SHE'S NOT READY

To lead. Or even intelligently talk about the problems we face. That is the Op Ed piece of Bob Herbert in the NY Times this past weekend. The title links to the piece. 

Asked about her insight into Russia- Palin responded that she could see Russia from an island in Alaska. 

Palin  sneered about Washington politicians with "decades of experience who have met heads of state". While she was referring to Joe Biden, Mr. McCain could not have been too thrilled by the answer. 

The reality is Palin is Bush-lite. Even less of a thinker. Even less experienced. Even less reflective. Even less intelligent. 

Palin spoke at her son's unit's departure for Iraq- and wished them well in fighting the enemies that attacked us and killed Americans on 9/11. She's so  uninformed and pre-programed with a sound bite that even she doesn't realize how dumb she sounds. 

There were a multitude of articles in the NY Times over the weekend that make this point better than we ever could.

Palin's worldview.

Palin  lives in a world where a person's qualifications and intelligence are much much less important than whether they believe in Jesus Christ.  She is the same side of the coin as the Taliban and the Mullahs in Iran. It's just that she worships a different savior. Same philosophy- different cast of characters. We find that frightening. Palin comes from an extremist wing of the Republican party that would repeal the First Amendment in a heartbeat. And not just the Establishment Clause. 

For those of you too young to remember, when Ronald Wilson Reagan first became Governor of California in 1967, his first major act was to raise taxes to fight a budget deficit. One of his more controversial acts was to sign into law the nations most liberal abortion law. Reagan acted for the good of his state despite his personal opposition to both acts.  Once the budget was balanced, Reagan returned the money to Californians the next year in a tax rebate- the first time that was ever done in California. And as to abortions,  while personally opposed to abortion, Reagan refused to stand by while women died in illegal clinics. Reagan  showed the strength of character which  Palin and Bush  do not have. Character means sometimes doing something you are personally opposed too.  Bush and Palin revel in their pronounced intention never to second guess themselves, despite what science, or facts, or experts may say. 

We'll take intelligence over ignorance any day. 

Making America Stupid is Thomas Friedman's analysis that the McCain campaign has turned every issue into a cultural wedge. Imagine, he writes, the leaders of China, Iran, and Russia sitting in a sky box during the Republican Convention watching Rudy Guiliani lead cheers of "drill baby drill" as they mocked Obama's plan to solve the energy crisis with new ideas and new technology. The leaders would have been high-fiving themselves over America's plan not to end our dependence on oil. 

Palin As Governor. 

Mark our words. Our country cannot afford a Palin anywhere near Washington. You think Bush messed up this country? She would complete the downfall.  It's not Palin personally, it's the reverence she holds for the mediocre and the way her followers and the religious right worship ignorance and disdain intelligence that will sink us. Because rest assured, Russia and China are not being led by stupid religious ideologues.