John's choice

John McCain was always my preferred candidate among the Republicans who sought their party's nomination for President this year. So, of course, I was pleased when he secured the nomination. The one thing that bothered me was his age. If elected, he will be the oldest person to assume the nation's highest office, three years older than Ronald Reagan was when he was elected. Add to that McCain's history of medical problems, especially with melanoma, and there is a natural cause for concern. According to insurance actuarial tables, McCain has a one in six chance of not completing a single term.

That's what makes the choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate so troubling. When the decision was announced, I felt McCain failed to make a choice based on what's best for the country, but what was the best way for him to win the election. I was hoping Gov. Palin would do something -- anything -- to prove my fears unfounded, but after watching her much publicized television interview this week, I am more convinced than ever that she was a bad choice. The thought of her occupying the Oval Office is incredibly frightening to me.

But her being on the ticket is not the only reason I can't vote for McCain in November. The very fact that McCain chose Palin says a lot about his decision-making capabilities and none of those things are complimentary. If McCain really thinks Gov. Palin is qualified to be President, it demonstrates an amazing lack of judgment on his part. If, on the other hand, he chose her for strictly political reasons (which is what I am convinced happened) than that paints a picture of someone who is completely irresponsible.

I also find it distasteful that the McCain strategy seems to be to push Gov. Palin out front, to claim that experience and being qualified for high office are bad things. If this is true, as she seems to claim, what does that say about the person at the top of her ticket? And does the campaign really think the American voter is stupid enough to buy this argument? What kind of businessman is going to set his employment criteria as hiring the least experienced, the least qualified applicant possible? He won't be staying in business very long. But that's exactly what Palin is telling the American voter to do.

Personally, I was concerned when Gov. Palin seemed to have absolutely no idea what television interviewer Charlie Gibson was talking about when he asked her about the "Bush doctrine." The McCain campaign tried to spin this by saying there are probably very few voters out there who can explain the Bush doctrine. You know what? They're right, but these people aren't on a major party presidential ticket either. I'm betting John McCain, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton would have no trouble talking about the Bush doctrine.

I was equally concerned when she claimed she had special insight into Russia because she is able to see that country from an island off the coast of Alaska. I've flown over Russia a couple of times, which, according to Gov. Palin's logic, makes me more qualified than her on international affairs. But, then, Palin claims qualifications should not be considered when selecting those who are charged with finding solutions to this country's economic woes, fighting Al Qaeda terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan, providing health care to our citizens, dealing with the AIDS epidemic, China, energy costs, etc.

I was concered later that day, at the deployment of troops, including her son, to Iraq when she said these soldiers would be fighting "the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the deaths of thousands of Americans?" Where has this woman been for the last seven years? Doesn't she know that Iraq and Saddam Hussein had nothing to do the with Sept. 11 attacks? Or is she simply deliberately trying to falsify history?

We are completing an eight-year period in which the United States was led by an individual who was not prepared for the Presidency and, as a result, made terrible decisions that led us into a disastrous war and our current economic crisis. What this country desperately needs right now is someone who is prepared, is thoughtful and can make sound judgments. From what I've seen since the last couple days of the GOP convention is that the Republican ticket can't offer the American people that kind of leadership.