Two top McCain campaign officials now admit that they Gov. Palin did not go through a full vetting process.  Gov. Sarah Palin was not subjected to a lengthy in-person background interview with the head of Sen. John McCain vice presidential vetting team until last Wednesday in Arizona, the day before McCain asked her to be his running mate, and she did not disclose the information about her daughter until that meeting.  So Sen. McCain lied when he said that “my vetting process was completely thorough, and I’m thankful for the results.”  Didn’t Fred Thompson say something last night about ”character.”  The McCain campaign does not know what may turn up in Palin’s background.  Palin was basically chosen on a whim.  Judgment.  McCain chose Palin even though he really wanted to choose Sen. Joe Lieberman.  So, wouldn’t the maverick thing be to choose Lieberman and go against the far right of his base as he is reported to detest.  No, instead, McCain chose Palin, who is as far to the right and out of the main stream as you can get.  The Arizona senator did so to pander to the far right.  McCain did so without even bothering to properly check her out first.  Now the McCain campaign is trying to make lemonade out of lemons.  The “reformer” label is completely false given her past positions and history in the Alaska.  McCain and his surrogates are deceptively presenting Ms. Palin as a crusader against indicted Ted Stevens’s infamous “Bridge to Nowhere.” However, the record shows that Palin initially supported Stevens boondoggle, diverting the money to other projects when the bridge became a political disaster. Further, in June in a speech to the Wasilla Assembly of God, Ms. Palin proclaimed that it is ”God’s will” that the federal government contribute to a $30 billion gas pipeline she wants built in Alaska.  That’s a real reformer move.  The McCain surrogates are scrambling as they try to defend Palin’s readiness to lead.  On CNN, McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds tried to defend the McCain’s vice presidential pick but came up blank when asked to name one specific decision Palin has made as commander of Alaska’s national guard.  Now the McCain campaign has blacked out all appearances on CNN, claiming that the reporter was over the line because she asked about Palin’s foreign policy experience.  Are you kidding me?  On Fox News, McCain confidante Sen. Jon Kyle was asked if Palin is ready to be President…Kyl’s response “in time.”  Huh….we are talking 62 days!  Again, this goes to the lack of discipline and risk taking nature of Sen. John McCain.  We’ve had a “maverick” shadow president in Dick Cheney.  Cheney was sworn into office as vice president and has done whatever he pleased the last 8 years without any accountability.  We need a steady hand on the tiller folks….there is too much at stake.  Choosing an individual as your vice president after one 15 minute meeting does not a steady hand make.  Further, leadership is taking a stand in the face of party opposition.  Sen. Obama received tremendous pressure to choose Sen. Clinton as his vice presidential candidate but he chose the person whom believed best able to contribute to his governing.  Sen. McCain made an impulsive choice after the far right threatened a revolt if he had chose Leiberman, the person that he was going to choose up until a day before his veep announcement. Obama also received threats and petitions from Clinton supporters but stood firm in his right to choose his own vice president.  McCain succumbed to the partisan pressure of the far right.  Our country has many problems, we need a President with sound judgment and strong leadership skills.  McCain’s choice of Palin flies in the face of such characteristics.