The number of times I have heard that phrase over the last week, in reference to the possibility of John McCain being elected and, heaven forbid, "something" happening to him. It's been even worse when they have mentioned his age or his bouts with skin cancer.
He could get hit by a meteorite, too. So let's leave the ageism and the health discrimination out of it, and let's look at what they're really trying to say here. The very question is, heaven forbid, if something were to happen, would Sarah Palin be able to take over?
Because, as they keep saying, that is the main responsibility of the vice president. Oh yeah, there's that tie-breaking thing, but how often does that happen? I don't know everything about Sarah Palin, but I'm willing to bet the farm on a couple of things.
First, I bet that as of last Thursday, she has been working her backside off to get herself up to speed. No, it will not happen overnight. But I trust that in the next two months, she will demonstrate that she has a firm grasp of the skills necessary for the job.
Then when she and McCain are elected, she's not going to just sit back and relax. Without any more traveling or campaigning to do, she will be able to kick it all into a higher gear. So in the 2 1/2 months leading up to 01-20-09, the day that every liberal has been waiting for --(I've seen the bumper stickers -- oh but it will look a lot different than what they thought!) she will continue the most important cram session in history known to womankind, and take the oath of office in good conscience.
Second, odds are that John McCain is not going to pull a William Henry Harrison. He will wear an overcoat at his inauguration, he will not speak for over 2 hours, and he will not ride through the streets in the cold rain. What are the odds he would die in the first year, heaven forbid, let alone the first month?
But even if Sarah had only a month, I see her rising to the challenge. She will devote all her energies to ensure that she would be ready... heaven forbid. (Oops, almost forgot that one!)
And since (as they keep saying)that's the only important duty required of a vice president, I'm sure there will still be plenty of time to join her husband, her parents, and extended family in the care of all her children -- so can we put that one to bed, too? I think she'll even have plenty of time to assist President McCain in those scruff-of-the-neck shakings.
And if, heaven forbid, she had to step into the highest office and she weren't prepared... I honestly believe that Sarah Palin is a class enough act that she would step aside. Though I personally think she would rise to the occasion as she always has and surprise us all once again -- on the off chance she could not, she would not cling to a position on a technicality.
She would not put the country at risk. Because she knows -- it's not all about her and her legacy. It's about the future of the land she loves.
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