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

[btanner]

I feel my l*ins move under my pants
I feel the sky tumbling down, tumbling down
I feel my heart start trembling
Whenever you're around

Oh Sarah, when I see your face
Mellow as a hockey Mom
Oh, darling, I can't stand it
When you wink at me that way

- Carole King's I Feel The Earth Move

[AfterTheMorningAfter]

McSame, No shame in his game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qUVQDmLf7s&feature=related

[wildflowermaven]

I knew that right away. You could see McCain all infatuated at the announcement of her as a running mate. And many of my red-blooded lib male friends say that they have a hard time hearing what she says, as they are so entranced with her other assets. Whatever sex appeal is, she has it in spades.

[NotMcCain]

Really? I hear about it, definitely. And can see she's good-looking (the comparison with Dan Quayle isn't just for being a GOP VP.)

But sexy? Genuinely attractive?

Palin seems dull as dishwater and just as appealing.

[DCCommuter]

If the Republicans run Palin in 2012, Democrats should run JLo.

[DCCommuter]

When I read this article in the paper this morning, I was thinking D A M N KATHLEEN aren't you afraid? I am amazed she actually said this out loud. It is clear than Palin likes to strike at her enemies, so Parker must be pretty certain McCain Palin are going to lose.

[Arbor]

The Republicans are all about marketing-- just like with the Iraq war when they waited until after the summer was over to introduce their new "product". Now they have a failing miserable brand they are trying to sell to the public this election cycle. What's a marketer do with a poor quality product? Simple-- get a pretty woman to sell it.

I don't think it is a question of the McCain camp falling for her, as Parker suggests. They were just banking on the stupidity of the American public. They were probably thinking something like--People want their female co-hosts on t.v. to be pretty, so they'll want their female vice-presidents to be pretty too.

[dotmafia]

I simply think that Sen. McCain's senior campaign advisors, cynically and erroneously, recommended to him that she should be chosen to steal women's votes away from Sen. Obama. You have to remember that this decision by them came on the heels of Sen. Clinton's nomination loss to Mr. Obama. They also might have been expecting Mr. Obama to nominate Ms. Clinton as his vice-presidential choice on the ticket, and they wanted to counter it with their own female sidekick. Regardless, the choice was boneheaded, stupid, dumb, and clearly shows you yet another example that Mr. McCain has been following the advice of his advisors a little too closely in this campaign, instead of thinking out his decisions with more of the supposed "experience and judgement" which he's been claiming to have. After his defeat, I think Mr. McCain will look back and realize the enormous errors in his own judgement that he made. He's most likely already on that path.

[zest]

The old man has made a major mistake in judgement that if elected will lead to his demise. She is ambitious to a falt, seconded only by impatienct. If she becomes VP she will be Pres before 2012. You do the math. Et tu Brute.

[happycat]

McCain should have picked Cindy Crawford. She is not only truly beautiful looking but she also attended Northwestern. I think that McCain's choice of Palin based on her looks is shameful!

[BannedInBoston]

C'mon, Palin attended a lot more colleges (5) than Crawford! Give a gal a break, lol....

[katebuckingham]

Palin is a corrupt liar and major hypocrite and should not be running for VP.
1. She fired a guy who wouldn't fire a cop. To make things worse, she lied about it and refused to comply with subpeonas while at the same time proclaiming "my life is an open book" and "I've got nothing to hide". Her husband who is not an elected public official has unprecedented access to the Governor's office/staff and is making STATE decisions- nepotism rampant! "VP should have more powers" W.T.F?

2. Proclaims that she's a "hockey mom" and gives a "shout out" to the "Joe 6 packs" in an internationally televised debate, appaearing stupid and clueless. Claims that she has foreign policy experience because she can see Russia from her house. Can you imagine French president Sarkozy or German chancellor Merkel saying this without looking like a complete oxymoron?

3. Uses GOP and taxpayer money to finance her family's expenses, then changes the expenditure reports so that they meet legislative requirements for reimbursement. Spends $150K on houte couture clothing and makeup, but sees nothing wrong with it because it will go to charity and "she needed clothes" -McCain.

4. LIES and MORE LIES spew from her mouth about everything. She selectively chooses portions of stories without factchecking them and repeats them "Obama pals around with terrorists". Her stupid ramblings are propogated by Fix News channel. She hears supporters chant "terrorist" and "kill him" at her rallies about Obama, but says nothing.

[wildishka]

Sugar Daddy didn't know that his Mvricky Palin is not only a great actress but could be dangerously ambitious!
McCain will regret his choice blinded by her winks, attractive looks and amazing acting for years to come.
She is all psychotic Washington and scares the hell out of me!

[indyleftist]

Might as well have picked Elizabeth Hassleback
I'm sure "Survivor" prepared her as much as anything Palin has done

[cycle3man]

Elizabeth Hassleback can see Russia from her high rise apartment in New york City!

[newleaf]

hey, McCain and Palin: here's your October surprise!

somehow I'm not surprised

[KareninSac]

A friend of mine said picking Palin reminded her of the old school sales guys who would always take a good looking saleswoman with them, to clinch deals. The saleswoman made the customers think they would have a chance to get "lucky" and sometimes they did. But the deal was always sealed.

McCain is just old school. He should have probably ran for president in his own century, the 1900s. He's out of step in the 2000s.

[Passenger57]

"Here she is,ladies and gentlemen.­..ESPECIAL­LY the gentlemen...Sarah PALIN!!!"
"Who?"
"Isn't she HOT?"
"What the heck does a VP do,anyway?"
"Ha,ha...isn't she HOT??"
"Was she vetted?"
"Look at those gams!"
"She doesn't know anything".
"ISN'T SHE HOT?!?!?!????"

[hortonhearsawho]

Half her household might be pregnant by that time...