The sad truth in John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate is that it betrays his repeated promise to put the needs of his country before the needs of his election campaign. That McCain would ask Americans to entrust their future to the health and acuity of a 72-year-old president and to an utter neophyte in national and international affairs completely trivializes the challenges this country faces. Were it not so tragic it would be worthy of “Saturday Night Live.”
Barack Obama’s criteria for his running mate included not only a shared vision, but also someone who would help him govern the nation and be a good president in case something happened to him. That is wise leadership.
In choosing Palin, McCain has sacrificed good governance to the litmus test of ideology. His choice indicates either that he thinks he is invincible or that leading America in the 21st century can really be done by almost anyone – or both. It is an insult to all of us, and I hope that sober reflection on the disparity between these two views of governance will lead Americans to make the wiser choice in November.

This is an article written by Douglas Johnstone and published in the Salt Lake Tribune. Will someone please tell Tina Fey to do something with her hair.