She didn't blink

When Sarah Palin was asked if she hesitated for a moment when she got the call from John McCain asking her to join him on the Republican ticket this year, her response was , "No, I didn't. You don't blink when a call like that comes in. You say "yes" and you say it for your country."

That was the comment that convinced me John McCain had made a mistake.

Anyone who has even a grade school understanding of the complex problems facing this nation would have hesitated, would have been given pause by the sheer weight of the question, would have asked for time to think about it, discuss it with family, and consider whether the full scope of their public service experience and their intellect would be sufficient for the task. But no, she didn't need to do that. She didn't even blink once. Sarah Palin said, "yes." Her country was calling and she was ready to serve.

Now, John McCain surely is having second thoughts about his decision. Surely he would like to reconsider a decision he made in haste in the desperate moments after Barack Obama concluded his speech to 90,000 screaming faithful in Denver's football stadium.

Sarah thinks of herself as just another "Joe Sixpack," but even Joe would have been humbled by the question. Even good old Joe would have blinked...at least once. She didn't blink, because she was blinded by her own ambitious pursuit of the tiara they award at center stage.