Palin is not ready

On Thursday and Friday I saw much of Charlie Gibson's interview of Sarah Palin, the GOP VP nominee who just two years ago was mayor of West Nowhere, Alaska. She seemed uncomfortable, uninformed and unwilling to deviate from the script that her handlers clearly had her memorize. It's seriously frightening to think that in a few months this person could be within a few feet, and a few breaths, of the American presidency and all that entails, including international diplomacy, military leadership, economic stewardship and the nuclear launch codes.

Take a look at this exchange:

Gibson: “What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple of weeks, does the proximity of [Alaska] give you?”

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

Is she serious? This isn't a skit on Saturday Night Live? I wasn't alone in my assessment, as several people I spoke with yesterday -- and the editorial page of The New York Times -- were all in agreement: this may have been a smart political choice, but it could be catastrophic for the nation, and it reflects quite badly as to the judgment of Republican nominee John McCain.

Still, as many have been saying, it's the top of the ticket that counts most. The Nov. 4 election is between McCain and Barack Obama. Of course, I believe that the Democratic nominee is a better choice when it comes to all the issues, and the GOP knows that voters would see the same thing if they were to look at the facts. Therefore, the right is doing what it always does best: obscuring the truth (or just telling straight-up lies) and repositioning the focus. An example of the former is McCain's current ad that says Obama supported a law while a member of the Illinois state legislature that taught comprehensive sex education to kindergarten students when the law really helped those children to defend themselves against sexual predators. An example of the later is the faux anger displayed at Obama's "lipstick on a pig" remark.

While Republicans are gold-medalists when it comes to smearing people, the last seven plus years have shown that they aren't much for governing. The choice for the country should be clear, but recent national polls show that McCain has caught or surpassed Obama. More importantly, as I look this morning at the newest polls in a half-dozen swing states, the margin is less than 3% in each (four for Obama; two for McCain). We're in for a bloody seven weeks.