48 Hours Later, What They're Saying

This year, Hillary Clinton took things to a whole new level. She didn’t run for president as a symbol but as the best-prepared candidate in the Democratic pack. Whether you liked her or not, she convinced the nation that women could be qualified to both run the country and be commander in chief. That was an enormous breakthrough, and Palin’s nomination feels, in comparison, like a step back. - Gail Collins

Americans, suspicious that the Obamas have benefited from affirmative action without being properly grateful, and skeptical that Michelle really likes “The Brady Bunch” and “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” reject the 47-year-old black contender as too uppity and untested. Instead, they embrace 72-year-old John McCain and 44-year-old Sarah Palin, whose average age is 58, a mere two years older than the average age of the Obama-Biden ticket. Enthusiastic Republicans don’t see the choice of Palin as affirmative action, despite her thin résumé and gaping absence of foreign policy knowledge, because they expect Republicans to put an underqualified “babe,” as Rush Limbaugh calls her, on the ticket. They have a tradition of nominating fun, bantamweight cheerleaders from the West, like the previous Miss Congeniality types Dan Quayle and W., and then letting them learn on the job. So they crash into the globe a few times while they’re learning to drive, what’s the big deal? - Maureen Dowd

Sarah Palin - Vice President Padawan Learner

With Friends Like These

Ready, Aim . . .

"His temper would place this country at risk in international affairs, and the world perhaps in danger. In my mind, that should disqualify him." - Former Senator Bob Smith, R-NH

"The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He is erratic." - Senator Thad Cochran, R-MS

"I decided I didn't want this guy anywhere near a trigger." - Senator Pete Domenici, R-NM

"What happens if he gets angry in crisis in the presidency? It's the president's job to negotiate and stay calm. I just don't see that he has that quality." - Former Arizona GOP Chairman John Hinz "

Sarah Palin - Vice President and Padawan Learner

From this morning's NY times: “She’s going to learn national security at the foot of the master for the next four years, and most doctors think that he’ll be around at least that long,” said Charlie Black, one of Mr. McCain’s top advisers, making light of concerns about Mr. McCain’s health, which Mr. McCain’s doctors reported as excellent in May.

Welcome to RandomPolitik

For the last two elections -- well, actually one election since 2000 was a defacto coup d'etat -- I found myself collecting and circulating newsclips, articles, quotes about the candidates and the campaigns to a fairly small group of friends and associates. Some in electronic copy. Some in hard copy.

This time round, I am plunging into the brave new world of the blog (new for me anyway, at age 44). RandomPolitik is intended to be a scrapbook of sorts to capture articles, share my observations and irreverent humor, and even make some speculation about the 2008 presidential race. With a little over two months to go, being heard is important and makes me feel more part of the process.

On with the show!