Sadly, McCain ignored better choices for V.P.
It should have been Linda Lingle.
Now in her second term as Hawaii’s governor, Lingle is the first Republican elected to that job in 40 years. She delivered a record state budget surplus, has gone to Iraq to size up the war on terror and set Hawaii on a course of foreign-oil independence.
But Lingle, 55, never made John McCain’s veep list. She’s pro-choice. And she’s Jewish, which would have wowed South Florida but doesn’t excite the GOP evangelical base. Twice divorced with no children, she’s not valued by the family values crowd.
And dare I? Lingle looks like a boring librarian, a policy wonk—not a gun-packing, snow-plowing, moose-hunting, 44-year-old beauty queen with five kids, a figure and a hunk of a husband.
Yes, I know, Sarah Palin is the only one of the candidates who has executive experience as governor of Alaska. But have you watched those Palin interviews with Katie Couric on CBS? Here’s a slice:
Couric: “You’ve cited Alaska’s proximity to Russia as part of your foreign-policy experience. What did you mean by that?”
Palin: “That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and, on our other side, the land-boundary that we have with Canada. It’s funny that a comment like that was kinda made to—I don’t know, you know reporters.”
Couric: “Mocked?”
Palin: “Yeah, mocked, I guess that’s the word, yeah.”
Couric: “Well, explain to me why that enhances your foreign-policy credentials.”
Palin: “Well, it certainly does, because our, our next-door neighbors are foreign countries, there in the state that I am the executive of.”
Couric: “Have you ever been involved in any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?”
Palin: “We have trade missions back and forth, we do. It’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia. As Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s just right over the border. It is from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there, they are right next to our state.”
Granted, Palin has been governor for less than two years, but she could have talked about the times she has been briefed as commander in chief of her state’s National Guard about Russian military planes inching near Alaska airspace.
McCain, 72, was so eager to shock and awe voters that he passed over experienced conservatives such as Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas and Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina. (Forget Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine—like Lingle, she’s a moderate Republican.) In our youth-obsessed political playbook, they didn’t fit.
We’ve had all of 30 days and three painful TV interviews to know that Palin is no Margaret Thatcher. If America were not at war and our economy wasn’t facing the biggest crisis since the Great Depression, this wouldn’t be so scary.
Myriam Marquez is a columnist for the Miami Herald, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132. Readers may write to her via e-mail at mmarquez@miamiherald.com.
Nov 16, 2008 at 12:35 p.m.
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Unidentied - I agree with your explanation. It was a pretty close election, and that is with the horrible economy, which for some reason was blamed on the Republicans. If the economy had been doing well, it might have been a different story. I think Palin did well, and could have been even better if unleashed. For you out there that think she isn't smart, she is smart like a fox. McCain is about as gravitational as a wet stone. Palin really got people excited, she just got beat by somebody who had a good running start - Obama.
Nov 16, 2008 at 4:05 a.m.
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Gina, your posts here don't make any sence. On Oct 5 you said Palin can retain info when you refered to her in the debates; where she did well. Then later you said transcripts of her make no sence. What transcript(s) are you talking about?
Nov 16, 2008 at 12:02 a.m.
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I agree. I like Palin's view on values and morals and I think she means what she says regarding that. I just don't think the people in this country are ready for her. I'm one of them.
Nov 15, 2008 at 5:13 p.m.
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ps: Have you ever read any of the transcripts of things she said? Don't even make sense.
Nov 15, 2008 at 5:12 p.m.
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RetiredAirForce: do you really believe she spoke w/out a teleprompter?
At least the women in this country made their votes count on election day and did not elect her. I shudder to think what would have happened had she been elected.
Oct 6, 2008 at 5:22 a.m.
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gina, she functions just fine with out the teleprompter your candidate requires.
Oct 5, 2008 at 11:12 p.m.
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I find it funny that people think that the Obama camp had anything to do with the sheltering of Sarah Palin. When they did let her out she embarrassed herself and her party. The debate showed she can retain info that has been drummed into her over a long period of time. Only then would they let the media and the public have access to her.
Oct 5, 2008 at 1:34 p.m.
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Myriam points out some very good points here. Whats left of the republican base would never have accepted a pro-choice VP. McCain was not smart enough to realize he had a chance to turn this around with some experience to back him up. He is being influenced by the same people who got us where we are today. This mavericks days are doomed.
Oct 3, 2008 at 9:20 p.m.
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RetiredAirForce: I instantly thought the same thing, but then also thought...
WOW big surprise....the Gazette staff is looking to drum up some liberal Palen bashers for more banner ad page views. It doesn't take a genius to see that since the RNC the liberal media and the Obama camp have made an urgent effort to squash any Palen support. She's far from perfect, but under this type of scrutiny who is? I'm undecided so far. However, I can't imagine that people actually think Mitt Romney would have been a better pick than Palen. Further, who else could have McCain picked that would have helped his poll numbers? No matter what he does he's got Bush around his ankles, the worst economic problems in decades, and a liberal media that is so far in the bag for Obama it's to the point of funny. I like McCain as a person and war hero, but I actually feel sorry for him right now. The Obama zombies act as though Obama has experience, when two of his four years in the senate have been spent campaigning, that he's never gaffed (how many states?), or that he doesn't have ties with complete morons (we all know who). That is all fine, but considering very few senators have ever been elected president and that NONE of the senators in this election have the executive experience Palen does, I think Palen is getting the media's short end of the stick.
2012 is the election that matters. Whomever gets elected now will undoubtedly still be dealing with these problems in 2012 and take the hit for it. Either candidate who wins will have no money to spend on any programs of significance. The only positive change we can make is to cut spending, but who's going to do that? Certainly not Obama and McCains tax cuts aren't going to help the deficit either. We're too far in debt now to borrow anymore foreign money. 2012 is when Hillary will come to the rescue, I can see it now LOL.
The whole process is a joke. We've got two rich candidates raising over a billion dollars between them for campaigns talking about the middle class.
Oct 3, 2008 at 8:29 p.m.
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Wow, this is news...a media member doesn't like Sarah.
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