The choice by Senator McCain of Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate foretells what a McCain presidency will look like. Like George W. Bush, McCain has filled a vacancy, not with goal of finding the most qualified candidate, but with the goal of political expediency. Like some in the Bush Whitehouse, Palin is under investigation for misappropriation of executive power. Alberto Gonzales misappropriated his authority as Attorney General. The vice president’s chief of staff, Scooter Libby was indicted for perjury, only to be pardoned by Bush. Bush’s main political advisor, Karl Rove, continues to refuse to answer a congressional subpoena on what he knows about the politicization of justice department hirings and firings. Just as Rove has refused to cooperate in any way with an investigation into the Bush justice department, Palin now refuses to cooperate with an investigation into the firing of her former brother-in-law. In fact, a lawsuit has now been filed to quash the investigation into whether Palin illegally used the office of the governor to fire her sister’s ex-husband from the state police force. This is simply more of the same we’ve seen for the past eight years from the Bush administration.
Palin’s choice as V.P. is even more of a reflection of John McCain than it is of Palin herself. It is credibly reported that McCain chose Palin at the last minute on advice of political operatives. MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell recently reported that McCain only met Palin once before choosing her. This is eerily reminiscent of President Bush being led by less than stellar advisors. The actual choice of Palin also mirrors Bush’s choice of the less qualified. Remember Katrina’s “heck of a job, Brownie”? McCain and Palin represent more of the same.
Who will the political operatives tell McCain to choose next? Will it be Phil Gramm for Secretary of Treasury? He was the McCain campaign’s financial advisor when he called Americans’ lament over the economy “whining.” Maybe it’ll be a creationist for Secretary of Education? The point is, we cannot afford a president who will continue to appoint and nominate cabinet members and other heads of agencies based on political expediency over qualification. Eight years of this has lead to a disastrous foreign policy and an economy on the verge of collapse. We need someone of exceptionally high intelligence who will seek out the most qualified people for the toughest jobs. Barack Obama, past president of the Harvard Law Review, is such an exceptionally gifted individual. Our country simply cannot withstand another four years of the same we’ve seen from George W. Bush. McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin gives every indication that a McCain presidency will just be more of the same.
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