Montreal Gazette: McCain ("an unoiled tin man") flunked the test by choosing Sarah Palin

[Bluebear]

Potholes pose important challenges, but are not, perhaps, a full preparation for dealing with Vladimir Putin and nuclear weapons in Iran.

by Norman Webster

In my youth, there was an adage which went: God watches over small children, drunks crossing the street and the United States of America. Americans had better hope the Almighty is still on the job.

They just keep doing it to themselves, don't they? The U.S. is a great nation - the most important, in its potential for good, on the planet. It has a wealth of leadership available for the tapping. Yet, with embarrassing frequency, it puts forward pallid figures (Michael Dukakis), slimeballs (Spiro Agnew) or complete dodos (Dan Quayle) for its supreme offices.

Now it's the turn of Alaskan attack-dog Sarah Palin, placed on the Republican ticket last week by John McCain. Despite a great speech at the convention, she is the most spectacularly unqualified nominee since, er, George W. Bush, whose incompetence in the past eight years has fulfilled all the dismal predictions he dragged with him into the White House.

This matters, a lot. For Palin is not your usual footnote nominee - William Miller, for example, Barry Goldwater's running mate in 1964, later to appear in American Express commercials as William Who? She really might become president. That came home with a jolt this week as the TV drama unfolded. There on stage was McCain, moving jerkily, like an unoiled Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz - looking every one of the 72 years that will, if he wins the election, make him the oldest first-term president in the history of the republic....

There has been a ferocious female backlash to Palin's nomination. Millions of women who supported Hillary Clinton are insulted by the notion that they would vote for an NRA member, anti-abortion crusader, etc., etc., just because she is female. In La Presse, Lysiane Gagnon noted that Palin had only recently obtained her first passport, thundering: "We see now in what wretched regard McCain holds women." John McCain, warrior, hero, man's man, will probably never understand.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/features/viewpoints/story.html?id=da1180a1-409e-4dc0-8be8-da2680d6b9ca

[aquart]

1. Pity it ain't an American paper.

[Bluebear]

2. Would that an American paper would make as much sense.

[Monk06]

3. One of the disadvantages of being Canadian we are right 80% of the time and ignored 100% of the time

[bigscott]

4. maybe ignored by our government

but loved by lots of it's citizens

:pals:

Peace

[Monk06]

5. Thanks, the vibe is great but I fear for Canada and my American brothers and sisters

if Mc Cain/Palin becomes a reality.

[Turbineguy]

6. That's been the problem with the Bush Admin too

Those living outside the US were well aware of the disaster that was coming.

And this is worse.

History is the story of the heartless over the mindless.

[Solly Mack]

7. I'm getting all kinds of new "WTF?" comments these days

living across the pond.


As for anyone making comments like this: "We see now in what wretched regard McCain holds women."

Better late than never,I suppose but - DAMN - welcome to ALWAYS.

[Bluebear]

8. "Welcome to always" - - you said it!