Pig In A Poke; With Lipstick

It is curious that Sarah Palin is being kept under wraps by the McCain campaign. Their reluctance to expose her to the rough and tumble of presidential politics with only 67 days until the election is highly suspect. What are they hiding? Are they afraid she's unprepared? Unable to bear close scrutiny?

As an American voter I want a closer look at how she functions when she has to field hard questions, which would give at least some idea of her temperament under fire. I am sure the Republican base is enamored with her narrow right-winged credentials, which was made obvious by her reception at the RNC.

The fact that McCain was completely overshadowed by her was stunning. It brings to my mind that McCain is 72 years old and that maybe the base is betting McCain will not serve out his entire first term, which would put a radical right winged ideologue in the Presidency. It is obvious that the only thing that excited the base was her addition to the ticket. Why so much excitement? She has no chance to govern unless he dies.

Is she really ready? Is she really the person most qualified to step into the most important office in the world? The world is a chaotic and dangerous place. Pakistan has a nuclear bomb and the government has become unstable, it is being openly challenged by the Taliban. What if they are successful in overthrowing the government and get hold of nuclear materials? Is Sarah Palin really the brightest most qualified hockey mom to step in and deal with that scenario? Personally I have strong misgivings.

McCain met with her for a hour at most before he picked her. If that is all the thought he put into picking her, it begs the question how good is his judgment. Or was it a cynical political move simply meant to "electrify" the base?

America has a right to thoroughly question Sarah Palin, and the Republican party has a duty to expose her to our scrutiny. They may feel completely comfortable with their truncated vetting process, but, I do not. I am not willing to buy another one of their best and brightest based on what they have allowed us to see and hear so far. America deserves better than buying a pig in a poke; lipstick or not.