the pain

with the emergence of a new player in American politics, the event which created a massive media frenzy not seen since maybe Hurricane Katrina, the Republicans have turned the tables on the Democrats and the American people are now flocking to the next American idol.

it does seem eerily similar that a woman could potentially take the presidential seat given the right circumstances. in 2005, ABC once produced a political drama starring Geena Davis, whose title role is the what else, Commander in Chief. they probably did it with Hillary Clinton in mind.

but now, Hillary is "olds" and not news anymore, the Clintons painted as bitter and jealous has-beens, in the afterglow of Barack Obama's stellar rise in the Democratic ranks. John McCain, war hero, does not have age going for him, and it is definitely a substantial question of his health holding up in an expected turbulent 4-year term, if ever? oh, but first, he has to win the election first. enter Sarah Palin.

i have no problem with women running for political office, even if i had the right to vote here. but really? you're thinking of voting for an unknown state governor who has even less experience than Obama? what happens if she suddenly gets thrust on the driver's seat? that will even beat Tita Cory's task of trying to repair a fractured country.

Robert Herbert of the New York Times eloquently says it better than me. take it away, Bob.

The economy is in a tailspin. The financial sector is lurching about on rubbery legs. We’re mired in self-defeating energy policies. We’re at war. And we are still vulnerable to the very real threat of international terrorism.

With all of that and more being the case, how can it be a good idea to set in motion the possibility that Americans might wake up one morning to find that Sarah Palin is president?

I feel for Ms. Palin’s son who has been shipped off to the war in Iraq. But at his deployment ceremony, which was on the same day as the Charlie Gibson interview, Sept. 11, she told the audience of soldiers that they would be fighting “the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the death of thousands of Americans.”

Was she deliberately falsifying history, or does she still not know that Iraq and Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with the Sept. 11 attacks?

To burnish the foreign policy credentials of a vice presidential candidate who never even had a passport until last year, the Republicans have been touting Alaska’s proximity to Russia. (Imagine the derisive laughter in conservative circles if the Democrats had tried such nonsense.) So Mr. Gibson asked Ms. Palin, “What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple of weeks, does the proximity of the state give you?”

She said, “They’re our next-door neighbors. And you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska. From an island in Alaska.”

Mr. Gibson tried again. “But what insight does that give you,” he asked, “into what they’re doing in Georgia?”

John McCain, who is shameless about promoting himself as America’s ultimate patriot, put the best interests of the nation aside in making his incredibly reckless choice of a running mate. But there is a profound double standard in this country. The likes of John McCain and George W. Bush can do the craziest, most irresponsible things imaginable, and it only seems to help them politically.

even i can make a better political analysis about Russia and Georgia.

some people even think the Democrats made a mistake when they ditched Hillary for Obama. Hillary is probably even seething mad right now and would be so if McPain won the full ticket, McCain bites the dust and Palin gets the Oval Office. no offense to women everywhere, but i wouldn't pick Hillary or Palin at all. too bad i have no say in this election.