relevancy

I consciously avoided writing too much about politics, mainly because there's plenty of places that are better sources for that sort of thing. But this is a point that I haven't heard made, so I couldn't help it.

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It's been acknowledged that Sen. McCain doesn't know how to use a computer, isn't familiar with email/the internet. The Obama campaign even produced an ad about that that drew criticism, including from Joe Biden.

But this is my point: it's not so much that he doesn't know how to use a computer. It's that he hasn't bothered to learn new things. The world is changing, and I want a president that can keep up. Even my mom learned how to email.

Can I really trust a man to create jobs in the alternative fuels industry, if he's ten years behind the times? Can I trust his ticket to start making progress in the global warming crisis, if they thing the jury is still out on the causes? Can I trust effective leadership relating to stem cell research from someone who doesn't know what a blog is?

I don't care that he doesn't know how to upload a video to YouTube. I care that he isn't prepared for a world where the way things work changes.

We heard all about how the world changes on 9/11. And it did. But it also changed in 1984.

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And then there's her.

It's not just patronizing. It's not just pandering.

It's insulting. And it's dangerous.

We know there are qualified, intelligent women in the Republican Party. If he thought that the only way to win the election was to bring a woman onto his ticket, why did he have to pick her? Someone he had only met once before?

Let me be clear. This is not Sarah Palin's fault. But when you don't know anything about foreign policy or the economy, you claim to be an energy expert just because you govern a state that has oil, and your political strategy is guilt by association and thinking the word "maverick" is a bulletproof vest, you're not qualified to be running for the White House. That's okay, few people are.

Except that it's not okay because it reveals the poor judgment of your running mate. Can Americans trust that he will make strong choices for the Supreme Court, or will he just pick someone to win that week's political battle? Is he going to stock his Cabinet with the smartest, most qualified people available? Or is he going to pick who ever will score him political points?

But this one is a little bit more troubling than the computer issue. Because when you're 72, you have melanoma, and have thousands of pages of medical records that you've basically hidden, the Vice Presidency is not just a figurehead. It's someone who has a realistic chance of being President.