Mc Cain's Alaskan dream

Well, well, well. Senator Obama must have the Republicans a little nervous. How can we watchers tell? The notoriously conservative Republicans have picked a WOMAN as Senator McCain's running mate. Good for Sarah Palin. But will anybody notice anything other than, she's the first WOMAN Republican vice-presidential candidate. The Democrats have already traveled this road with Geraldine Ferarro almost THIRTY years ago. Will anyone notice that Governor Palin is the first politician from Alaska to run on a national ticket; she's the youngest person to ever be nominated Governor of Alaska or even that she's got a pretty good rep in her home state. But stick a pin here, we'll get back to this shortly.

It's always a trifle surprising to hear that in the wonderful United States, woman are still considered a "minority". Okay, if you want to marginalise yourself this way go right ahead. Ever thought that if you constantly class yourselves as second class citizens you won't need anyone else to oppress you. But that's just me talking, my glass ceiling is different from yours. In fact, women outnumber men globally, hmm. And yet, we keep ceding to the 'stronger' sex. Makes you wonder.

Back to the McCain/Palin ticket, one wonders if the pundits made McCain choose Sarah Palin as his running mate. Can't you just see it now.

(John, we need something to balance you out. Let's see, you're an old, white, extremely conservative man. Who can we pick. I know, how about a woman. They vote too. Yes, what about a woman, not too old mind you. She's got to connect to the younger demographic. How about someone from one of those less known States, that should put us in with all those type of forgotten folks. HEY, how about that chick from Alaska, she's a woman, she's white, she's young, satisfies all the requirements.)

Right, cynical old me, none of this was a consideration of course. It was Mrs Palin's stellar political record, her lack of controversy, after all, almost no one has heard of her outside of Alaska and her winning personality. Yup, I bet. Mr McCain could have saved himself some trouble and chosen Paris Hilton, after all, she's featured in his ad campaign and everybody knows who she is; added benefit that she's pretty and while she may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, at least she can coordinate her PR people. Don't get me wrong, I've nothing against Mrs Palin, she's as good as any one else. Let's face it, like all the talk of Senator Obama's "blackness", her ticket was punched because she's a woman, to sway all those disgruntled Hillary supporters who may wish to jump good ship Obama as well as the aforementioned. Or so it will always seem until she catches a break on her own. More power to her that she keeps a straight face through all of this, if she's half a good politician, she'll use this opportunity to make her own name.

And yes, the world in watching in anticipation, not for the entertainment factor, because America, your policies percolate down and affect us all in this global village.