rssNewsweek Columnist: Palin Should Spend More Time With Family
Monday, September 29, 2008 at 12:17 pm
- 16 Comments
Following conservative columnist Kathleen Parker’s call last week for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to step aside as the Republican vice presidential nominee, Newsweek columnist Fareed Zakaria is adding his voice to the din.
In the wake of Palin’s disappointing performances in several nationally-televised interviews, Zakaria writes:
Can we now admit the obvious? Sarah Palin is utterly unqualified to be vice president. She is a feisty, charismatic politician who has done some good things in Alaska. But she has never spent a day thinking about any important national or international issue, and this is a hell of a time to start. The next administration is going to face a set of challenges unlike any in recent memory. There is an ongoing military operation in Iraq that still costs $10 billion a month, a war against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan that is not going well and is not easily fixed. Iran, Russia and Venezuela present tough strategic challenges.
Zakaria blisters Sen. John McCain’s choice of running mate in his column as “fundamentally irresponsible.”
McCain says that he always puts country first. In this important case, it is simply not true.
The McCain campaign increasingly finds itself between a rock and a hard place.
While a growing chorus calls for Palin to withdraw, a competing school within the GOP — led by The Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol and former Massachussets Gov. Mitt Romney — argues for the campaign to let Palin off the short leash it has thus far kept her on. Romney described the thinking this morning on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”: the more she talks to the press, the better she will get.
As Kristol argues in his column in The New York Times today:
With respect to his campaign, McCain needs to liberate his running mate from the former Bush aides brought in to handle her — aides who seem to have succeeded in importing to the Palin campaign the trademark defensive crouch of the Bush White House. McCain picked Sarah Palin in part because she’s a talented politician and communicator. He needs to free her to use her political talents and to communicate in her own voice.
I’m told McCain recently expressed unhappiness with his staff’s handling of Palin. On Sunday he dispatched his top aides Steve Schmidt and Rick Davis to join Palin in Philadelphia. They’re supposed to liberate Palin to go on the offensive as a combative conservative in the vice-presidential debate on Thursday.
That debate is important. McCain took a risk in choosing Palin. If she does poorly, it will reflect badly on his judgment. If she does well, it will be a shot in the arm for his campaign.
In the debate, Palin has to dispatch quickly any queries about herself, and confidently assert that of course she’s qualified to be vice president. She should spend her time making the case for McCain and, more important, the case against Obama.
The New York Times reported last week that in negotiations on the debate’s rules, the McCain campaign pushed to make them more favorable for Palin, by shortening time limits for answers and restricting back-and-forth exchanges between her and Sen. Joe Biden.
Despite the campaign’s efforts to lower the public’s expectations for Palin, they couldn’t be higher. If she had already demonstrated a minimum level of preparedness for the job, those expectations would be lower. But with Tina Fey’s dead-on satire of Palin becoming a fixture on Saturday Night Live, Palin desperately needs to turn in a solid performance in Thursday’s debate.
If the caricature becomes the public’s dominant view of the vice presidential candidate, she will likely become a drag on the ticket — if she hasn’t already.
The McCain campaign has reportedly sequestered Palin at the GOP presidential nominee’s compound near Sedona. Ariz., for some intensive prep work. McCain, reportedly an avid gambler, bet his candidacy when he rolled the dice on Palin.
If Palin doesn’t — at a minimum — hold her own against Biden during the debate, that toss may well come up snake eyes.
16 Comments
Comment posted September 29, 2008 @ 12:13 pm
Sarah Failin': Katie Couric’s one-on-one with Gov. Palin was a pivotal point in the campaign. Couric’s low-key, insistent questioning seemed to disarm the candidate, who spouted friendly nonsense when a smarter, tougher response was needed. Sen. Biden can look to the Couric interview for clues on how to pick his way through the minefield he’ll face in Thursday’s debate. Biden should steer clear of any direct attacks on his opponent. He will win the night simply by letting Palin explain her qualifications and political views at length. calamitygeorge.wordpress.com
With a brilliant satirical assist from SNL’s Tina Fey, a national picture is emerging of Palin as unready. To cement that impression, all Biden has to do is give the lady enough rope.
Comment posted September 29, 2008 @ 12:34 pm
There are all sorts of characteristics of Palin's that make her undesirable as a national, or even state or local leader.
She is heavily into cronyism. Qualifications be damned.
