Thought of Palin in charge too scary

A responsible candidate for U.S. president knows his/her strengths and weaknesses and selects a vice presidential running mate based on these traits. Barack Obama demonstrated a strong sense of responsibility in his selection; John McCain did not. Joe Biden, as Barack Obama’s vice presidential running mate, brings to the job many years of foreign policy and national governance experience. In the event that Mr. Biden suddenly becomes the president, he will draw upon that experience to perform this nation’s most difficult job.

John McCain analyzed his strengths and weaknesses and selected Sarah Palin to be “one heartbeat away” from the presidency. Mr. McCain brings lots of foreign policy experience to the job. And he brings his advanced age (potentially the oldest man to assume the presidency), his history of cancer and the physical damage wrought by his experience as a prisoner of war. To address these vulnerabilities, McCain selected a self-described “hockey mom,” a very rural state governor and prior mayor of a town of 7,000 people. To imagine the experience and attitudes of Sarah Palin applied to the office of U.S. president is a truly scary experience. Even First Lady Laura Bush acknowledged that Sarah Palin is not now equipped to be our president.

The vice president faces the prospect of becoming president not just in the event of the president’s death. Any time the president, by reason of illness or injury, is unable to perform the duties of the office, the vice president takes over for the duration of the president’s incapacity. In that circumstance, a person with Sarah Palin’s handicap of inexperience could easily fall under the undo influence of a future Dick Cheney or Donald Rumsfeld — a repeat of history our nation and the world cannot tolerate.

Karen and Mike Manley

Snohomish