The day the Republicans lost the Presidency

I give McCain credit for taking this risk. He had to (and will continue to have to) if he still believes he has any shot at winning in November. But by choosing Sarah Palin for Vice President, he fell off the edge. Yes, she's a woman. Yes, she's young and very pretty - a former beauty queen. She's also a Governor, a mother of five, pro-life, and pro-gun. And that combination may win over the redneck segment of the male GOP contingent.

But this choice fails to look at what she's not. She is not pro-choice. She has no national experience. She has never been part of a national campaign before. She is under investigation for trying to use her office to get her brother-in-law fired. She has no international experience. Her actual experience governing is in a very small state, famous for its "Bridge to Nowhere" kind of political graft. Her Republican colleague, Senator Ted Stevens has been indicted for corruption.

Think about it. When Republicans and Independents go vote, will they have the confidence to vote for a McCain-Palin ticket knowing that McCain has had several recurrences of his skin cancer and will be the oldest President ever - beyond the average male life expectancy before ever taking office? Can anyone imagine Sarah Palin stepping into the Oval Office and dealing with all the problems our country faces right now? The Russians and the terrorists must be quaking in their boots.

The bottom line is that it's obvious the McCain camp is trying to woo women, especially Hillary supporters, who are desperate to see a woman on the ticket, as well as the larger-than-we-like-to-admit segment of our country who will vote for McCain-Palin simply because she's "Hot". But it's a longshot. It is reminiscent of the Republicans putting up Alan Keyes to run against Barack Obama for the Illinois Senate just because he was black. Voters saw through that pretty quickly. Additionally, how does McCain honestly think these Hillary supporters are going to vote? They don't get Hillary on the ballot but they get Sarah as the first potential woman President? There is absolutely no overlap between the positions Hillary Clinton has fought for and Sarah Palin. The two women are not remotely substitutable. They are as different as they can be. I think most women are going to feel insulted in McCain's suggestion that just "any" woman will do. And I think most people who will vote for Palin simply for her looks are not exactly the kind of people who turn out to vote on election day.