Beyond the Palin

Sarah Palin has a certain honest earnestness that is appealing. That can’t be denied, but beyond that, what does it say about the top of the ticket when second place creates more excitement.

Rest assured, in the end, this will be a fight between Barack Obama and John McCain. Unlike Bush 43, McCain's choice for second position will not reassure us that America will be OK.

Last night proved only that she reads well...and we knew that would be the case. After all, she is quite familiar with the teleprompter having worked intermittently as a sportscaster. And I predict John McCain will not read as well tonight because he has always been uncomfortable with the teleprompter. And this is such a superficial group of delegates that McCain should be careful that don't decide to reverse the order on the ticket.

What is the state of our selection process when a lady, little known outside her hometown of 7,000 in Alaska, can walk onto the stage 60 days prior to the election and have people saying, "Yeah, that's the one?"

Wait a minute.

This is America we're talking about, isn’t it?

We're talking about selecting the President and Vice President of our country.

Forget for a moment that she represents extreme right wing views that are contrary to those of mainstream Americans. Where is she on issues of substance that matter to you and me?

For 20 months, Sarah Palin has held the office of governor from a small state (population), and she is to be commended for her efforts to serve the needs of her people, but what can she tell us about our economy, what does she know about the threat of nuclear proliferation, what does she know about hydrogen fuel cells and alternative fuel sources. Does she believe drilling for more oil to burn is really going to improve the environment? She made that dubious connection broadly in one summary statement last night. There were many instances in her speech where one could only conclude she does not know much about the subject.

How far will that honest earnestness take her?