Newspaper OpEd (2008)
Robert P. Watson
Finding Palin
After her announcement as John McCain's vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin received a hero's welcome from her party and the press, who were intrigued by her story as a moose hunter, beauty pageant contestant, and PTA mom. But, after two belated media interviews in which the nominee embarrassed herself by not being able to name a single accomplishment by McCain and not knowing what the Bush Doctrine was (it has guided US national security since 2002),the honeymoon ended and the McCain campaign put her in lockdown.
Sarah Palin has not given a single press conference since her nomination, won't take questions from the public during her campaign appearances, and avoids the Sunday morning talk shows on which all serious politicians are expected to appear. Recently, the campaign even limited press access to her highly-scripted photo ops. When she does campaign, Palin promises to spread freedom and democracy, but ducks an essential part of what makes ours a free and democratic society. She also continues to take shots at the press, but her campaign hides behind the lame and counter-intuitive excuse that, until the press shows "respect," she won't talk to them.
Then, in one of the most shocking moments in election history, she failed to show up for the important post-debate spin session that followed the first presidential debate (and all presidential debates). Joe Biden was there supporting Obama and fielding questions. Sarah Palin was watching TV in a bar in Pennsylvania.
In short, Palin's inaccessibility and invisibility on the campaign is without precedent in modern times. There are only two possible explanations: The self-proclaimed "pit bull in lipstick" likes to tell us she is ready to be commander-in-chief but is either too unprepared or too insecure to allow a serious journalist to ask her a question. Either one is damning.
It is time for Palin to save us the swagger and simply answer some questions. Such is the nature of campaigns and democracy in the "lower 48." When a candidate a heartbeat away from the presidency admits that she hasn't yet focused on the war in Iraq or that she has foreign policy experience because, on a clear day, she can see Russia from her home state of Alaska, the public is owed a full vetting from the candidate and from the press.
The fact remains that nine VPs ascended to the presidency after eight presidents died in office and one resigned. Moreover, two presidents were nearly removed from office by impeachment, several served with a terminal illness, Wilson suffered a near-fatal stroke, and Polk died only three months after his single term in office ended. We have been lucky in recent years, with the likes of Vice Presidents Truman and LBJ becoming president on the death of their predecessors and Ford filling in admirably after Nixon's resignation. But this hasn't always been the case. Other VPs who were thrust into the presidency – Tyler, Fillmore, A. Johnson, Arthur, and Coolidge – were among the worst leaders in American history.
Who among us would fly with a co-pilot who had not flown before and refused to talk about it? Or allow a surgeon to assist with a life-and-death operation even though she wouldn't discuss her own medical experience and couldn't answer even the most basic questions about medicine? The stakes are too high and Palin is auditioning for the second most important job in the world. Irrespective of her debate performance, history and common sense demand she begin answering questions and explaining her positions.
