An Inane Choice

John McCain has picked a woman as his running mate.  woo-hoo.  Just the excuse I needed to vote for a Republican.  Is that what he's hoping the disaffected Hillary supporter will do?  Vote for him because he picked "a woman" as his running mate.  A young woman, forty four years old, who hasn't traveled much outside the United States, was the mayor of a small town in Alaska and (as Bay Buchanan earnestly said on CNN yesterday, ran a small business with her husband).  Nevermind the fact that he's only met her once.  I can't quite believe it.  There has to be some other reason.  Surely.  

Yes she appeals to the Conservative Religious Right.  She knew she was having a baby with Down Syndrome and chose to have it anyway earlier this year -- real bona fides right there  (although how those who promote family values feel about her decision to essentially abandon that baby to hit the campaign trail remains to be seen).  Yes she has fought corruption in her one and a half years as governor of Alaska.  Well done to her for that.  But really? Truly? You think that her lack of experience matches Barack Obama's so-called lack of experience? 

As a good friend said last night, "if this wasn't America, McCain's just handed the election to Barack Obama."  But this is America and in America, anything can happen.  

It's going to be an interesting race.