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The obstacle to Obama’s convention bump: John McCain.

The obstacle to McCain’s convention bump: God.

It appears that Hurricane Gustav will sideline much of the fanfare that was expected to accompany the coronation of the McCain-Palin ticket this week in Minneapolis. If the Republicans in power respond favorably to the disaster by taking care of business, they will only remind America that they screwed up Katrina in 2005. If they respond poorly to the disaster, they will cement their reputation as being too in favor of small, uninvolved government (even at times when government is the only thing that can help).

Nobody is ever rewarded for learning from mistakes without being reminded of their mistakes. This is really the worst thing John McCain could have expected to happen (short of his running mate being involved in ANOTHER firing scandal).

Just to rub salt in the wounds, here’s a photo of what Bush was doing the exact day Katrina hit New Orleans three years ago:

“If John McCain thinks that he can substitute Sarah Palin for Hillary Clinton in the minds of Hillary Clinton supporters he’s sadly mistaken. I know Hillary Clinton, and Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton.”–Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz

She’s right. Just because Sarah Palin is a woman doesn’t make her the SAME woman that Hillary voters preferred. If Hillary voters do vote for McCain simply because he picked a woman, then they are as ignorant as McCain’s selection shows he thinks they are.

Since you’re all blowing up my phone, here’s what I have to say…

John McCain has chosen Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. McCain is 72 years old and has served in the U.S. Senate since 1987. Before then, he served two terms in the U.S. House. McCain is a decorated war hero. Palin is 3 years younger than Barack Obama and has only served 2 years as Governor of the 3rd least populous state in the union. Prior to that post, she was on the Wasilla, Alaska City Council and then the Wasilla Mayor. She has no foreign policy experience, outside of the fact that her state is 10 miles away from Russia, and her political record is short. She has an eighteen year old son heading to Iraq in September. She has spent her entire life in Idaho and Alaska, so her perspective on middle America will be seen as limited. She is also a member of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church, which will probably freak a lot of people out.

In her speech today, Palin did everything she could to align McCain with the disaffected Hillary voters. I’ve never seen a crowd of Republicans cheer for Hillary Clinton. I call ‘gimmick!’ Palin is currently under investigation for an alleged abuse of power in the firing of a state employee who refused to fire another employee because of his divorce from her sister. If indicted and convicted, Palin would be impeached from the Governorship. By picking Palin, McCain has destroyed his credibility to criticize Obama’s supposed inexperience. Both McCain and Palin are pro-life.

Barack Obama has chosen Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. Obama is 47 years old, has served in the U.S. Senate since 2005, and was elected 3 times to the Illinois State Senate. Biden is 66 years old, having served on the Senate longer than all but three other Senators. Half Biden’s life has been spent in that body. He’s the Chair of the Foreign Relations committee and has traveled extensively for diplomatic relations, including to Georgia just last week.

Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania and is a devout Catholic. Both of these qualities will endear him to all of the disillusioned blue collar voters in the Rust Belt and Latinos in Florida and the west. His father served in World War II and helped liberate a concentration camp. This should help him with elderly voters in Florida. His 39 year old son, who is also Delaware’s Attorney General, will be deployed to Iraq in October. The Almanac of America Politics lists Biden to the right of many of his Democratic peers on foreign policy, which should balance Obama’s positions nicely. Both Obama and Biden are pro-choice.

I think Obama’s got the upper hand here, even before you factor in the strong anti-Republican sentiment in the country right now. I also think Palin is a terrible choice for McCain and her possible impeachment may bring down his candidacy. It doesn’t make sense for him to choose someone more inexperienced than his opponent after harping on Obama in that department for months. It looks bad on his part, like he’s pandering to Hillary voters (who would no doubt flee quite quickly when they realized the pro-life thing).

Michael Jackson’s being interviewed on Good Morning America tomorrow morning!!!

Roll Call says Secret Service have arrived at Romney’s family’s houses.

Meanwhile the AP says Tim Pawlenty has suspiciously cancelled all his upcoming appearances…as if he needs to focus on something more important.

I wonder who it really is…

John McCain graduated from the the United States Naval Academy in 1958, ranking 894 of 899 (according to his own book). That’s fifth from the bottom. One has to ponder whether the Senator would’ve fared better in Vietnam if he’d paid closer attention during his training.*

Barack Obama was elected President of the Harvard Law Review at the end of his first year. He ultimately graduated magna cum laude.

Whose natural sense of focus do you trust? It took McCain nearly twice as long as Obama to get to this point in his career. That’s a red flag for me.

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*I’m going to get so much crap for this but I thought it was clever.

UPDATE: Even my friends are saying that one was below the belt. But doesn’t part of you want to see it in an attack ad by a 527 group?

And seeing her on the screen saying that her husband “will be an amazing President” touches something sentimental inside me and I feel an incredible pride to be alive at this time. There on my television screen is a gorgeous, powerful, African-American woman talking to her fellow citizens as the likely next First Lady. She’s saying everything perfectly, polished and approachable. If she is our First Lady, she will be the best of my life. She is Jackie Kennedy reborn and unmuzzled by the chauvinism of the 20th Century.

Where Cindy McCain is cold and smirking, Michelle Obama is warm and smiling. Where Laura Bush is vacant and grinning, Michelle Obama is cool and convincing. Where Hillary Clinton is plain and curt, Michelle Obama is soft and invigorating. Where Barbara Bush is stifled and matronly, Michelle Obama is unrepressed and mothering. Where Nancy Reagan is self-conscious and imposing, Michelle Obama is without affectation and captivating.

I approve!

I saw Bill Maher on Larry King Live this week and he said something that definitely causes the mind to wonder: “If the Bible was written by a God who is ‘beyond time,’ it wouldn’t be so limited to the mores of that era.” Why are we always fussing about mistranslation? Why would God allow controversy about literal meaning versus general intention? Wouldn’t God–whose rules are so important that if you don’t follow them, you are banished to Hell for eternity–make sure that his intended rules were communicated in a way that would survive every incarnation of society that followed their original publication?

I ask with the desire to hear your answers, not to impose doubt. Discuss!