I watched the vice-president debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. She made me think about the fictional Mayberry residents from the Andy Griffith Show who made so many Americans laugh and smile in the 1960s.
I was not smiling or laughing. I was disgusted.
I remembered John McCain recently telling America that he puts country first. But, Thursday night’s debate showed all of us he lacks the judgment to make those words meaningful because he chose Sarah Palin to be the next vice-president of the United States.
On Thursday night, Palin declared herself superior to the rules of the debate. She said she was not going to answer the questions asked and she didn’t. But, instead of thoughtful statements about McCain-Palin policies, we got memorized talking points sprinkled with a special look directly into the camera "don’tcha know" and "you betcha" at every turn.
Right wing pundits were charmed by this Hee Haw display. I was not.
I was disgusted that John McCain could declare Sarah Palin ready to be vice-president and possibly president of the most powerful nation on the planet. She is folksy in a beauty queen meets Minnie Pearl sort of way but she is not ready for high office unless you applaud confident ignorance.
A folksy-talking fake cowboy from Texas (I lived in Texas and I know the real ones from the fake ones) with lots of confidence and no thoughtfulness moved into the White House eight years ago. Will the "I like folksy" voters make the same mistake?
Sarah Palin as vice-president might make Washington seem more like Mayberry but we all need serious leaders in these critical times. A vice-president whose "skills" appear to include the ability to tell another world leader to "kiss my grits" is neither serious nor a leader. They are a joke.
Country first should never mean Barney Fife for attorney general and it sure as hell does not mean Sarah Palin for vice-president.