Article: The vet who did not vet

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Some may wonder why a man as experienced as John McCain might have chosen a Vice Presidential candidate with so many skeletons in the closet. Many muse; what might have possess this chap to do as he did. Males among us know what women have wondered about. Chaps will confess;"There is something about Sarah."

After the Vice Presidential debate a few fine fellows admitted, when sweet Sarah Palin winked, they sat up a little straighter. New Republic Columnist, Rich Lowry wrote, "I'm sure I'm not the only male in America who, when Palin dropped her first wink, sat up a little straighter on the couch and said, "Hey, I think she just winked at me." And her smile. By the end, when she clearly knew she was doing well, it was so sparkling it was almost mesmerizing. It sent little starbursts through the screen and ricocheting around the living rooms of America."

Gents will attest to the power of a flirtatious female. Some will confess; they swooned when sexy Sarah showed how sensational she could be. John McCain might only state, he saw himself in the lovely lady.

The Arizona Senator, upon meeting Sarah Palin one time, knew, he did not need to vet her. There was no need to scrutinize her record. Any man can see what Sarah has to offer, particularly in the light of day, while under a sycamore tree.

The Republican Presidential aspirant saw all he needed too when he first met Sarah Palin in February, at the governors' convention in Washington. When they saw each other again, the afternoon before he selected her as his running mate, the man with twenty-six years in politics was more certain. The second encounter was at his ranch in Sedona Arizona, on August 28, just four days before the Grand Old Party convention. John, the suave soldier saw she has great gams. This beauty queen's skin and teeth glow brightly. Her eyes . . John was mesmerized.

McCain took Palin to his favorite coffee-drinking spot down by a creek and a sycamore tree. They talked for more than an hour, and, as Napoleon whispered to Josephine, "Voilà."
One does not have to be a psychoanalyst to reckon that McCain was smitten. By no means am I suggesting anything untoward between McCain and his running mate. Palin is a governor, after all. She does have an executive résumé, if a thin one. And she's a natural politician who connects with people.
But there can be no denying that McCain's selection of her over others far more qualified -- and his mind-boggling lack of attention to details that matter -- suggests other factors at work. His judgment may have been clouded by . . . what?
Science provides clues. A study in Canada, published by a British journal in 2003, found that pretty women foil men's ability to assess the future. "Discounting the future," as the condition is called, means preferring immediate, lesser rewards to greater rewards in the future.

In the immediate, John was gratified. A gorgeous woman wooed him and the throngs that John McCain needed to secure enthusiasm for his campaign. Sarah sang Senator McCain's praises. She electrified crowds and coyly charmed the man who provided her a cherished place on the political stage. There was chemistry between the two.

McCain spokesmen have said that he was attracted to Palin's maverickness, that she reminded him of himself.
Recognizing oneself in a member of the opposite sex (or the same sex, as the case may be) is a powerful invitation to bonding. Narcissus fell in love with his own image reflected in the river, imagining it to be his deceased and beloved sister's.

John McCain might have mistaken the image that sat before him to be his beloved benefactor, the one and only who might praise him while she provided the long sought after women's vote. However, had the Arizona aspirant read the research he might have realized, women would not likely be swayed by feminine wiles.

Daughters of Eve are not so easily enchanted by the presence of an attractive female. For the fairer sex, emotional intoxication did not cause them to forget rewards that might be better reaped by delayed gratification, and more research, at least not when in the company of someone as sizzling as Sarah.

Famed feminist Gloria Steinem states, "This isn't the first time a boss has picked an unqualified woman just because she agrees with him and opposes everything most other women want and need." Kathleen Parker, a Conservative Columnist, also heralds the haste with which John McCain selected a woman. Perhaps, more importantly, this female whose mystique has been as a life-long Republican, speaks of the waste. Parker, who pens for the National Review, a forum for the "Right," posits "The Palin Problem."

The staunchly traditional Journalist states, Sarah Palin is "out of her league." Ms Parker muses, "If at one time women were considered heretical for swimming upstream against feminist orthodoxy, they now face condemnation for swimming downstream - away from Sarah Palin." The proud Conservative continues to share her angst as she discusses the Palin paradigm.

To express reservations about her qualifications to be vice president - and possibly president - is to risk being labeled anti-woman.
Or, as I am guilty of charging her early critics, supporting only a certain kind of woman. Some of the passionately feminist critics of Palin who attacked her personally deserved some of the backlash they received. But circumstances have changed since Palin was introduced as just a hockey mom with lipstick - what a difference a financial crisis makes - and a more complicated picture has emerged.
As we've seen and heard more from John McCain's running mate, it is increasingly clear that Palin is a problem. Quick study or not, she doesn't know enough about economics and foreign policy to make Americans comfortable with a President Palin should conditions warrant her promotion.
Yes, she recently met and turned several heads of state as the United Nations General Assembly convened in New York. She was gracious, charming and disarming. Men swooned. Pakistan's president wanted to hug her. (Perhaps Osama bin Laden is dying to meet her?)

Kathleen Parker observes, as is substantiated in studies. Men, such as John McCain are swayed by beauty. They overlook the obvious; without abundant wisdom, knowledge of fiscal affairs and issues that affect those abroad, a President, or his partner, man or woman will not work well in the White House.

The sisterhood from either political Party understands, females want more than a figurehead. One lass, in a prized position, does not appease all womankind. The daughters of Eve envision a world where life for all women is more fair. Ladies from the Left and Right do not wish to mingle or maneuver within the good old boy network. Women want no closed set of connections. The gentler gender accepts that if persons are to be truly equal, guile cannot be the ticket in. Craftiness and sexual characteristics cannot count more than brains or the acumen built from competence and clarity.

Indeed, fellow females think Sarah Palin does not have the mettle to be Vice President, let alone perchance, President. When the ladies discuss the "looker" the perception is far from favorable. Her physical credentials do not charm the females within the population. Women may recognize Sarah is "hot." However, for forward thinkers less influenced by chemistry, women explain, experience, education, and ethics are essential qualities that many believe Sarah lacks.

Perchance a veteran in women's ways would have vetted the gorgeous Governor Palin.

Sexy Sources to Scrutinize . . .

NR's Rich Lowry: Palin "Sent Little Starbursts Through The Screen, By Rachel Weiner. Huffington Post. October 3, 2008 03:55 PM
Return of the Palin Swoon, By Rich Lowry. New Republic. October 3, 2008
Something About Sarah, By Kathleen Parker. Washington Post. October 24, 2008
Do pretty women inspire men to discount the future? By Margo Wilson* and Martin Daly. Department of Psychology, McMaster University. December 12, 2003
Palin: wrong woman, wrong message, Sarah Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Hillary Clinton. She is Phyllis Schlafly, only younger. By Gloria Steinem. The Los Angeles Times. September 4, 2008
"The Palin Problem." By Kathleen Parker. The National Review. September 26, 2008
Perceptions of Palin Grow Increasingly Negative, Poll Says, By Jon Cohen and Jennifer Agiesta. Washington Post.? Saturday, October 25, 2008; A03