When asked about criticisms of Sarah Palin’s readiness to serve as president, McCain responded: “If they want to go down that route, in all candor, she has far, far more experience than Senator Obama does.”
Set aside the bravado. Can McCain possibly believe that? And if he does, what are we supposed to think of his own fitness to serve? Sen. Obama is certainly new on the national scene. But he’s serving his fourth year in the US senate. He’s run a successful national primary campaign. He’s deeply versed on all the relevant policy issues. Palin has been the governor of one of the smallest states in the country (by pop.) for 18 months. As recently as 2006, she said she hadn’t focused enough on Iraq to have an opinion one way or another about the surge. Even now, her off-hand comments about Iraq are completely at odds with Sen. McCain’s.
Getting into a discussion about the relative qualifications of the two individuals is too silly to waste time on. But it says a lot about McCain that he says it.
Given her novelty on the national political stage, news organizations will quickly start asking Sarah Palin for interviews. So it is worth beginning to keep tabs now on whether key questions get asked.
Let’s start with a couple of them.
1. As recently as 2006, Gov. Palin said she hadn’t focused enough on Iraq to have a view on the surge. Just two weeks ago she told Philip Gourevitch that she wasn’t sure we had a clear plan for what we were doing in Iraq and expressed concern that our real reason for being their might be to control oil supplies. Those comments may reflect a healthy skepticism about what we’re doing in Iraq. But they put her in pretty sharp contrast to Sen. McCain’s views. So what are her views and positions on Iraq?
2. The investigator appointed to probe Palin’s firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan began trying to schedule a deposition with her last week. The investigator, Steve Branchflower, is charged with finishing his investigation by October 31st, which means he must depose Palin sometime over the next 8 weeks, presumably much sooner than later. So is she currently in contact with Branchflower, will she be returning to Alaska for the deposition, and when?
What am I missing?
With a push from the McCain camp, the conservative blogs are suddenly aflutter with claims about Sarah Palin’s “executive experience” and readiness for the presidency based on her six years as Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska …
Republican convention prime-time line-up of speakers canceled due to Gustav. That and other political news of the day in today’s TPM Election Central Morning Roundup.
Hurricane Gustav has thrown at least the first day of the Republican Convention into disarray. We report from St. Paul with the latest:
Full-size video at TPMtv.com.
We’re at a panel discussion here in St. Paul with Arianna Huffington, Peggy Noonan, Tucker Carlson, Mark Halperin, and Rick Klein. They’re debating the effects of new media on old media and why conservatives have lagged behind in adopting new media in the same way liberals have been slow to penetrate talk radio. We hope to bring you some interviews after the panel a little later.
TPMmuckraker alum Laura McGann is on the location in Anchorage reporting on Palin pick for the Washington Independent.
In a conference call with reporters just now, RNC officials announced some additions to today’s abbreviated convention schedule.
First Lady Laura Bush will introduce a video of the various Gulf Coast state governors (all Republicans, I believe) this afternoon and Cindy McCain will also address delegates, urging support for hurricane victims. Their portion of the program is expected to begin shortly before 6 ET.
“We will try not to overly politicize it,” McCain campaign manager Rick Davis Davis said on the call, referring to the additions of Bush and McCain to today’s agenda.
Today’s events had already been largely canceled, except for necessary party business which has been condensed into a two-hour session this afternoon that was intended to be devoid of political speech-making and the other usual convention pomp and circumstance.
Late Update: On the call Davis suggested that no decision will be made on Tuesday’s schedule until Tuesday morning once the impact of Gustav can begin to be assessed.
As the conference call wrapped up, Davis appeared to play down the chances of McCain making his acceptance speech from the Gulf Coast or anywhere else other than St. Paul.