McCain's high-wire act

Barack Obama is running for president against John McCain, not Sarah Palin. But who the VP is does matter. The primary qualification must be, are they qualified and capable to step in in a moments notice and be president of the United States. John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin matters. Why he picked her, what he knew about her, what he sees in her, all of this matters. It speaks to his character. It sheds light on his mental state and political calculations. And when you add everything up, so far, this decision shows that John McCain is making risky decisions across the board, in an effort to stike gold and win the White House.
But some of his most vocal supporters in the media, people who have been fans for years, are ... pissed off and flumoxed, to say the least. Case in point, Richard Cohen of the Washington Post:

John McCain's selection of Palin, which I first viewed with horror, could now be seen in a different light. Based on various television interviews over the Labor Day weekend -- and a careful reading of the transcripts -- it is possible that this is McCain's attempt to make fools of his fellow Republicans. He has succeeded beyond all expectations. Gingrich's point about Palin being commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard has been echoed throughout the GOP. In fact, even Cindy McCain pointed out -- rightly enough -- that Alaska is across the Bering Strait from Russia and so Palin, by deduction, has been on the front lines of the Cold War . . . had it not ended in 1989. Still, you have to admit that in all that time, especially since Palin became governor about two years ago, no Russian invasion force has come across the strait, maybe because she was in charge of the Guard, maybe because she herself is a hunter and an athlete. The record is unclear because no high-ranking Russian appeared on any of the weekend talk shows to say how they had considered an invasion of Alaska and then backed off when Sarah Palin became commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard. Who could blame them?

In a matter of days, if not hours, Sarah Palin will sadly pull herself off the McCain bus and head back to Alask "for the good of her family."

McCain/Pawlenty anyone?

**UPDATE**

The Post is filled with haters today:

We learned last week that John McCain is not who he is -- not, at least, who he claims to be. The steady, straight-talking, country-first statesman his campaign has been selling is a fictional character. The real McCain is either alarmingly cynical or dangerously reckless.
...
Whatever the political impact, so much for the John McCain we thought we knew. In choosing Palin, he cynically did the kind of thing that his party is always accusing Democrats of doing: He selected a running mate based on her potential ability to appeal to targeted segments of the electorate rather than for her honestly assessed ability to lead the nation should the occasion arise. The other thing we learned about McCain is that he is willing to take an enormous gamble based on limited information. He only met Palin once before summoning her for a final interview. He realized he needed to shake up the presidential race, and that's what he did. But we are reminded, if we did not realize it before, that the three things not to expect from a McCain presidency are caution, prudence and a willingness to always put the nation's interests above his own.

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