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Palin's Latest, and Did Anyone in the McCain Campaign Bother to Vet Her?

Anyone who knows my meager work knows that I try to focus solely on the issues, not the peripheral personal stuff that all too often substitutes for political discourse and exchange these days. Though I find myself profoundly disturbed by Sarah Palin's views on abortion (all women must be forced to bring the fetus to birth, in her opinion), global warming (not man-made, in her view), and a host of other issues, including censorship and gay rights, I am also left wondering whether the McCain campaign did any serious vetting of their vice-presidential candidate.

The Associated Press, not some liberal blog, did some basic investigation of Palin, what McCain should have first done, and have found that she took gifts from businesses while Wasilla, AK, mayor. According to the report, Palin "gladly accepted gifts from merchants" and "stepped in to help friends or neighbors with City Hall dealings." This raises some serious ethical questions about Palin's ability to govern honestly and to do so without the influence of special interest groups.

My genuine question is whether McCain really did any vetting of Palin, who seemingly has a closet full of skeletons and who has used her position to assist friends and receive free gifts. At the very least, McCain's judgment is brought into question, and Palin is once again found to be not even close to ready to serve as an able public servant.

Labels: John McCain, president, Sarah Palin

posted by Michael Martin @ 12:07 PM