In parrying with the media about his controversial VP pick, John McCain repeatedly claims that his vetting process was thorough. What does this tell us about McCain’s judgment? If his sole intent was to shake up the race for President, then the man is a genius.

The mommy blogs for example, have gone nuclear over the pick. It’s about time we let a breast-feeding mother decide whether to send troops into harm’s way! They appreciate what it means to lose a child.

Meanwhile, the media keeps digging up stuff on the mystery woman. She once got a speeding ticket! She might be a secessionist! She played hoops back in the day and had a nickname on the court, Sarah Barracuda!

When Palin tries to lock him down on defense, will the Big O still be able to hoist that Sweet Lefty J?

With the Sarah Palin tempest threatening to spin up to a Cat 5 at any moment, it is remarkable that Palin herself has gone underground. It’s been 48 hours since we last heard from her. Sarah Barracuda needs to step onto the court and start playing the game.

Landfall for Gustav is around noon tomorrow-a folly of timing for the Republicans, since they planned to kick-off their nominating shindig just then. Should the Party of Privilege run through its convention as planned, or should it cancel festivities until the storm blows over?

Republicans cannot afford to be seen yet again as being out of touch with people, certainly not during a moment of great need. Already Bush and Cheney have opted out of Day 1 festivities. That was an easy call, but decisions get tougher after that. 

The Bush administration failed spectacularly to handle Hurricane Katrina. Bush showed neither empathy nor leadership after Katrina. Many felt he never did comprehend the socioeconomic and cultural consequences of that disaster. 

The Republicans want Gustav to blow over as quickly as possible so people don’t dwell on the Katrina fiasco. That’s a tough one to forget though, guys.

So how does Top Gun McCain select Sarah Palin to be his running mate when he’s been pasting the Big O for his lack of foreign policy experience and Palin has yet to even stare down a seal poacher in the Bering Strait? It isn’t obvious from this video (filmed before the announcement), in which Palin appears disinterested in the job.

Who is this person?

McCain must believe Palin can galvanize the Republican base, a group that thanks in part to his nomination hasn’t been this glum since William F. Buckley made it through puberty. That’s because the other commonly posited explanation for McCain’s selection has to do with Palin’s gender, and that one makes no sense at all.

McCain can’t actually believe that Palin’ll deliver the Disenfranchised Females For Hillary demographic. Palin opposes Hil on just about every position that matters and Hil, in a moment of prescience, had just two days earlier exhorted supporters to vote for the Big O, a man who sees the world pretty much like she does.

The way things played out in Denver, I don’t see McCain making hay out of a gender play.