Kathleen Parker: McCain Chose Palin For Her Looks

Conservative Kathleen Parker's column tearing apart Sarah Palin's qualifications netted her thousands of hate letters. But that hasn't stopped her from following up with another salvo on the Republican vice presidential nominee. This time, she posits that Palin's appearance has something to do with the hasty way she was picked.

My husband called it first. Then, a brilliant 75-year-old scholar and raconteur confessed to me over wine: "I'm sexually attracted to her. I don't care that she knows nothing."

Finally, writer Robert Draper closed the file on the Sarah Palin mystery with a devastating article in this Sunday's New York Times Magazine: "The Making (and Remaking) of McCain."

McCain didn't know her. He didn't vet her. His campaign team had barely an impression. In a bar one night, Draper asked one of McCain's senior advisers: "Leaving aside her actual experience, do you know how informed Governor Palin is about the issues of the day?"

The adviser thought a moment and replied: "No, I don't know."

...

One does not have to be a psychoanalyst to reckon that McCain was smitten. By no means am I suggesting anything untoward between McCain and his running mate. Palin is a governor, after all. She does have an executive résumé, if a thin one. And she's a natural politician who connects with people.

But there can be no denying that McCain's selection of her over others far more qualified -- and his mind-boggling lack of attention to details that matter -- suggests other factors at work. His judgment may have been clouded by . . . what?

Read the whole thing.

Rachel Weiner is an Associate Politics Editor at the Huffington Post. She can be reached here.

Comments

[melmoid]

I am not quite as old as McCain, but I don't get the attraction of Palin. I have always liked intelligent, emotionally complicated women who know something. If I have to listen to her smirky high pitched voice for four years, I will be ready for the unhinged door bin. Now if Demi Moore were his running mate, he would get my vote.

[Lionsden]

Yes, too bad he didn't choose her for being a governor, or something like that.

[LemonMeringue]

I still don't get it. She is Not. That. Attractive. Kind of trashy looking, even in her $2500 jacket.

[Okieborn]

I really must be missing something !!
Sarah Palin is attractive but far from being a knock out !!!
Palins VOICE ruins the whole picture !!!!!

[NoSillyName]

Not to mention her WORDS!!

[jeffp26]

So McCain is not only DUMB, but BLIND too?

[RationalDubSteppa]

ROTFL!!!!

[jesther]

Because Grandmas are hot.

[robotfog]

wanted: Hot Middle aged Grandma who hunts and bakes and can confuse thousands simply by speaking nonsense for job of Vice President to an old retired Navy man who is running for President because he spent 5 years in prison.

pantsuit wearers need not apply.

[Greytdog]

Well, just goes to prove, that men in power tend to think with the brain located between their legs.

[NoSillyName]

Only those in power?

[ForRichardorPoorer]

If McCain would have spent eight minutes with this woman, he would not have chosen her. He let his other "head" make the decision. A hard di*k has no conscience.

[solid]

Big head, meet viagra enhanced little head.

[elmoor]

Finally, the inconvenient truth has been spoken. Palin is a white man's wet dream.

She makes the money, takes car of the house and kids (or at least we hope someone is taking care of those kids) she lets her husband go off for days at time fishing or riding snow machines. She is one of those great evangelical women who are subservient to their man. And of course, she carries the air of the whole school teacher by day, giving the man a little spanking by night. What selfish little boy wouldn't want this woman?

Sean Hannity can barely keep himself from giggling while interviewing her. It's a joke.

[qtpi410]

Are these conservative men lusting? Lusting in the heart, big head or little head. Sin.
How many times have these conservative men been married? McCain, Thompson, Gingrich, Guallani(sp).
Really these men should spend more time in church.

[Melissa]

Why are so many women jealous of this woman? It's really amusing to watch.

[NoSillyName]

What women are jealous of this woman?

[dkerrice2861]

Being the playboy he is .... uh WAS, Did you you really think it was anything else? All you have to do is listen to the way men talk about her. It really is sickeing to watch groen men like Pat Buchanan drool over her! YUK!

[Bettysdad]

The instant I saw Palin I understood.

Since she already be in the White House every day, flyboy wouldn't have to call an intern, wait for her to get through security and make it into the oval office.

I don't think Johnny is in the habit of waiting.

[paulfromportland]

Once a Tail Hooker - If elected, he wants to create a new department and have a constitutional change to allow the Vice President to be in charge of the brand, spankin' new Department of "Hotties"

[PennP]

Ms. Parker's post seems irrelevant, and I believe it's inaccurate. McCain didn't pick Palin, he picked the real slam-dunk steamer, Joe "Hot Lips" Lieberman. Rick Davis and Randy Schnauzerwuss picked Palin, from what I've read. Could be wrong, but McCain's basically ceded his campaign to lobbyists, so why not his most critical pre-election decision as well?

[Jezreel]

I think that Palin's appearance was a major factor in her selection but I don't think that McCain was smitten by her. McCain has had a weakness for beautiful models all of his adult life.

He wasn't smitten by Palin but he knew that other men would be and he was right. One only has to review the internals of recent polls for confirmation. Since Palin was selected as McCain's VP, she has consistently ranked more favorably among men than women, even when it was blatantly obvious that she is unfit to serve as VP or POTUS.

I remember a recent article HuffPo published following the VP debate. Republican men were stumbling over themselves to see who could lavish the most praise on Palin. Almost to a person, every male commentator wrote about or talked about how good looking she is. Not a single man examined her policies or her readiness to lead our nation.

So Kathleen Parker's observations don't come as a surprise. In fact, I think she's spot on.