McCain couldn’t have made a better choice

By Dan Foley

I have to begin by telling you how excited I am to be a Republican today. Sen. John McCain has hit a home run, or better yet, a grand slam. His choice for a running mate could not have been any better; Gov. Sarah Palin is a superstar.

I am excited to see this young, dynamic woman step up to the challenge of being second in command to run the United States of America. And I must say, listening to the left attack her has me rolling on the ground with laughter.

I mean, can you think of the nerve they have to say the things they have about Gov. Palin? Things like, “She has no experience to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.” What? I mean, come on, this lady has run a small business, been mayor of a small town and now is governor of the largest state in the union. Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas and is the only state so vast that it can only be covered by airplane.

No other state comes close to providing the challenges of governance and management that Alaska does. Arkansas? Are you kidding me? I laugh when I remember Ross Perot saying that Clinton’s running Arkansas was like “managing a mom-and-pop grocery store, now he wants to be CEO of Wal-Mart.” Perot’s comments had a ring of truth.

The Democrats — and many swing voters — gave Clinton a pass. Those same Democrats are howling now that governing Alaska doesn’t count. Hello? It’s a lot tougher job than Arkansas. Their bland, non-questioning acceptance of Clinton, while launching attacks on Palin, has more to do with sexism than anything else.

What’s a community organizer?

But that was Clinton; at least he had been chief executive of something, even if it was a small state where he made little impact. Clearly, when you compare his credentials, let alone Palin’s, to those of Barack Obama, you get a stark contrast.

What the hell is a “community organizer?” And what happened to the money Obama’s “communities” blew through? You get the distinct impression they don’t want to discuss that part of Obama’s life. Maybe it sounds too much like the murky and incompetent career of another “community organizer” and grifter extraordinaire, Jesse Jackson.

So they quickly move on to Obama’s great career as an Illinois state senator. Then we find out Obama mainly just showed up and voted “present” much of the time in the Illinois Senate. The strongest stand he ever took as a state legislator was when he fought like a demon to make sure that any survivor of a botched abortion had to be pounced on and killed, apparently for having the temerity to survive a legal abortion attempt. Wow! What a statesman he was in Springfield!

More experience than Obama

So, anyway, I can see why the Democrats are quick to pounce on Gov. Palin.

Gov. Palin was a mayor two years before Barack was elected to the state senate. She actually remembers what she did, can explain the city’s budget, what her record was. This is in sharp contrast to Obama’s record as a community organizer. And — given the few times he could bring himself to vote — it also contrasts sharply with his “record” as a state senator.

All this just goes to highlight the left’s complete hate for average Americans. How else can you explain the unmitigated gall of these people? The only thing their presidential nominee has done is allegedly “organize” something. And even this extremely limited “executive” experience included serving on a board with a guy who allegedly tried to blow up the capitol. Amazing.

As the far left continues to attack Gov. Palin, remember Sarah Palin served two terms on the Wasilla city council, and then won two terms as mayor. After an unsuccessful campaign for lieutenant governor, she chaired the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission while also serving as ethics supervisor of the commission. Meanwhile Barack Obama, aka “the chosen one,” was approving dog-license fees in Chicago.

Where is NOW?

I am amazed at the attacks the left has launched against Palin. If any conservative were to make any kind of similar statement against a liberal it would be front-page news and editorial denunciations throughout the free world. But the left gives itself a waiver to do these kinds of things. Where is NOW? I guess they should change their name to the National Organization for Liberal Women. Apparently being a woman isn’t enough — and Sarah Palin is a real woman — you also have to be a hard-left Democrat to pass their litmus test for “womanhood.”

I’m excited about Gov. Palin being on the ticket and I have to commend John McCain for his foresight and leadership in choosing her. The phenomenon of the double standard is everywhere to be seen, and nowhere more prominently than in the left’s obsession with Palin’s supposed inexperience while the glaring inexperience of Obama is of no concern to them.

Obama’s choice for vice president is a man who can’t get enough of his own voice, a person who is famous for plagiarizing a speech and who is on record saying Barack is not ready to lead. I look forward to the inevitable contrast between the McCain-Palin ticket and the Obama-Biden ticket. Who better to represent real America and its struggles with everyday issues than a former prisoner of war who understands the meaning of service? (Have Obama and Biden ever served anything other than themselves?)

Thank you John McCain and Sarah Palin. You are an inspiration and when the going gets tough — believe me, it is going to get tough since you are putting in jeopardy the elitist left’s chance to divide this country — remember that the average American is with you. Come November, the election results are once again going to prove to the world what our country is made of.

Foley is the outgoing minority whip in the New Mexico House of Representatives.