Since stepping onto the national stage on August 29 as John McCain's running mate in the presidential election, Sarah Palin has described herself as "a pit bull with lipstick." After her performance against Joseph Biden on October 2 during the vice presidential debate, she should be put to sleep.
The problem with Palin isn't that she's a Republican, a working mother, or even a woman -- it's that she's not qualified for the office she seeks to occupy. She comes across as a deer in headlights in interviews, whether she's taking questions from Charles Gibson or Katie Couric. Listening to her incoherent views on national security and foreign policy were cringe-inducing, and watching her give variations of the same answer to different questions posed by Gwen Ifill was unintentional comedy at its finest.
Given that Republicans control the executive and judicial branches of government, and wield influence in the legislative branch, their complaints about how business is done in Washington, D.C., reek of hypocrisy -- especially since McCain and Palin have flip-flopped on issues of importance to their constituents (and the United States as a whole). McCain was a longtime advocate for deregulation until the economy found itself in a tailspin; now he's a proponent of monitoring Wall Street. As for Palin, she initially favored building the "Bridge to Nowhere" before proclaiming opposition to it.
I believe America is ready for a female president, but I also feel that Palin doesn't belong in such close proximity to a powerful position. The future Madame President should be her own woman, not a puppet for someone else's agenda. She should also have a plan for helping the country get back on its feet, not just recite talking points. But, perhaps most important, she should be open to learning new things ... and not be so blinded by ambition until she can't see her own shortcomings. (This character trait was Hillary Rodham Clinton's downfall during her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.)
McCain thought he was helping Palin by shielding her from the media ... but that strategy backfired, for it exposed her as a pit bull that's all bark and no bite. If man's best friend is a dog, McCain is a pitiful excuse for an owner because choosing Palin as his running mate was nothing short of "animal cruelty."
