I've asked many of my acquaintances, political and otherwise, what they think about Senator McCain's choice of Governor Palin as his running mate. My Democratic friends think that Senator McCain ensured his defeat by choosing Governor Palin, and my Republican friends think that she has re-energized the Republican party.
This weekend I asked Doctor Laquedem, a cousin who's a retired physician and professor, and one of the Laquedem family's few committed Republicans, what he thought about Sarah Palin. He answered that Senator Obama is a bright fellow who isn't qualified to be President yet. I asked him again, and he said that Senator McCain is a fine man and a patriot. A few minutes later, I asked him again, and he said that he supposes Senator Obama has gotten over his foreign education, but he's not quite sure. And then I asked him a fourth time what he thought of Governor Palin; he said that after four years of being vice president she'd probably be ready to lead the country.
With the exception of the venerable Doctor Laquedem, every Republican I asked applauds Senator McCain's choice of Governor Palin. Every Democrat I've asked deplores his choice, for reasons ranging from Governor Palin not being qualified to be President to some of her more paleolithic views on current affairs. (One might say that on this specific question, the Republicans are pro-choice and the Democrats aren't.)
Are there any Democrats who think that Senator McCain made a politically astute choice by picking Sarah Palin? (I wouldn't expect them to agree with her politics, which are as right-wing as the Left Coast ever gets.) And are there any Republicans who think that he made a foolish choice? The comments are open.