Sen. McCain said last night that he too will bring change to Washington DC.  Yet the same McCain has voted with Bush 90 percent of the time AND laid out an economic plan last night that is almost exactly the same as the economic policy of George W. Bush.  Perhaps someone should define change to Sen. McCain.  Simply entering office with a female version of Dick Cheney does not mean that your ticket represents change.  It means that it’s Bush style politics dressed in heels and a military cloak.  Guess what….George W. Bush also was a governor of a state outside of Washington DC.  Sen. McCain has been in the senate for 26 years!  After election day, with the amount of Rove and Bush cronies that are running McCain’s campaign, the Arizona senator will owe a slew of favors to lobbyists, special interests (oil companies), etc..  McCain’s running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, is already involved in her second “abuse of power” investigation in only a very short political career.  If this is not a red flag indicating a Bush-Cheney style of leadership, I don’t know what is. 

In addition, Palin was an unnecessary, reckless, and impulsive political risk by McCain in a blatant political  pander to his far right conservative base.  The choice of Palin was also an arrogant, dirisive, and gratuitous risk.  There are so many female GOP candidates that would have shook up the race in terms of making history, but McCain, without conducting a proper vet, chose someone that neither he nor his campaign knew much about.  By the way, for those who say that McCain is the safer choice, McCain’s history of taking many of these types of unnecessary risks speaks against that conclusion.  As a pilot, McCain was involved in at least three crashes that may have been avoided had he bothered to read his flight manuals.  This seems like a person that not only takes unnecessary risks with his own life but risks the lives of others in the process.  How does anyone get into an airplane and wing it knowing the devastation that crashing could bring to others on the ground and in the air?  Perhaps when I was a teenager such a candidate would  have been appealing….you know……..when most of us had no sense of our own mortality.  However, as an adult member of the electorate, I am not looking for a rebel rouser making decisions regarding peace and war in the White House.  Especially a rebel rouser who has a reputation for being a war monger.  We had that with the shadow presidency of Dick Cheney.  It really takes balls to go into the White House and take a country to war based on your own personal agenda.  After the last eight years, we need a safe and steady hand on the tiller.

So, regardless of how “maverick” McCain claims that he will shake up or bring change to Washington,  it may be more of a credible argument if his party were not the party currently in power and he had not voted with Bush 90% of the time during Bush’s tenure in office and 95% of the time in this last year.  It is McCain’s policies that will be implemented in his administration, and McCain’s policy proposals are very, very, similar to the policies of the Bush-Cheney administration, especially when it comes to the economy and foreign policy.  Unfortunately for McCain, CHANGE is much more than a banner.

Governor Sarah Palin gave a speech last night laced with sarcasm and mocking rhetoric directed at Senator Obama and his wife Michelle.  While Sen. Biden’s speech appealed to the best part of us, Gov. Palin’ speech appealed to the worst part of us.  Still keeping in mind that this race is about John McCain and his judgment because he is the person to whom the buck would stop (one 15-minute VP interview), we feel the need to devote at least one post to Gov. Palin’s speech.  Palin’s speech had the Cheney style smugness that is the hallmark of the current administration.  It wasn’t a surprise when we found out that Dubya’s speechwriter crafted the speech. One wonders how  she will do on her own without the strategists and speechwriters.  If she is the new light of the right…..then put her out there.  There are questionable reports that the teleprompter may have broken during Palin’s speech last night….okay, so Palin can actually memorize a speech after practicing for several days.  What skill!  Anyone who thinks that any part of that speech last night was not scripted is either smoking something or thinks the rest of us are smoking something.  During the day yesterday the McCain campaign portrayed Palin as a victim of sexism, yet as the camera panned the auditorium last night  we saw buttons like ” we have the hottest VP”  and “hot chick.”  The hypocrisy is palatable.  Also, Palin did a good job of not mentioning her extremist views regarding abortion (no abortions even in cases of rape or incest), global warming ( not man made), etc..  The Alaskan governor failed to mention that after being in office for less than 20 months she is already the subject of an ethics investigation.  In addition, she failed to mention that she raised taxes as governor, she coveted pork-barrel projects as mayor, she attempted to ban books at the local library, and she believes the war in Iraq is “a task from God.  Palin also told a number of lies in her speech last night but because she gave a good delivery to the GOP audience the media is spinning it as brilliant. Now it’s time to look at her speech without the beer goggles.  There were gross mischaracterizations of her own history as well as that of Sen. Obama’s.  She said that she told Congress “thanks but no thanks” to the “bridge to nowhere” when she lobbied for and received millions in earmarks ($223 million “bridge to nowhere” funds to be exact).  Also, the “bridge” led to a town of about 50 residents…….that works out to be about 4.5 million per resident…..very fiscally responsible with our tax dollars.  Not to mention that she was for the “bridge to nowhere” before it became politically unpopular in Alaska and then she was against it.  So tell me, how much do you trust someone who in their first national speech to a national audience looks straight into the camera and tells easily refutable lies.  Brazingly, unapolagetically lied in an effort to dupe the public.  That takes balls.  Do you trust that this person will do anything that she promises?  Isn’t that exactly what George Bush and Bill Cheney did when selling the war in Iraq, etc..  Palin described how she had actual responsibilities as mayor and mocked Sen. Obama’s experience as a community organizer even though as a community organizer Sen. Obama was able to get laid off steel workers jobs that had been shipped overseas among his many other accomplishments during that time.  Palin exact quote was the following:  

Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities.

