Did the McCain campaign just totally jump the shark?

[liberalpragmatist]

This must be... the most baffling veep choice ever.

Seriously. I've checked. I can't find a single VP nominee since 1904 more unqualified. (That year, against Teddy Roosevelt, Democrats nominated a New York judge, Alton Parker, as their sacrificial lamb of a candidate for president; his running mate was an 80-year old businessman, Henry G. Davis and at least he served as a U.S. senator in the 1870s and early '80s.)

Honestly, I thought McCain would have been making a bad pick by picking Romney. Now Romney looks like an inspired choice.

And honestly, this has nothing to do with Palin's ideology. She seems like a perfectly nice woman. She's a talented, promising local politician who could realistically be on a GOP national ticket in, say, 8 or 12 or 16 years once she's finished her terms as governor and maybe served in the Senate or the cabinet. But right now? In 2008? I don't think being the governor of a tiny state is a good qualification for the presidency, and I'd say the same thing about Democrats Dave Freudenthal and Ruth Ann Minner (Wyoming and Delaware, respectively).

Was she even vetted? McCain met her ONCE. Then talked to her on the phone over the weekend. Did he just go "fuck it" at the last minute? What was the point of spending weeks vetting and meeting with Pawlenty, Romney and Rob Portman?

This is absolutely baffling. And as someone on Andrew Sullivan's blog pointed out, what does this tell us about John McCain's fitness for the presidency? In their first major decisions, Barack Obama considered all the options, spoke graciously and seriously with all the contenders and then thoughtfully chose the best person for the moment after months of vetting and meetings. John McCain made an astoundingly bizarre, last-minute, impulsive pick that totally undermines his ONLY line of attack against Obama. This is experience we can count on?!

[LostinVA]

1. Yes -- actually, he pole-vaulted over the shark

[liberalpragmatist]

6. I can't help but laugh about this

It's absurd. Absolutely absurd.

[ginnyinWI]

14. it all seems like some weird dreams I have sometimes.

McCain picks a soccer mom as his running mate. Too bizarre!

To me, she's like Dubya: a weak governor with no outside experience.

If those two got in, who would run the country? Lobbyists!

[Beregond2]

2. He knows he has lost.

I think this was EXACTLY a "fuck it" choice.

[TexasObserver]

3. He picked her because she's had five kids and knows how to change diapers.

As his VP, that could come in handy.

[puerco-bellies]

4. Snark!

:rofl:

[ColbertWatcher]

5. Brilliant! n/t

[Journeyman]

9. That's the funniest comment I've read all day . . .

touché. . .

[TexasObserver]

13. Will her duties include his doodies?!

She's already on record saying she doesn't know what the job entails.

[FatDave]

25. TexasObserver is on fire!

:yourock:

[TexasObserver]

31. I'll be here all week! Be sure and tip your waitresses!

[Quantess]

30. DUzy right there!

:rofl:

[TexasObserver]

32. Thanks!

You really have to wonder how these two will interact.

I wonder if Cindy has to sit in on every meeting they will have.

[OhioBlue]

7. PLUS - he picked his Veep depending on who Obama picked as Veep

We heard over and over that McCain would wait to see who Obama chose to help him make his decision.

What does that say about McCain - he did not pick the person that he thought could best serve as POTUS in his absence but rather a strategic ticket addition dependent upon who is rival chose. wow.

[Wednesdays]

11. Well, to be fair the veep choice has always been to "balance the ticket"

But this isn't balance...it's McSame becoming totally unbalanced.

[seabeyond]

17. balance yes, but there is at least the chance mccain could croak. her as pres

wow

[man4allcats]

8. I think McCain picked her for

two rather "outstanding" reasons, both of which have more to do with the body phenotypic than the body politic if you get my drift. And yes, you're right. This most assuredly does bring his fitness into question.

[MannyGoldstein]

10. He SODOMIZED The Shark Sans Lube

Astonishing. But good luck for us!

[Arugula Latte]

15. Well, thank you very much for that little brain burn!

:hi:

[MannyGoldstein]

18. Buck Up! It Could Be Worse!

You could be the shark...

[GardeningGal]

12. Ever since this was announced this morning, I've been

wondering if we couldn't demand a mental evaluation of McCain. This pick is so bizarre, the only way it makes sense to me is that the GOP didn't want to attach a realistic candidate to McCain.

It seriously makes me question McCain's fitness to be president. (Not like I had any doubts before, but this just seems to make it so obvious.)

[seabeyond]

16. the news people were actually scratching head, stumped, "are you sure"

they asked when the name first came out

[riverdeep]

29. Didn't he release his medical records

in just a three hour window. Over a thousand pages, too. Reporters could take notes but not copy anything. I mean, who does that if they're not trying to bury something. By contrast, Obama's was one page.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. No he did not jump the shark

granted he could have done much better with others, but this is not a shark jump

She is loved by the Right Wing... the FUNDY right wing, aka the folks that McCain has no traction with. She was chosen to try to shore his street cred with these folks

She was also chosen to get them PUMAs who are so annoyed at Obama and the DNC (granted... the PUMA movement is over estimated and it is quite small really... and some are republicans)

She was also chosen to attract women in general, (which is delusional once you look at her stance on things that matter to women)

But when you look at this from McCain's point of view... this was a decision made to shore up his chances with the army that put bushie over the top twice (and Diebold, but that is another discussion)

[FatDave]

26. The fundies loved Harriet Miers.

Look how far it got her.

[nadinbrzezinski]

27. This will go farther... she will be nominated and will accept it

unless there is a major scandal between now and wendesday

[Errrica]

20. He is so

Transparent.

[Wetzelbill]

21. It's not the size of the state, it's the 2 years in the position

and she doesn't know good policy, or appear to have much for judgment. By comparison, Brian Schweitzer has less years in elective office, but has 4 years as governor, and in that time has a proven track record on policy and judgment. So he'd make a good VP choice, but she's iffy at best.

[Chovexani]

22. Matlock is losin it.

[LongDistanceRunner]

23. Jumped the Shark... Nuked the Fridge... Tapped the Palin

[SnowGoose]

24. Maybe more screwed the pooch than jumped the shark.

nt

[Starbucks Anarchist]

28. He cleared the ocean.