Tom Foolery On The Right

The Republicans are at it again. With the Palin pick they have created a worthwhile distraction for the voting public. It allows McCain to tout that he will be different from President Bush. His surrogates are already laying the foundation that Palin has more experience in her pinky than Obama does. That argument is good in theory, but will it work?

For months, the McCain campaign has belittled Obama for being a superior orator and having little experience to be President. They have rolled out ads attacking Obama for being liked by the American people. They have tried to portray McCain as putting country first, while Obama as a risk who puts country last. With the Palin pick, that sort of popped the hot air balloon of that particular argument.

Now, the GOP is scrambling trying to make the public feel comfortable with Sarah Palin. The McCain spokesman, Tucker Bounds, skid past the qualifications of Palin when questioned by CNN's Campbell Brown. He continued to berate Obama for having a thin resume, while saying that Palin had directed the National Guard. Even when called on the carpet for something that the Pentagon does - Bounds continued to say that Palin was the supreme choice. Nice try.

The GOP is notorious for distractions though. They have successfully swiftboated John Kerry, stole the election from Gore, tried to tell us that Obama's pastor's views were his and even told us John McCain had a baby out of wedlock so it made him not a viable candidate for President. But if you turn on the major news channels, you will find a very different story going on. This week, Hurricane Gustav ripped through Louisiana and parts of the South. Millions of Americans fled from their homes in order to get to safety. President Bush was quick to respond to the natural disaster. He seemed eager to help. Too bad he wasn't when Katrina destroyed New Orleans years ago. I guess he thinks his response to this storm makes up for lying us into a war, being reticent to respond to Katrina and other scandals that have fallen under the radar. 

As I said before, the GOP is notorious for distractions. Palin is a distraction. An excellent one, at that. I hope for the sake of the country, this particular one does not make it into the White House because an oilmonger from AK has no business being a heartbeat away from the Presidency.