As Charlie Gibson of ABC News grilled Sarah Palin on her understanding of the Bush Doctrine, NATO, whether or not Israel should use nuclear force and attack Iran, her lack of knowledge was embarrassing to me as a woman. How did she come off to the rest of the world who were waiting to see if she was made of the right stuff?
She spoke of Islamic extremists and what knowledge does she have of the Middle East when she has only been there twice? If she is called to go to the Middle East: How will she be received especially since women are thought of as second class citizens? We have seen how Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been ineffective in closing any real deals over in the Middle East: Just how effective will a Vice President Sarah Palin be should she visit that region without a working knowledge of that region’s history?
Most of us have seen those shows where people are caught in embarrassing moments, and while I do not know how you feel, I cringe and cannot look anymore.
As she proceeded to give her answers, especially when it came to foreign policy, I became angry at John McCain for selecting a woman who had no knowledge of this area. The way I see Sarah Palin is that she is a female George W. Bush who was also clueless when it came to foreign policy back in the 2000 presidential campaign. My guess is that we are back to the likeable candidate again, and one without substance. I guess knowledge has again taken the back seat. Am I saying she is stupid? Absolutely not. What I am saying is that she is not prepared to be vice president and the evidence was clear as Gibson interviewed her.
I am going to say this and get it off my chest. Senator John McCain is a sexist if he thinks a woman who has little knowledge of world affairs will sit well with some American women. That is, after all, who he is targeting. We as women want for our sisters and daughters to go out into the world fully prepared for what comes our way and clearly she was not and is not. I am hoping that those who supported Hillary Clinton will not entertain voting for this ticket just because John McCain picked a woman whereas Senator Obama did not. Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton. Palin is against a woman’s right to choose whereas Clinton supports it. Women worked too hard over the years for this right to choose; do not let her stand in the way of their sacrifices. Many women died in back-alley abortions: Do not let her turn back the clock.
As she gave the same stump speech repeating lie after lie, it too was embarrassing to me as a woman because she was called on them by the media. When she was allowed, so to speak, to go off script in this interview, it was as if she was thrown to the wolves. It was as if McCain threw her under the bus and I as a woman did not appreciate that.
When she called Al Gore “a gloom and doom environmentalist”, it also showed how little she knows of climate crisis. Al Gore has had over three decades of experience in this field and has served as a congressman, a senator and a two-term vice president. I wonder how women working in this field be they Republican, Democrat or Independent felt as she mocked a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
I almost wonder if McCain hung her out to dry as she was being interviewed by Gibson where the world saw a woman who was not prepared for the vice presidency, let alone the presidency if something were to happen to him.
As I watched snippets of this interview an analogy came to mind. Would you send a resident who has just completed two years of her/his residency in to perform open heart surgery? Of course you would not. While I do not agree with Palin’s politics, as a woman I did feel for her when she could not adequately answer the questions posed to her.
Some will say well, the vice presidency is a job where the vice president stands by just in case something happens to the president. But in this Bush administration, Cheney will go down in history as one of the most powerful vice presidents. Some even have opined that he was and is Bush’s brain and the true power behind the presidency. Can Sarah Palin fill those shoes? How will John McCain use her as vice president? Will she learn what she needs to know while on the job? If so, that is not being fair to her, nor other women within the Republican ranks who have far more knowledge of the world we are all living in. Will she actively be used or just hidden away once she has served her purpose?
I have heard the suggested names of others that he should have picked such as Senator Olympia Snowe and Senator Kaye Bailey Hutchinson. Both of them are fine senators with years and years of experience and knowledge of foreign policy.
There is also a name that most of you who read my columns may not recognize. Her name is Patricia Acompora who was and still is a true reformer here in New York State. As my former assembly member, she did help me on several issues that I brought up to her. To read her impressive record, please go to this link. By the way, as Palin mocked Al Gore, Acompora is a strong advocate in protecting the environment.
I would have respected John McCain more had he picked a running mate with in-depth knowledge of foreign policy since what happens globally affects us here in the United States. To pick a running mate in Palin who had to be prompted by Gibson three times as to what the Bush Doctrine was did not make her look strong in my eyes, only weak. I do not appreciate women being made to appear that way.
Is he using her to get to the White House? I will leave that for you to answer.
You may reach the author at, xmjmac@optonline.net
