Vetting Palin

A Houston newspaper (Chron.Com) has a story on the vetting of Sarah Palin by the McCain campaign staff. It states:

A series of disclosures about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Sen. John McCain's choice as running mate, called into question on Monday how thoroughly McCain had examined her background before putting her on the Republican presidential ticket.

On Monday morning, Palin and her husband, Todd, said their 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, was five months pregnant and intended to marry the father.

Among other news of the day: It was learned that Palin now has a private lawyer in a legislative ethics investigation in Alaska into whether she abused her power in dismissing the state's public safety commissioner; that she was a member for two years in the 1990s of the Alaska Independence Party, which has at times sought a vote on whether the state should secede; and that Todd Palin was arrested 22 years ago on a drunken-driving charge.

Aides to McCain said they had a team on the ground in Alaska, now, to look more thoroughly into Palin's background.

The authors do not seem to be aware of Ms. Palin's association with the Alaska Independence Party. If you doubt that check out the following and its YouTube website for related videos.


Comment: This blog is primarily concerned with knowledge and the role of knowledge in development. It would not have occurred to me, in that respect, that the presidential candidate of a major American party would name a Vice Presidential candidate without a thorough background check. Any candidate should recognize his own mortality, and John McCain would be the oldest man assuming office and thus should be most aware. One should not lightly put a person a heartbeat away from the leadership of the world's most powerful nation.

Senator McCain apparently did not have such a check done for Sarah Palin. Either that or (perhaps more probable) he has chosen a staff incapable of doing such a background check adequately. I guess there is a third possibility that he knew all this information and more and just didn't care. I am not sure which of the three possibilities has the worst implications for his capacity to be president. JAD