Political Insider

Sarah Palin was the right choice for approx. 5 days while McCain enjoyed a convention bounce and to stifle the Obama convention bounce. Palin not only is a bad choice for McCain but for the country. Who really think she is ready on day one to take over the presidency? John McCain even said a VP candidate needs to be able to take over "Day One" - too bad he didn't listen to his own advice.

The issue that the pundits are missing is that a Joe Lieberman pick might have done the trick, even at the expense of conservatives. Another bad McCain move, listening to Rove, the man that smeared him. I believe Bush will get the last laugh at the 8 year old riff between them as McCain will lose and it will be because of Rove, and Bush's campaign folks who are running McCain out of the only reason any of us ever liked him - his maverick status which is lost now in his right-wing rantings.

Or imagine if he had picked Tom Ridge? Yes, a lot of the base would have been upset but he would have nailed PA, Reagan Dems and Independants possibly...

This all speaks to his judgement.

How can she hurt, if she is allowed to read her answers like a First Grader?

"For Sarah Palin, Thursday's night’s debate was an open-book exam. She spent much of the evening methodically reading and rehearsing answers from “carefully scripted talking points.” Palin’s notes were largely hidden from plain view, resting behind the lectern where she stood. Because the cable and network television stations did not show a split screen of the debate, most viewers could not see that, during Joe Biden’s answers, Palin spent almost all her time looking down and studiously reading her notes. But viewers did see that when Palin delivered her answers, she would repeatedly glance down to check her talking points. ThinkProgress has compiled a video documenting some of the instances where it was clear to the audience that Palin was propped up by written responses. Watch a video compilation."

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/03/palin-can-read/

With Romney it would be a totally different ballgame or Tom Ridge for that matter.

McCain wanted to pick either Ridge or Lieberman but was fearful of a convention mutiny. So instead of using his personal judgment and demonstrate his independent streak, he went with someone he had met twice to satisfy the evangelical wing of the party. Sure it generated enthusiasm and optimism during the convention. Heck, I was even thinking the party had a chance of winning in November. But by choosing Palin, McCain had to pivot his campaign away from the experience argument and put all of his marbles on his "maverick" independence. And right after caving to GOP's so called "base".
Romney would have been able to give some assurance to voters that there some knowledge of economics on the ticket and would have provided a number two that actually could step into the presidency if the circumstances arose.
Ridge might not have fired up "the base" but he would have appealed to independents, the ones you need to win elections, not to metion put Pennsylvania in play.

Now we're stuck with an "aw schucks golly gee whiz aren't I just cute as a button?" barbie doll to back McCain up. A litte harsh I know, I am just so beside myself over this. Winking during a VP debate? She is running for the second highest office in the most powerful country in the world.

Sure she'll get the evangelicals fired up but she doesn't inspire a sense of confidence in the thinking wing of the party. And now McCain is even dissing the thinking wing of the party with this whole Georgetown cocktail circuit talk.

Guess we can all look forward to 2012, cuz this sure ain't happening this time around. Hope the Dems don't screw things up too badly.