Who picked the best VP?

I hate to say this, but McCain’s choice of Alaska governor Sarah Palin for VP is a brilliant move, and a great way to invigorate his campaign. She’s young – helping to quell concerns about McCain’s age. She’s a woman – attractive to discontented Hillary supporters. She’s conservative and pro-life, helping to attract the evangelical crowd. She’s a Washington outsider, bolstering the Republican ticket’s ability to bring a message of change. This is, quite simply, a bold and daring choice. And it makes one wonder if the Republicans may overrun the Democrats and serve up the first female presidential candidate. Actually, the strongest female leaders in Europe – Margaret Thatcher and Angela Merkel – have been conservatives. Could it be that a woman has to be a conservative to be seen as “tough” enough to become a leader? Liberal woman may be perceived as “softer” and can’t convince people that they have the stamina to be world leaders.

Of course, that’s speculation. Right now I’m afraid McCain has won this round. Obama’s choice of Joe Biden as his running mate pales in comparison. Biden is a good guy, but he’s a safe choice. He complements Obama on foreign policy, connection with working class voters, age, and experience. But he doesn’t make the ticket more dynamic. Perhaps the Democrats figured that Obama can carry the excitement all by himself and needed somebody to ground him. But people don’t want to be grounded; they want to be lifted up to a higher vision. This one is a score for the Republicans, and they are darned smart to announce it the day after Obama’s historic acceptance speech. I was working on a blog entry about Obama’s nomination, but now that seems old and stale. If it has that kind of effect on my little blog, imagine what it does to the big media machine. But fortunately things move fast in politics, and a lot can happen before Election Day. The excitement will wear off and other issues will become more important.

And while McCain's choice is smart, it's also a gamble that's sure to put off some Republican voters. It's interesting how both Obama and McCain chose running mates that undercut some of their core arguments. Obama talks about bringing change to Washington, yet chooses a VP who has worked in Washington politics all his life. McCain's hammers Obama for lack of experience, yet chooses a running mate who is even younger and less experienced. It will be interesting to see how that all plays out once the excitement settles down and the debates begin.

And we should all remember that we are not voting for a black candidate, a female candidate, or a war hero candidate. We are voting for the person who is best suited to be the leader of the most powerful country in the world. McCain’s many years of service and experience apparently have not brought him insight and wisdom when it comes to world affairs. And that’s an area where Sarah Palin can’t help him. In contrast, Obama’s speech yesterday demonstrated, once again, that he has the insight, the intelligence, and the judgment to make decisions that are in the best interest of the United States and the World.