Republican nominee Sen. John McCain must think that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are over—and that Osama bin Laden has been brought to justice, and that the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf has led to calm in Pakistan, and that Russia isn’t feeling too bold now that the crisis in Georgia has passed.
McCain must believe that all of the above is true because he picked a vice presidential candidate who has little to no experience in international affairs or the economy.
McCain did not select his first choice and close friend, Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman, who is so well versed in foreign affairs that he was able to whisper a correction into McCain’s ear when the candidate stated that Iran was training Al Qaeda.
Iran isn’t training Al Qaeda, although McCain said it was. Nor did he select former rival Mitt Romney, who built a personal fortune as a businessman and, as governor, oversaw Massachusetts’ large and complex economy.
Instead, McCain’s hand-picked running mate is Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who has said that she hasn’t “really focused much on the war in Iraq” even though her oldest son will be heading to the combat zone shortly and she’s the head of the Alaskan National Guard.
The governor’s thoughts on the economy are a little more difficult to define. Palin has said she believes in free-market capitalism and small government, but as mayor of tiny Wasilla, Alaska, she brought in almost $27 million in federal earmarks for the town. She supported the infamous $398 million “bridge to nowhere” when the federal government was paying for the bulk of it, but changed her mind once Congress cut funding for the project.
Palin’s Hard-Right Positions
If
the wars and the economy actually concerned McCain, the 72-year-old
candidate would have selected a running mate—the one who’s a heartbeat
away from being commander in chief, setting a national policy agenda
and appointing new Supreme Court justices—who was well equipped to
handle these issues.
Instead, McCain’s choice shows that he
believes that the wars worth fighting are the culture wars over the
wedge issues of abortion rights, embryonic stem cell research and gun
control. Social conservatives believe that McCain is a bit squishy or
moderate on these issues. But Palin certainly is not. Palin, who has
referred to herself as the first “Christian mayor” of Wasilla, is a member of Feminists for Life, a group that opposes abortion in all cases,
including incest and rape. Palin stated in 2006 that she believes that
an exception could be made to save the life of the mother, but not to
preserve a woman’s health or to terminate a pregnancy caused by rape
or incest.
McCain, who had once supported exceptions for rape,
incest and a woman’s health, has allowed the 2008 Republican Party
platform to include the more extreme, Palin supported position.
Palin
also supports the Bush administration-backed abstinence-only sex
education policies, even though research shows that these programs do
not reduce teens’ sexual activities, pregnancies or STDs. Palin has
said that she supports birth control, yet Feminists for Life and other
like-minded groups oppose hormonal contraception, which they feel can
terminate a pregnancy, not prevent one from occurring.
Palin
differs from McCain in that she opposes embryonic stem cell research,
while he supports it. But Palin’s hard-line position has been included
in the Republican Party plat form, which was finalized last week. Palin
is also a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association
(NRA) and much has been made of her enthusiasm for hunting and gun
ownership. McCain, on the other hand, supports background checks for
sales at gun shows, a position that the NRA opposes.
What’s your take? Write: editor@shepex.com or com ment on this story online at www.expressmilwaukee.com.
