we kept wondering what on earth John McCain was thinking.
If he seriously thought this first-term governor — with less than two years in office — was qualified to be president, if necessary, at such a dangerous time, it raises profound questions about his judgment. If the choice was, as we suspect, a tactical move, then it was shockingly irresponsible.
It was bad enough that Ms. Palin’s performance in the first televised interviews she has done since she joined the Republican ticket was so visibly scripted and lacking in awareness.
What made it so much worse is the strategy for which the Republicans have made Ms. Palin the frontwoman: win the White House not on ideas, but by denigrating experience, judgment and qualifications.
The idea that Americans want leaders who have none of those things — who are so blindly certain of what Ms. Palin calls “the mission” that they won’t even pause for reflection — shows a contempt for voters and raises frightening questions about how Mr. McCain and Ms. Palin plan to run this country.
Brent Budowsky (of The Hill) said not too long ago that:
“Barack Obama’s choice for vice president will speak volumes about the kind of president he would be and the degree of substance and depth that he embodies. These are serious times that demand serious people. To the degree that Obama chooses a serious person by presidential standards, such as Sam Nunn or Joe Biden, versus the degree to which he chooses a good person far lower in the presidential league, such as Tim Kaine or Evan Bayh, it will speak volumes about Barack Obama as would-be president.”
I think the same logic carries over to the choice of a running mate on behalf of John McCain. I think his choice speaks volumes about the degree of substance and depth HE embodies. Unfortunately, that depth is pretty darn shallow, and totally lacking in substance…
What was McCain thinking? These are VERY serious times – dire times – for millions of Americans, and frankly millions more people around the globe, and this decision demanded a serious choice. He failed miserably.
James Fallows of The Atlantic offers his thoughts following this Gibson interview.
It is embarrassing to have to spell this out, but for the record let me explain why Gov. Palin’s answer to the “Bush Doctrine” question — the only part of the recent interview I have yet seen over here in China — implies a disqualifying lack of preparation for the job.
Not the mundane job of vice president, of course, which many people could handle. Rather the job of potential Commander in Chief and most powerful individual on earth.
TheZoo 
Way to break it down to two words:
Not
Qualified