Yes Gov. Palin, as a “small-town” mayor you did have responsibilities.  You had the responsibility not to leave your town that boasted a surplus as you entered office but a $20 million deficit as you left.  This is a town with a $6 million dollar budget and 53 employees.  I guess Palin’s motto is spend, spend, spend.  Like the current Bush, Palin’s overconfidence overshadows her incompetence.

Palin also asserted:

“There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it’s easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform _ not even in the state senate.”

Well Gov. Palin, Sen. Obama worked with Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana ”to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year.”  Sen. Obama also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.  I will not even go into Sen. Biden’s record.   Exactly what legislation have you written……you didn’t mention that last night.

Further, is the McCain/Palin ticket really taunting itself as change when it is the party currently in office and is responsible for the majority of the problems that our country is mired in. Why are you telling us how bad the opponent is without telling us what your plan is?  There was nothing about how you will be able to improve the lives of the average American.

Sarcasm is not an effective negotiating tool when you’re facing a crisis in Georgia or the Middle East.  Sarcasm is not an effective tool in a sinking economy.  In other words, lots of zingers mixed with sarcasm does not a competent leader make.  Oh…by the way….Sen. Palin….you received 1500 votes to become mayor of Wasilla, Sen Biden received almost 80,000 votes during the primary.

The following statement was just released from the Obama Campaign in Response to Governor Palin’s Speech

“The speech that Governor Palin gave was well delivered, but it was written by George Bush’s speechwriter and sounds exactly like the same divisive, partisan attacks we’ve heard from George Bush for the last eight years.  If Governor Palin and John McCain want to define ‘change’ as voting with George Bush 90% of the time, that’s their choice, but we don’t think the American people are ready to take a 10% chance on change,” said Bill Burton, Obama Campaign Spokesman.

The media keeps going on and on about if Palin turns out to be great, this will have been a brilliant decision by McCain.   Uhhhh….sorry, it doesn’t work that way.  The point is that Sen. McCain jeopardized the security of this country based on a whim.  For goodness sake…she is linked to a group that advocates Alaska seceding from the United States.  Isn’t that kind of a deal breaker if you plan to pledge to be the vice president of the UNITED states.  After misleading the public for the past five days claiming that Gov. Palin was properly vetted, the McCain campaign has finally admitted that they did not really vet this person before offering her the VP spot.  Reckless.  It is irrelevant how tonight turns out for Palin, if she does end up doing a bang up job, Sen. McCain had no idea about her abilities and therefore just got lucky with her ability to deliver a good speech.  That’s it….luck.   Not brilliant and informed decision making based on some profound wisdom……….just luck.   McCain nor his campaign has any idea of the type of leader Palin is or would be.  Thus far, all the information that McCain and his campaign are spouting about Palin being a “reformer” or a “maverick” has turned out to be false.  It is prima facia irresponsible to choose a person that will be a heart beat away from the presidency after a single 15-minute meeting.  The President will be responsible for staffing many critical and influential positions in his cabinet, it is very, very, scary to know that this is how such decisions will be made.  Gov. Palin will probably give a good speech this evening, after all she has been held up in her hotel room in Minnesota practicing for three days.  This says nothing about her character, judgment, or track record when it comes to the addressing the complicated issues facing our nation involving Al Queda, Russia, North Korea, etc..  Before you say that Obama gives a great speech, Obama has proven his character and judgment to the American people by actually WINNING the democratic nomination with over 20 million actual votes of confidence from citizens of the United States.  McCain himself didn’t win as many votes.  Obama has also shown the American people how he would deal with the national security and economic issues of this nation.  The point is that there is still disturbing information being discovered about the Alaskan governor and McCain, nor his campaign, has any idea what to expect.  A good performance tonight will not change that fact.  This is about the judgment and temperament of the top of the ticket.  In other words, this is all about John McCain. 

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. 

Well it appears that the the GOP refuses to let anything stand in the way of their need to party.  Several lobbyists threw parties that GOP politicians attended in light of the anticipated devastation that hurricane Gustav threatened to provide to an American city. One party goer pretty much said tough luck.