John McCain Is A Genius

OK. I'm convinced. John McCain is a genius.

I'll admit that I was a little concerned about his maverick streak when he was picking his running mate. I thought that he may pick someone like Lieberman or Ridge. But when he promised that he was going to hold true to the convictions that he has about the right to life and the protection of the unborn I began to feel much better about things.

I guess that is the problem with a maverick. They aren't status quo. They do things that don't always make the most sense politically. When you don't know the person and their character it can make things a bit nerve-wracking. My fear about John McCain came from my underestimation of his political savvy and intelligence. I couldn't have been more wrong to fear.

John McCain's selection of Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate shows that he has effectively sized up his competition, identified its weaknesses, and recognized the strengths and weaknesses of his own campaign. Sarah Palin is a great answer to all of these things.

Is John McCain too old? Sarah Palin is young. Is McCain eloquent? Not so much, but I think that you will agree that Sarah is. Does Obama have a record of reform? No, but Governor Palin does; something that compliments McCain's platform to bring reform to the government in Washington. And she has as much experience in government as Obama - actually more executive experience.

Obama is weak militarily. Palin has a son getting ready to deploy to Iraq. Obama has a bunch of shady characters in his path to the Presidential nomination, whereas Palin has stood up to shady characters. Obama doesn't want the nation to avail itself of domestic energy resources. Sarah Palin's government in Alaska has already taken steps to help make it easier to utilize those resources.

Also consider the demographics that she covers. She's pro-life, and to her it is more than words. When faced with the knowledge that one of her children had a birth defect, she decided to keep the child no matter what. In fact, there wasn't even a question. She gives the women disappointed with the outcome of the Clinton campaign a choice. Her parents were educators, so she has an insider's perspective on the problems in the education system. And both she and her husband have been union members. She hunts and fishes. She's a member of the NRA. I wonder if she has a sister?

I don't know what John McCain's grade was when he got out of the Navy, but he would have made a fine Admiral. He has completely flanked the Obama campaign and delivered a broadside that has made this a race worth watching. Hopefully the Republican convention this week will provide a Midway style decimation for the Obama camp that will prove the handwriting on the wall for the Democrats as surely as that battle did for the Japanese in World War II.

Obama says McCain doesn't know who he is messing with? No, Barack, I think John McCain knows EXACTLY who he is dealing with, and I think that your hubris has caused you to underestimate your opponent, hopefully resulting in your defeat in November.