Article 1, Clause 4, and Still Not Qualified

Since I was expecting Palin to fall flat on her face, I guess she did exceptionally well last night. But that’s not saying much. My expectations for an executive office contender are much higher than what she has shown to be able to deliver. She was at her best so far last night, and that’s bad.

I mentioned a few days ago (I think) that I would have had to think about a choice between a Gore and a McCain presidency. But I would have gone for Gore over McCain then for one main reason. Gore is scary smart. Clinton was (is) scary smart. Carter is scary smart. Nixon was scary smart. I want super high intelligence in the person who is running this country. I don’t care about folksiness. Or just like me mannerisms. I want someone who is a Rhodes scholar, a constitutional law professor, a successful CEO would even be good. Sarah Palin is not on the top rungs of the intelligence ladder. I don’t say she’s dumb. But she’s isn’t smart enough to be insanely curious about her own party’s positions. That’s frightening. She’s not smart enough to effectively translate her state’s issues to the national level. She may be smart. She’s just not smart enough.

McCain is smart. I won’t say he’s as scary smart as Obama, but he’s pretty smart. My biggest issues with McCain are the way he’s contorted himself in the past eight years, my fears that he’s starting down the senility path, and his overall inconsistency.
When I say scary smart, I mean it as an awe-inspiring confidence. Scary smart people’s brains see things and make connections long before anyone else’s. They know when to and when not to follow the polls. They know how to create butterfly effects. They know how to lead a country. And when scary smart people become presidents, we get better as a country. But maybe people are really scared of really smart people. Maybe it makes them feel inferior or insecure. I don’t know.

I can’t even be certain Sarah Palin is smart. But she certainly isn’t smart enough for my bar. The Katie Couric interviews and last night’s debate showed me she is shallow. That may be good enough for Alaska. She may very well be good for Alaska. But she’s mostly folksy without the foundation to stand on. She has a handful of accomplishments and they’re wearing more thin the more she uses them.
There. I made it almost through the entire post without screaming about her WINKING!! WTF? Say it ain’t so Sarah! Speaking of which, did she set up that entire “can I call you Joe” thing at the beginning just so she could use the “Say it ain’t so Joe” quip? “Say it ain’t so Senator Biden” just doesn’t have the same ring to it. I knew there was somethi ng false when she did that at the beginning.

At least no one’s claiming Ifill was biased. Palin succeeded on her own merits. Too bad mediocrity is considered success these days.

I knew it! It just popped into my head that there must be a political version of I Can Has Cheeseburger. Google Fu to the rescue and Pundit Kitchen for the win! Now I can has new distraction!