She does not hesitate to use her staff as personal hatchet men.
She is religiously intolerant. How can she serve a nation of diverse religious beliefs?
She is heavily into firing qualified public servants who may differ with her. Presumably, therefore, she lacks the skill to sit and talk to, listen to, and learn from people with whom she differs. That makes her representative only of herself.
She is heavily into using any power she can get her hands on, to harass and cause harm to people she dislikes or disagrees with. That is not a Christ-like characteristic, nor is it a good characteristic for a leader of an increasingly diverse and growing state or national population.
She is absolutely OK with accepting personal gifts and goodies, and personal favors, and is already a pro at the tit-for-tat game.
Whether or not she can learn economy, foreign policy, office management, PR skills, compromise, respectful behavior, and all the other skills needed for true political leadership, by this Thursday or Nov 11– her personally chosen, and proven behaviors, while in office, disbar her from being representative of the people of this or any country.
Comment posted September 29, 2008 @ 12:39 pm
I'm not sure why it doesn't bother Republicans who want to vote for Sarah Palin that she won't talk to the Press. In essence it means she won't talk to them or anyone else who would like to know more about her before they vote for her, or not. The McCain campaign is like watching mothballs and a mouse who peeks out of its hole once in awhile.
Comment posted September 29, 2008 @ 2:51 pm
Few will dispute that McCain continues to make gambling trips to Vegas and Indian casinos about once a month. Maverick (votes with Bush 90% of the time) or Bat Masterson (gambler)?
Gamblers can be hot headed, unpredictable, and on occasion show poor judgement such as choosing a person “out of her league” for VP.
Should the President of the US be a gambler? Can we risk this?
Comment posted September 29, 2008 @ 2:55 pm
Classic McCain, for those who've paid attention. Down in the polls? Campaign tied to Freddie Mac's money? Gambling passion for craps? Roll the dice! Do something (anything) unexpected. Remember, he crashed 5 planes.
Comment posted September 29, 2008 @ 4:03 pm
I suppose Palin will suspend her campaign now, to work with Washington in getting a resolution to this financial mess, and cancel the debate.
Anyone knows if McCain has “un”suspended his campaign?
Comment posted September 29, 2008 @ 4:05 pm
Because they do not want to find out that the stories about her are true. This way they can pretend to have a guilt-free conscience when they vote McPalin into office
Comment posted September 29, 2008 @ 4:06 pm
What diverse religious beliefs? 80% is Christian.
Comment posted September 29, 2008 @ 5:17 pm
Palin is going to be a vice president not the president. She really doesn't have to be on top of things on day 1. She will learn as most other vp's did during her time in office. All of this talk is utter nonsense. There are only a very few vp candidates that did any better than she is doing right now. Giver her a break and let her learn.
Comment posted September 30, 2008 @ 3:04 pm
Why have a VP at all? You can easily get someone else who is fit to be president now in the White House should the president die or be incapacitated.
Does it not bother you that you have no issues with someone clearly incompetent being in a position that is a heartbeat away from the more important job in the world?
Comment posted October 1, 2008 @ 8:50 pm
Palin is a dipshit. She should go back to beauty school and learn some things or two…. or three, in any case, she should just goooooool
Comment posted October 1, 2008 @ 8:52 pm
I do not vote for people to “LEARN” when they should “KNOW” already. I do not understand where you can seriously consider your arguement about “vp” not having to know much etc… when they are selected as “vp” for their knoweledge. DUH
Comment posted October 1, 2008 @ 8:54 pm
McCain will unsuspend his campaign when he is done compaigning. He likes to just suspend whenever he can. I wonder if he will if he is elected pres? how many suspensions will the US have to endure when he feels loke not working
Comment posted October 2, 2008 @ 3:50 am
Palin is a dipshit. She should go back to beauty school and learn some things or two…. or three, in any case, she should just goooooool
Comment posted October 2, 2008 @ 3:52 am
I do not vote for people to “LEARN” when they should “KNOW” already. I do not understand where you can seriously consider your arguement about “vp” not having to know much etc… when they are selected as “vp” for their knoweledge. DUH
Comment posted October 2, 2008 @ 3:54 am
McCain will unsuspend his campaign when he is done compaigning. He likes to just suspend whenever he can. I wonder if he will if he is elected pres? how many suspensions will the US have to endure when he feels loke not working
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