Final Comments on the V.P. Debate

1. Just when I thought I would never have to hear an adult say the word "nucular" instead of nuclear, Sarah Palin used the George W. Bush euphemism at least four times.

2. I thought only those in the middle of the country said things like this: "Darn right!" or "Ja, you betcha."

3. It was always my hope that both parties would nominate people for national office who were articulate. I would hate to think that someone chosen to lead a powerful nation could actually show that they were smart. And although I gave up hoping a long time ago that our leader would speak at least one foreign language, Sarah Palin proved to me that English was very foreign to her. Darn right! Ja, you betcha.

4. I thought there was something wrong with me at the beginning of the debate. There were times when I honestly could not understand what Sarah Palin was trying to say, not because of a difficult dialect but because of pathetic grammar and strange syntax.

5. I never thought I would see reality and satire happen at the same time. What are the real qualifications for being chosen as a running mate in a presidential election? Given the age of John McCain, I would hope it would be someone responsible and wise enough to help guide our country through difficult times. I guess she can show us how to trap varmints and supplement our diets during tough economic times.

6. And I never thought I would hear a Republican admit that, like the Democrats, she accepted a person's choice of living a gay lifestyle. And like the Democrats, she did not support gay marriage. Yes, she actually conceded that Democrats, like Republicans were not in favor of endorsing gay marriage. At least while being inept, Sarah Palin did not use the issue as a way of attacking the Obama and Biden ticket and distracting voters from other issues that put our country at risk.

7. I makes my stomach churn to think that someone that stupid could actually have power to initiate a nuclear strike in the event that a 72-year-old president dies of old age. According to Cles, McCain's father and grandfather died of old age at about the same age as John McCain is right now, and given both the extra stress and pressure of his being a one-time prisoner in North Viet Nam when he was young and also given the difficult election he faces right now, it is not foolish to consider the frightening aspect of Sarah Palin as Commander In Chief. And by the way, he is the oldest man ever to run for the office of President.

8. At least during the course of this debate, I had the pleasure of not hearing her suggest that she was an expert in foreign policy because her kitchen window faces Russia. And the same thing goes for the joke about dogs and lip stick. Given the situation with extended hours of darkness, it does not surprise me to know that people in Alaska are difficult. There is nothing funny about making fun of people suffering from bipolar problems. And it is silly to believe that someone that moody is a credible candidate for such a leadership position in our country.

9. It amazed me to hear her actually believe that Alaskan politics gave her experience in working in a bipartisan way. It was my understanding that there were only right wing conservatives and ultra right wing conservatives there.

10. After watching her evade questions and use cute sound bites and cliches to attack Biden without answering a single question, my heart was pounding in my chest by the end of the 90 minute debate. I failed to see her discuss anything tangible, and she never once gave an example to support any of her assertions, so at the end of the 90 minute debate, when a Republican actually suggested that she "held her own," I thought I was experiencing a panic attack. I could not believe that someone could watch what I did and think she did well. And to think that most people believe that only hippies used drugs during the 60's. This guy must have had some serious controlled substance issues in the the past if he truly believed that Sarah Palin "held her own."

11. It shocked me to hear that she actually believed that she intended to "reach across the aisle" in future service in American politics. People who only know how to attack people without discussing issues do not seem prepared for bipartisan work. She appears to believe that she is above the law. When a governor fires a state official for personal rather than professional reasons, and more importantly, when that governor also ignores subpoenas that require her to submit to an internal investigation that suggests she broke the law, I guess I have a difficult time understanding why she puts herself through this whole "election" thing. Just watching and listening to some conservatives who run for office, it appears that individual rights is an issue: if you can't ignore the Constitutional rights of political opponents and others who irritate you within a democracy, why would you want to serve in a position of leadership? And by the way, this whole euphemistic phrase "compassionate conservative" means only their eyes sparkle with pleasure when they kick you while you're down. I hate the term as much as I dislike their branding people as "liberals" and "patriots." Had they lived in the late eighteenth century, they would have all been Tories.

12. And last, can't we have someone smart lead our country please? I have waited for a statesman for such a long time--someone articulate, someone respectable, someone capable of leadership.