There is only one thing that McCain had to do with his VP selection. He had to select someone who would be capable of taking over as president in the event that he was to die or become incapable of carrying out the duties of his office. That's it. Plain & simple.

He didn't do that.

Instead, with the selection of Sarah palin, he shot himself in the foot.

Forget about troopergate. Forget about her pregnant daughter. Ignore everything except the fact that Sarah Palin does not come anywhere close to passing the threshhold of being capable of assuming the presidency.

They say the the vice presidential selection never determines the outcome of a presidential election. Hmm . . . Maybe this time. This isn't just any presidential election. It is unique. If elected, McCain will be the oldest person ever to assume the duties of president for his first term. He is also a cancer survivor. Those 2 facts make his vice presidential selection extremely important and extremely relevant to American voters.

Sarah Palin's nomination will excite the basis & this will bring out some more voters for McCain. But it will lose him a lot more voters among undecideds. Another candidate could have survived the selection of someone so unqualified. Heck, George H.  Bush survived the selection of  Dan Quayle, one of the worst vice presidents ever. But Bush wasn't as old as McCain & he didn't have his medical history.

If McCain falls face down into his mashed potatoes even one time as Bush did, the talk of his VP will rage everywhere. If he trips & falls as Dole did, the talk of his successor will rage everywhere. If he faints from the heat or from exhaustion on the campaign trail, undecideds in droves will cross his name off their list of viable choices in light of his VP candidate.

Throughout this campaign, McCain has shown himself to be incredibly incompetent. He mismanaged his primary campaing until it went bankrupt. He rose from the dead - but only because the Republican field was so thin. He had 6 months to research possible VP candidates, but reportedly made this selection at the last minute - the day before the announcement.This shows unbelievably poor decision making skills & incompetent researching.

If he wanted to placate the religious right, he could have selected Huckabee, a governor of 10 years experience. If he wanted to select a woman, he could have selected Hutchison, a veteran of the Senate - or any number of other capable Republicna women.

The fact that he chose a candidate who would have been lughed out of the primaries if she had had the audacity to run for the presidencey on her own shows that he is willing to risk the security & well being of the United States for such a hair brained scheme. Who can reasonably put the fate of the nation in the hands of such a man?