ShareThisWASHINGTON -- Our presidential candidates go through a rigorous, even brutal, screening process -- grueling campaigns across four time zones, endless debates, alarming ethnic foods. We see how they handle themselves under stress, explaining away wacky preachers, little autobiographical fictions, long-ago land deals, fending off a lesbian's request to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day.There's not too much we don't know about them. We've seen their tax records and, in the case of John McCain's medical records, we perhaps know a little too much. You can't say our presidential candidates haven't been thoroughly vetted.But what about the vice presidential candidates? Rather than being rigorously screened, they are presented to us, after a selection process pretty close to voodoo, as a fait accompli.Our current president, George Bush, paid his dues in the primaries and caucuses. But how did we get Vice President Cheney who sometimes declares he isn't vice president of the United States at all but president of the U.S. Senate.Assured of the nomination in 2000, Bush appointed a search committee headed by Dick Cheney to come up with his running mate and to no one's surprise but the electorate's the committee came up with -- Dick Cheney. The first Bush's vice president, Dan Quayle, was suddenly unveiled to the public on a riverboat.Vice presidents are important, at least in the abstract. Truman, Johnson and Bush senior all ascended to the White House from the vice presidency. Jerry Ford, the accidental vice president, became the accidental president. If Vice President Al Gore had run a decent campaign, Vice President Joe Lieberman might now have the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination well in hand instead of roaming around political no-man's land.Lieberman, by the way, has been "mentioned" by the Great Mentioner as a possible running mate with his good friend McCain. And that brings up a curious point about the vice presidency. To actively seek that post is the kiss of death. In our modern version of Plato's republic, anybody who visibly wants to be vice president is too crazy to have it. But of course politicians do want it -- Truman, Johnson, Bush, etc. -- and the trick is to look available without looking interested.But that reticence doesn't apply to the presidential candidates. It's in their interest to have their camps float the names of as many people as possible as running mates. It's a cost-free form of flattery and there's no commitment involved because the recipient, of course, is forced to deny any interest. There will be some ingrates but you always have those in politics.MSNBC has a bracket pool, rather like March Madness, of vice presidential possibilities. There are 32 names on the list. Here's one. Rob Portman. You remember. Played Queen Amidala in "Star Wars"? No, just kidding. That was (ital) Natalie (endit) but had you going for a second, didn't I? Rob Portman is a former White House budget director, special trade rep and member of Congress, great qualifications, but nobody's ever heard of him.On the Democratic side, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton can't even mention a vice presidential candidate -- even though one of them will have to have one -- for two reasons: It looks overweening without the nomination locked up and the mere mention could smack of desperation: "OK, you won. I guess I'll have to settle for the two spot."In a new wrinkle in the vice presidential selection process, McCain had Charlie Crist, Bobby Jindal and Mitt Romney out to his cabin in Arizona for a cookout. Just a picnic among friends, we're told, as if the governors of Florida and Louisiana and former governor of Massachusetts just happened to be roaming around Sedona when they got a yen for barbecue.It's probably a desirable trait in a running mate to be able to eat ribs without dribbling sauce on his shirt. But here's the really weird thing and they all swear it's true and they're probably right: (Ital) They never talked about the vice presidency. (endital)(Contact Dale McFeatters at McFeattersD(at)SHNS.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.shns.com)
Entering the veep voodoo season
Submitted by SHNS on Wed, 05/28/2008 - 18:32
Paying taxes unites us. It also divides us. People can pay five and even six times more in state and local taxes than other folks in similar circumstances making similar incomes.
Who's got your number?
In one of the fastest-growing forms of identity theft, crooks are stealing tax refunds by swiping personal information and using it to trick the Internal Revenue Service.
Alaska Gov Sarah Palin’s
Alaska Gov Sarah Palin’s got more real experience, qualfications and actual accomplishment then Obama and Hillary combined, so Palin’s selection as Veep won’t detract from hammering Obama’s lack of it.
If it looks like it’s going to be McCain/Palin anyway (and that should be a “no brainer” for Team McCain), McCain should announce NOW or VERY SOON, rather than later towards the convention. There’s currently a growing chorus for Obama/Hillary (as VP) ticket (in fact the Dems are likely aware of the Palin phenomenon). If the GOP waits while movement for Hillary as VP grows — even worse until after it is solidified that Hillary will/could be VP pick — selecting Palin will be portrayed by Dems/liberal media more as a reaction by GOP selecting its own female (overshawdoing Palin’s own remarkable assets), rather than McCain taking the lead on this. Selecting Palin now or early (contrary to the punditocracy) will mean McCain will be seen as driving the course of this campaign overwhelmingly, and the DEMS will be seen as merely reacting. And, there’s absoultely no down-side to this because even if Hillary is a no-go as VP for Obama, the GOP gains by acting early. McCain the maverick. Palin the maverick. Do it now!
There’s no reason, and actually substantial negative, in McCain waiting to see what the Dems do first insofar as his picking Palin as VP, because, no matter who Obama picks, Palin is by far (and I mean far) the best pick for McCain and the GOP, especially in this time of GOP woes. The GOP can be seen as the party of real ‘change’ (albeit I hate that mantra, change, change, bla bla), while not really having to change from GOP core conservative values, which Palin more than represents.
In light of the current oil/energy situation, as well as the disaffected female Hillary voters situation, and growing focus on McCain’s age and health, Palin is more than perfect — now.
(Perhaps Team McCain is already on to this.)