BOBBY ANDRES

McCain's running mate less qualified than Democrats'

By:

Posted: 9/2/08

I can understand if Republicans just want to cover their eyes and say, "let me know when it's over."

The Republicans' convention following-act started off with a bang - a happy birthday celebration for Mr. John McCain, who toasted the beginning of his 72nd year.

Sometimes I almost feel bad for the senior senator from Arizona.

I can picture him now, struggling as his campaign staff attempts to teach him the ins and outs of the Internet.

Maybe while he was using Google to pick his running mate - 44-year-old governor of Alaska Sarah Palin - he also could have looked up "minimum qualifications to president of the United States."

Hell, McCain might've wanted to look up "minimum qualifications to be vice president of the United States."

She's been a governor for less than two full years.

Before that, she was a city councilwoman, mayor of Wassila, Alaska, (with a population of 6,715, roughly one-fifth the size of the University, the president of SGA has more "constituents"), and a former runner-up to be Miss Alaska.

This is the woman who will be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

That heartbeat belongs to a 72-year-old man, who would be the oldest first-term president in the history of the United States and who has had four serious bouts of skin cancer.

She doesn't quite stack up to Barack Obama's running mate: Senator Joe Biden, a six-term U.S. senator, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, former chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee, and known for his expertise on foreign policy.

Oh well.

The remainder of the Republican convention figures to be a parade of the American flag, Sept. 11 and the omnipresent "surge," capped off, of course, with a closing speech from McCain - here's hoping he reads off of a teleprompter in front of a green background.

Once upon a time McCain was a true moderate Republican, challenging his party on issues from tax cuts for the wealthy to oil drilling.

Then he lost in his first bid to become president of the United States. Nowadays, he'll support just about anything, as long as it polls well.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama wants to give an annual $1,000 tax rebate to the middle class.

He wants to invest in projects to improve American infrastructure - rebuilding our roads, bridges and highways, thereby preventing tragedies such as the bridge collapse in Minnesota while providing jobs to blue collar workers who are having difficulty adjusting to a more global economy.

He wants to re-engage the world leaders around the globe - reasserting America's place as the leading nation of the free world.

He wants to reduce our dependence on foreign oil through sound investments in new technologies, renewable energy sources and greater efficiency in our cars and power grid.

He wants to end the partisan bickering and bring a tone of respect and a heavy helping of common sense to the halls of Congress.

He aims to inspire a generation of Americans to look beyond race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation and party identification to find common bonds in order to solve our mutual problems.

For, as he said Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, "That's the promise of America - the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper. That's the promise we need to keep."

There's a choice this fall, and it's not a difficult one. Vote Obama.

- Bobby Andres is junior from Marietta majoring in political science. He is also a member of UGA Young Democrats.