You Heard it Here First: Palin will Bow Out

Ken Kerr Bio

On Monday, September 22, at 3:40 p.m., we will say goodbye to summer with the arrival of the autumnal equinox. By that date, we will also have said goodbye to the vice presidential hopes of Alaskan Hockey Mom, Sarah Palin.

That is how long it will take the McCain Campaign to realize what the rest of us already know. Selecting Sarah Palin was the worst mistake of John McCain’s life.

It was worse than getting involved with the Keating Five; worse than deciding to play a practical joke on the crew of the USS Forestal by wet starting his A-4E Skyhawk engines resulting in a fire that killed 27 and injured over 100 of his fellow sailors; worse than his embracing of Rovian tactics to make his campaign as ugly as Bush 2000.

Selecting Sarah Palin makes those mistakes look miniscule. The McCain Campaign is probably already crafting an exit strategy. It will go something like his:

Surrounded by her family at some Alaskan location, hair down and dressed-down, Palin, holding her infant son, will approach the podium. A concerned-looking McCain with wife Cindy by his side will hold hands as Palin bravely begins to speak.

“Over these past few weeks, I have been honored and humbled by the confidence that Sen. McCain and the people of this great nation have placed in me by nominating me for the vice presidency. However, I have come to realize that the demands of my family, and my unfinished work of reforming the Great State of Alaska, must come first. Therefore, I must step down from the ticket so that . . .”

Or, it will go like this: In a tailored suit with hair up in business-like fashion, Palin and McCain appear together at a small press conference. McCain does not speak, but stands, alone, beside her. Palin begins:

“The on-going investigation into the legitimate firing of an employee in my administration has become a distraction for Senator McCain and the campaign. Although these accusations have no merit, and I will be exonerated of all allegations, it is in the best interest of the Republican Party and the people of the United States that I step down from my candidacy of vice president so that Senator McCain can focus on what is really important in this election.”

There are other scenarios. The McCain Campaign will find some excuse to attempt to correct this bold blunder.

Yes, this is the worst political blunder in modern American politics. And it proves what Barack Obama said last Thursday night: “John McCain doesn’t get it.” She’s not a plug-in Hillary, she is completely unqualified.

Alaska has a population the size of Charlotte North Carolina; Wasilla, Alaska, about the size of Thurmont, Maryland. Alaska is not a typical American state and does not reflect typical American issues and challenges. Alaska is a single issue state and Governor Palin is on the wrong side of that issue. They tout her reputation as a maverick and a reformer, yet to be a successful reformer in a rampantly corrupt state is just picking the low hanging fruit.

To argue that she has “executive experience” that qualifies her to lead this country, should a 72 year-cancer survivor die in office, is head-shakingly absurd.

By Republican qualification standards, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon is more qualified. But then, Dixon is a Democrat. There are hundreds of Democratic women who are more qualified than Sarah Palin, but the pool of Republican women is pretty shallow.

McCain has a history of poor choices and impetuous behavior. Let’s hope it’s not too long before the American voter realizes that. Selecting Palin was a disastrous decision. It will be corrected. If not by McCain, then by the American voters.