Petzal on Palin: Who Thought McCain was That Smart?

Governor Palin is almost too good to be true. She is a lifelong hunter, a Life Member of the NRA, a dedicated jock, mother of a soldier who will be deployed to Iraq next month, a person who actually knows something about oil exploration, and perhaps most important, an Alaska Republican who is serious about honesty in public office. The odds on finding one of these are about the same as finding an honest Democratic politician from New Jersey. Her only drawback seems to be her background in journalism, but then no one is perfect.

I know very few people, including Repubicans, who are enthusiastic about John McCain. He seems to be tolerated only as an alternative to Obama*, who is intolerable to gun owners. There I was, prepared to hold back my rising gorge and vote for Old John M. and whatever lame hack he selected as Veep, and here he comes up with someone that I can actually be enthusiastic about from any number of standpoints, never mind guns and hunting. I wish Senator McCain and Governor Palin all success.

*_About last night’s speech: I didn’t watch it. I have been leery of speeches since I watched John F. Kennedy’s inaugural in January 1961, when he promised that we would pay any cost, bear any burden, and oppose any foe in the defense of freedom. What we got was Vietnam. The only truly prophetic part of the Inaugural was when the lectern caught on fire; there was a sign if ever there was one. Speeches are theatre, nothing more. Perhaps the only honest one in history was Lincoln’s Second Inaugural, in which he said, essentially, “You wanted a war and you got it. How do you like it?”_