Was McCain's vp pick of Palin as poor a choice as Ross Perot's pick of Vice Admiral James Stockdale?

[The Craw]

Remember Ross Perot's running mate Vice Admiral James Stockdale (retired)?
He was one of the most highly decorated men in the military, but also seemed to be a bit senile- and totally cracked during the debate....

Could Palin be as bad as Vice Admiral James Stockdale?

If anything, these 2 gave great fodder for great SNL sketches. Tina Fey as Palin was hilarious, and Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman as Ross Perot and Vice Admiral James Stockdale remains one of my all time favorite SNL moments...

[RoyGBiv]

1. It's worse ...

Stockdale was bad.

Palin is ridiculous.

[SuperTrouper]

2. Worse, much worse!

[Raven]

3. Much worse. I think Perot really believed in Stockdale. McCain's

pick of Palin was an entirely cynical attempt to grab the spotlight,Hillary voters and women in general.

[sunnybrook]

4. Stockdale was a pretty bad choice

but Perot was a third party candidate. Palin is DEFINITELY the worst of either major party, and I would include Dan Quayle in there.

[Vote2008]

5. Stockdale was a true hero! Smart man. Taught at Princton. Much better than Palin.

[OmahaBlueDog]

8. This is the only point on which Dennis Miller and I agree

Stockdale was a brilliant guy, also a tortured POW, and a great American whose only crime was that he was bad on TV.

Palin is remarkably bad-- especially when you consider she has broadcasting experience.

[mitchum]

20. That's 2 of us...er...3 of us...

the only thing that I ever found admirable about Miller was his defense of Stockdale

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. Palin couldn't hold Stockdale's coat........

[msanthrope]

7. Stockdale was pro-choice---that alone makes him better....n/t

[SoxFan]

9. Worse

Stockdale was originally intended to serve as a placeholder. Several states required that Perot name a running mate when filing papers, so the campaign used Stockdale's name, intending to find a stronger choice down the road.

Before Perot dropped out of the race in July, it appeared that Virginia Gov. Doug Wilder was going to join the ticket. Perot's campaign strategists pushed hard for Wilder, and Wilder, who loathed Bill Clinton, seemed ready to come on board. Perot, however, was unwilling to pull the trigger.

[deadmessengers]

10. Stockdale deserved better.

I liked Stockdale during that campaign, a LOT. One thing that stuck out during the VP debate that year for me wasn't the "hearing aid" comment - it was his answer to a question on his position on Roe v. Wade. Dan Quayle stood up there, bloviated and spun for his full allotted time, as did Al Gore. It was then Adm. Stockdale's turn to respond. His response was something pretty close to "That is a matter that is best left to be decided by a woman and her physician". And that was it - No BS, no spin, just a clear, unequivocal statement. He may have gone down in history as a bit of a laughingstock, but he earned a lot of respect from me with that one simple sentence. He really deserves better than the way people refer to him now.

Many years later, I worked with a man who served under Admiral Stockdale in the Navy. He described him as the most fair commander he'd ever served with in his 22 years in uniform.

Oh, and Sarah Palin isn't fit to be mentioned in the same breath as Adm. Stockdale.

[alfredo]

11. Stockdale admitted he was a fish out of water. Palin is trying

to fake it.

[Tyler Generation]

18. GRIDLOCK!

[alfredo]

19. Prunes will help.

Welcome to DU

[Drunken Irishman]

12. That SNL sketch with Perot and Stockdale was fucking classic.

Here it is for those who don't remember, maybe one of the best SNL sketches I've seen.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/4123/saturday-night-live-joyride-with-perot

[The Craw]

16. Hillarious!!!

I do miss Phil Hartman.....RIP

[The Craw]

17. One of Phil Hartman's best performances on SNL...

And Dana Carvey was equally brilliant as Ross Perot

[Nye Bevan]

13. Who am I? Why am I here?

And I am not so sure that was a rhetorical question...

[ORDem]

14. Stockdale: "GRIDLOCK!" Palin: "MAVERICK!" n/t

[Geek_Girl]

15. I liked Stockdale

Politically he may have been a disaster at that time. But I have far more respect for S
tockdale than I do Palin.

[TheKentuckian]

21. Stockdale was no politician but he was a credible person and leader

that was simply a fish out of water.

Palin is an actual direct insult to the process and to the electorate.

[bevoette]

22. Stockdale was cool. I voted for him ;)

[calico1]

23. Worse.

Stockdale wasn't a stupid man. Maybe not cut out for VP but he wasn't an idiot.

He had a good line in the VP debate too. Got a lot of laughs.

[The Craw]

24. I think Palin might be worse....

I'm not sure Palin would crack during debates the way the admiral did, but in job performance, I'm sure he'd run circles aroun her...

[nsd]

25. Stockdale wasn't supposed to be the official choice.

Perot told Stockdale he was just using his name as a placeholder until a more suitable running mate agreed to join the ticket. Stockdale didn't think he'd actually have to run.

Then Perot screwed up everything by dropping out abruptly and then re-entering the race just as abruptly. There was no time to replace Stockdale on the ticket and so he had to go through with it.

That was Perot's fault, not Stockdale's. It's a shame Stockdale's reputation suffered as a result.

That said, McCain's choice is worse because he actually wants Palin to become vice president.

[Vinca]

26. It's worse because, realistically, Perot didn't have a chance in hell of winning.

McCain has a 50/50 chance.