It's taken me a bit to get around to...

I just think the McCain campaign and the Republican party did an extraordinarily poor job of vetting Ms. Palin for her selection for a Vice Presidential running-mate. They probably should have investigated her background a little more thoroughly - as opposed to simply trying to tap in to a demographic which will vote for her because she's a woman. I happen to disagree with her on most of the issues she supports:

Her involvement with the AIP is beyond the pale for consideration as a VP (after all Obama was excoriated for what Jeremiah Wright said):

How much of an issue is it that Todd Palin was a seven-year member of an organization whose founder, Joe Vogler, hated America? How much of an issue is it that Sarah Palin may have attended the party's statewide convention in 1994, and made a cheery video that was played at the AIP convention as recently as this year?

Or her interest in banning books at libraries:

[Former Wasilla mayor] Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. "The librarian was aghast." The librarian, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire her for not giving "full support" to the mayor.

And her willingness to abuse executive power:

It didn't take long. We've already brought you news of the official investigation into Gov. Palin's firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. Steve Branchflower, the lead investigator, began trying to arrange a deposition of the governor days before her veep selection. And despite claiming executive privilege to shield requested emails, up until that point Palin had promised full cooperation with the probe.

Now, however, she is refusing to submit to questioning by Branchflower unless he and the legislative committee that appointed him agree to relinquish control of the investigation and turn it over to a state review board made up of three Palin appointees.

Not to mention her ridiculous lawsuit against the Bush administration to block Polar Bears from being named as an endangered species. Also, she supports the banning of all abortions - including those pregnancies caused by rape or incest.

Where she stands on issues, and her qualified track record is what matters most. And on all of those things and more - she's just baggage the Republican party doesn't need right now. Perhaps they should looked for a more qualified person for the job that didn't have the appearance of such a train-wreck under the harsh eyes of the media.

For instance - her underage daughter getting her drink on... Far be it from me to condemn behavior similar to that which I engaged in as a minor in college... and millions of underage high school and college students are engaging in at this very moment. However - it probably doesn't look good for the party that works itself into a righteous indignation over that sort of stuff.

Maybe they could have selected (if they had to select a woman) one who was more qualified and had a few less skeletons in her closet. Say Kay Bailey Hutchison for instance?