The Darndest Thing

Wouldn't you say this is the darndest thing? MLB and Bud Selig adjusted the start time of a possible game six in the World Series to accommodate a half-hour ad buy from the Obama campaign.

Forget for a minute that not many World Series' have made it to six games recently, as that article pointed out. Also forget that since game five was suspended last night due to rain, they will take an extra day in Philly tonight to determine the outcome of that game. There's more rain in the forecast for tonight, so there's no telling if they will actually play a game six on Thursday this week, even if game six becomes necessary. (And weren't they wishing for the indoor comfort of Tropicana Field last night?!)

What really makes me scratch my head is the fact that Obama still feels the ad buy is necessary, with less than a week to go until polls close. What more could he say to the American people that he hasn't already said through campaign stops, town halls during the primary season, his speech at the DNC, and during the Presidential debates with John McCain? Does Obama feel a little desperation creeping in, even though the MSM already crowned him the presumptive next POTUS?

NPR yesterday spoke with some voters in Missouri, a state that traditionally picks the next POTUS. I think they said that the only time (maybe it was the only time since 1900... ?) that the residents of Missouri didn't vote for the next President was in the 1956 election. Missouri this year is split in pre-election polling, almost exactly 50-50 between McCain and Obama.

It just makes me wonder... even with the issues of the crumbling national economy, the meltdown on Wall Street, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and with people's worries about the advancing age of McCain -- even with all of that! -- Obama still hasn't sealed the deal. He still feels the need to make one last pitch to the American populace. Which makes me scratch my head, just a little bit.

Let the Woman Be, eh?

So, people either love her or hate her. The "her" in question is, of course, John McCain's selection for running mate, Sarah Palin. No one has been lukewarm about the announcement, it seems. Democrats have been looking for any reason to discredit the woman, from attacks on her family (I'm glad to see that both Obama and Biden have called for the family attacks to stop), to attacks on her beauty-queen looks, to even digging up ancient footage of when she did the sportscasting for her local news station. You know what? I've seen LOTS of male sportscasters on local TV stations who couldn't hold a candle to her performance captured above.

All I can say is, America is the land of opportunity. She's been handed a tremendous opportunity because John McCain and the Republican Party chose her for some reason in what has to be seen as a make-or-break gamble for the Presidency. So, let's see what she has to say and see how she handles herself during the rest of the campaign.

Personally, I was impressed with her speech yesterday. Perhaps because she has that experience in front of cameras, she showed no hesitation or fear of speaking in front of the raucous crowds at the RNC. She hit her lines, and the only drawback there was that they leaked the best lines during the day yesterday. Punchlines are always heightened when they are unexpected. I was sincerely disappointed that the GOP did not prepare a "Meet Sarah Palin" video the same way the Democrats did for Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton (who needed that intro, by the way?), and Barack Obama. Shoot, even John McCain is getting his own video, and most people are already familiar with his story. So, why no video for a person who is a virtual unknown on the national stage?

Perhaps Sarah wanted to perform her own introductions. She certainly didn't hold back from introducing her loving husband, her five children, and her own back story. Good for her, I say.

A recent photo of the Palin family, pre-Trig

I really have only two negatives that I've seen thus far, one of which is offered up by my wife. After Sarah's speech yesterday, she pointed out how Sarah's piled high hair and outfit, while nicer than Hillary's pantsuits, still seemed very small-townish. I have very little to no idea about women's fashions, so when I suggested that Sarah was perhaps cultivating that small town look to demonstrate again that she's not from Washington or the east coast, my wife told me that women would notice and judge her for the clothes she wears and how she wears her hair. To me, if she goes all "Sex and the City" fashionable now, it would seem terribly phony and, most likely, backfire on her. She might be in an unwinnable position there.

My only other comment, and I really don't mean to attack her family in any way, is this: I, personally, am more of a traditionalist when it comes to naming children. My own children are named after relatives, so I probably shouldn't even make this comment. I just wouldn't name my own children Track*, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and Trig. To me, those are: something you run in middle school, the home of ESPN, a bad '80s movie, an airplane, and high school math. That's all I'll say about that.

*But good for Track to volunteer for the Army and proudly serve his country in our armed forces! 

I did love the commentators on NPR last night, after she delivered her speech. They talked about how she hit a home run with her delivery and her comportment. What I loved the most, however, was how they picked up on Rudy Guiliani's line about how no one -- NO ONE! -- would ever question a male candidate about his choice to run and whether he could still devote enough time and attention to his family. By questioning Palin's choice, the Democrats effectively ceded initiative on the feminism issue to Republicans, and who ever thought that would happen in their lifetime?

What I especially want to see now -- what I'm dying to see as soon as possible -- is the VP debate. Sure, I'll watch the Presidential candidates face off, just to see what they say head-to-head. But I'll be making popcorn and settling in early to see Sarah vs. Joe Biden. If she can hold her own against a long-time Washington insider, someone who has a long legislative track record and excellent foreign policy credentials; if she can hold her own and not freeze on a question against Biden; if she can make people laugh with an off-the-cuff witty rejoinder during the pressure-packed debate when the hot lights are shining and she has no place to hide, then I will be very impressed. I would feel much better about McCain's choice of running mate if she can perform on that stage.

I think she has already done a very good job of handling the pressure and media scrutiny since the announcement. She had to know the media circus would pounce on her background and start flinging mud against her family, and yet she chose to run anyway. That has to say something about her character. Let's give her a chance and see what she does with it. Isn't that what America is all about?