I’ve written below how Sarah Palin not only lacks the experience to be president but also the judgment and temperament for the job. Far more damaging for McCain, however, is that his choice of Palin provides tangible and now readily understandable evidence that John McCain lacks the judgment and temperament for the presidency. You’re already seeing conservative commentators reacting to his decision by calling McCain reckless and the more risky choice in this election.
They say the choice of a vice president is a candidate’s first presidential decision. In his speech last week, Bill Clinton said that on this test Barack Obama hit it out of the park. That may be campaign trail hyperbole. But no one questions that Joe Biden has the experience, knowledge and stature to become president. John McCain has campaigned on a vision of America at war, facing numerous present and potential enemies. And though he faces a not insignificant chance of dying during his first term of office (he’s a 72 year old man who has twice battled cancer), he has picked a running mate who he knows little about and who is manifestly unready to serve as president.
Impulsive, reckless? As Joe Klein puts it, McCain is “He has proven himself, yet again, ready on day one–to shoot from the hip.” It’s hard to see how this doesn’t make a joke out of the importance he’s claimed to place on having a commander-in-chief seasoned and experienced enough to lead in dangerous times.
Just after McCain announced his pick, a number of commentators — some independent analysts and others Republican partisans — said that this was McCain reverting to form. He’s a gambler, he likes rolling the dice, playing craps — to use the most chosen metaphor. (Little discussed is that McCain is, in the literal sense, a big time gambler, though he appears to keep the amount of money he loses under control.) But is that the temperament one wants in a president and commander-in-chief? Someone whose inclination, at critical moments of decision, is toward risky, high-stakes gambles? That kind of erratic behavior is pardonable, even an asset in a senator (who has little direct power beyond 1 of 100 votes and the ability to persuade people). But it’s a dangerous trait for a leader of a country of 300 million.
With news that Gustav is headed towards Louisiana and that New Orleans is under mandatory evacuation, it is reassuring on some fronts to see the Republican response. So far Bush and Cheney have cancelled their appearances in St. Paul and the RNC is trying to determine how and to what extent they should cut back on festivities (McCain suggested yesterday that the convention might even be moved, but that strikes me as a non-starter).
Of course, it’s hard not to see this as political posturing. But this is one of those times when political posturing aligns with the right thing to do; I can’t imagine watching an RNC where nothing has changed despite the fact that Americans are suffering from a regional disaster. And yes, one can say that this never would have happened if not for Katrina. Even so, I’m not sure what alternatives are out there under these circumstances.
That being said, I find it disturbing that McCain and Palin have decided to go down to Mississippi this week. A trip like this is worse than opportunism. Let us not forget that McCain doesn’t travel alone; he brings along staff and Secret Service agents, all of whom require the time and attention of local officials. The situation is reminiscent of Rumsfeld’s infamous 9/11 response to rush outside the Pentagon and give orders: the images on TV inspire confidence, at least until one remembers that our leaders are neglecting the responsibilities that are truly meant to keep us safe.
Neither McCain nor Palin offer any unique advantage to New Orleans with their presence — they are not Southern politicians, they don’t have any particularly useful contacts in the area and they aren’t emergency responders. (Meanwhile, Obama will not travel to the region but has said he will use his fundraiser lists to coordinate volunteers once damage is assessed.) However, McCain could be particularly helpful from his Senate position, if he so chose.
And if visiting a possible emergency site to “check on preparations” (as the campaign refers to it) doesn’t bother you particularly, consider this line from Politico yesterday:
McCain was scheduled to deliver his acceptance speech Thursday but now may do so from the devastation zone if the storm hits the U.S. coast with the ferocity feared by forecasters.
It can be hard sometimes not to drift towards the spotlight. But that is precisely why we seek leaders with sound judgement, however they come across it.
Several readers have pointed out that Palin’s claim this week that “I told Congress, thanks but no thanks on that bridge to nowhere” doesn’t line up with previous pro-Ketchikan Islands statements. But today, the Anchorage Daily News takes it one step further:
The Alaska governor campaigned in 2006 on a build-the-bridge platform, telling Ketchikan residents she felt their pain when politicians called them “nowhere.” They’re still feeling pain today in Ketchikan, over Palin’s subsequent decision to use the bridge funds for other projects — and over the timing of her announcement, which they say came in a pre-dawn press release that seemed aimed at national news deadlines.
“I think that’s when the campaign for national office began,” said Ketchikan Mayor Bob Weinstein on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Weinstein noted, the state is continuing to build a road on Gravina Island to an empty beach where the bridge would have gone — because federal money for the access road, unlike the bridge money, would have otherwise been returned to the federal government.
So… a beach road to nowhere?
John McCain on August 29th, 2005, in Phoenix, the day Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans …
Who falls for the dog and pony show?
The details remains sketchy. But based on a press conference held moments ago by McCain campaign chairman Rick Davis, the Republicans are planning to cancel or radically scale back some or perhaps even all of this year’s Republican convention. All that seems certain now is that the convention will be called to order tomorrow afternoon and stay in session for roughly two hours — between 3 PM and 5 PM local time. They’ll do some official business but eschew openly partisan activities.
From there forward it appears they’ll wait to see just how protracted and bad the landfall in Louisiana is, and then go from there, deciding on a day by day basis how much of a convention to hold on that day.
Davis still left the question up in the air. But it appears that there is a good chance that McCain will give his acceptance speech not in person in Minnesota but rather by satellite link somewhere in the Gulf region.
Another little nugget of information suggesting a less than thorough vetting of Sarah Palin.
I’m seeing a lot of happy talk on the chat shows. But what I’m hearing from St. Paul is that very few of the pols and operatives are giving any credence to the idea that Palin wasn’t a rushed and unvetted last minute pick.
Rick Davis: Obama putting politics above Gustav. (McCain would never do that.)
The AP looked into McCain’s latest line about Palin’s experience as the commander-in-chief of the Alaska National Guard:
Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell, adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard, considers Palin “extremely responsive and smart” and says she is in charge when it comes to in-state services, such as emergencies and natural disasters where the National Guard is the first responder.
But, in an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday, he said he and Palin play no role in national defense activities, even when they involve the Alaska National Guard. The entire operation is under federal control, and the governor is not briefed on situations.