Being President 101

Man dives in ocean,
punches shark in the nose,
saves his rat terrior.

I am not comforted by knowing that Sarah Palin is enrolled in Being President 101. Somehow the idea that someone could cram for the Presidency in a few days does not inspire me with confidence. I don’t care how well Sarah Palin might do in the coming debate with Joe Biden, I will never believe that a crash course in being President is sufficient preparation for that all-important office. It’s not like taking Sociology 101, at least not to me. Somehow McCain seems to think this is some weird combination of My Freshman Year and My Fair Lady. Let’s face it, McCain made an absolutely stupid choice for purely short term political reasons and now he’s faced with having to turn his sow’s ear into a silk purse, with very little time to do it. All of the evidence so far indicates that Palin knows nothing whatsoever about Foreign Policy, virtually nothing about American history, nothing about the Constitution, and not very much in general. She does not believe in the theory of evolution, apparently believes people co-existed with dinosaurs, and that the world is a mere 6000 years of age. I’m sorry but this is totally unacceptable in a candidate for the Vice Presidency of the U.S. I don’t care how much of a fool Dan Quale or Spiro Agnew may have been, I don’t want another one of that ilk (and Sarah is far worse than either of them). Sarah Palin is totally unqualified for such high office and no amount of cramming before her exam is going to make her qualified. I do not mean to be unkind to her, but this is far too important to be allowed. She should get off the ticket before she makes a complete fool of herself, but that appears to be out of the question at this late date. I fear that expectations for her are so low that if she survives 90 minutes at all she will be declared the victor. Rumor has it that she has performed miserably in two practice sessions already and is said to be virtually hopeless. I said from the very beginning she was going to prove an embarrassment and so far she has lived up to that assessment even beyond my expectations. You must give her credit for chutzpah, and perhaps she will perform above expectations, but she will still never be qualified for the office she is running for, short of several years of more study and experience (and even that is very questionable).

I must say I marvel at the way McCain and his supporters can look into the camera and tell such outrageous lies. Sometimes I wonder if they really believe the nonsense they spout. One of them today (I forget just who it was) said that McCain has been calling for more regulation for two years and that Obama has done nothing. This is a lie so outrageous, so contrary to fact, that you have to wonder if the guy is taking some kind of drugs, drinking the poisoned kool-aid, or something. McCain is on tape repeatedly railing against regulation of any kind. But these people do this all the time. It’s as if they live in an alternative world, one in which facts are totally irrelevant. Now, having spent days filling Palin’s head with lies of this kind they are about to send her into the valley of doom. If she survives at all she will be acclaimed a hero, at least to those who idolize her because she is just like them (Joe Six Pack). Is that what you want a heartbeat away from the most powerful position on earth, Joe Six Pack? Not me. No thanks. No way. Never.

It appears that Bill Clinton just cannot praise Obama, although he can lavish praise on McCain and, of course, Hillary. I guess he just cannot stand being dethroned and having to give up his position as leader of the party to this upstart relative newcomer. I think this is a terrible development and I would hope the Democratic Party would quickly put a stop to it. Like my mother always said, if you can’t saying something nice about someone, say nothing at all. But if Hillary couldn’t control Bill I guess no one else can either. He is doing a terrible thing and there is no excuse for it other than just plain ego.

The Palin/Biden debate is shaping up to be the hottest show on television in a very long time. No doubt the viewers will exceed probably even the super bowl. And there will be poor little Sarah, picked on by Joe Biden and all the rest of the male bullies, to say nothing of the MSM. Remember, whatever you say will be used against you. It will all be just plain sexism. Jeez, I wonder what she will wear?

Time has got a little bill—get wise while yet you may,
For the debit side’s increasing in a most alarming way;
The things you had no right to do,
The things you should have done,
They’re all put down; it’s up to you to pay for every one.
So eat, drink and be merry, have a good time if you will,
But God help you when the time comes, and you
Foot the bill.

Robert Service