It’s like watching a train wreck in slow-motion

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Political junkies and political reporters are anticipating tonight’s vice presidential debate between Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin with the same sense of excitement as a Superbowl, and with the same morbid curiosity as gawkers who slow down to look at the scene of an accident.  Most of us are expecting to see a train wreck in slow-motion for 90 minutes, with good reason.

After watching Governor Sarah Palin give extended interviews to news anchors who regularly read from the GOP script (and who were presumably selected by the McCain campaign for their "exclusive" interviews because they were considered safe interviewers who would make Palin look good), it has already been like watching a train wreck in slow-motion.

[For transcripts and video links to the Charlie Gibson interviews Charlie Gibson Interviews Sarah Palin; for transcripts and video links to the Katie Couric interviews Katie Couric Interviews Alaska’s Governor. For a highlight reel from the interviews, see the video after the fold from Countdown.]

The Katie Couric interviews have been particularly devastating to Governor Palin. Tina Fey of Saturday Night Live has turned Palin’s actual words into comedy gold with just the addition of voice inflection and a little physical comedy.  Expect more of the same this Saturday night.

I have worked with many politicians of varying degrees of intelligence, skills and abilities over the years, from the consummate professional to the inexperienced political novice.  I find Governor Palin comparable to the least experienced and least skilled novice politicians with whom I have worked, all of whom were running for city council or state legislative races.  I have never seen a politician so ill-equipped and ill-prepared to be on the national stage as Governor Palin.  In today’s Washington Post/ABC News poll, 60% of those surveyed said Palin is insufficiently experienced to step into the presidency of the United States. Skepticism of Palin Growing, Poll Finds John McCain owes this nation an apology. 

It has been painful for me to watch Palin struggle in her interviews.  In a way, I feel sorry for her. She should never have been in this position. It was wrong of John McCain to ask Governor Palin to be his running mate simply to appease the Christian conservative base of the GOP.  It was equally wrong of Governor Palin to agree to be his running mate.  She should have accepted her own limitations, and put the interests of the "country first" in declining the offer.  Both McCain and Palin have exhibited an extraordinary lack of judgment, clouded by their ambitions for higher office.

If you are expecting to see a substantive debate on the issues tonight, you will be sadly disappointed.  Palin can only deliver broad generalities and she is no doubt being coached to make ad hominem attacks against Barack Obama in an effort to incite Joe Biden into retaliating in a manner that conservative spinmeisters will bloviate was condescending and sexist so they can make the media narrative tomorrow all about Joe Biden, instead of a hopelessly unqualified candidate for vice president, and the poor judgment of John McCain.

Let’s get serious, people. If by some great misfortune of fate John McCain is elected the next president of the United States, Sarah Palin would be only one heartbeat away from the presidency.  Palin is hopelessly unqualified for the office which she seeks.  Period.  It is simply too late to change the GOP ticket, early voting is already underway in dozens of states.  If you can’t bring yourself to vote for Obama-Biden, then please put your "country first" and withhold your vote from McCain-Palin. The only way to prevent this national tragedy from occurring is to deny McCain-Palin the White House.