Sarah ... who?

As a former naval aviator, John McCain knows that of the four forces that act upon aircraft in flight, drag is the most troublesome. If drag is excessive, neither better wings nor an improved power plant will
save the airplane. It will inevitably crash.

Perhaps without considering the consequences of his action, McCain named Sarah what’s-her-name to be the vice-presidential candidate on the Republican ticket in November. In doing so, he caused an
enormous amount of drag to be affixed to his campaign, which was already sputtering badly. Now it will surely crash, just as an underpowered, overburdened airplane will crash while attempting to take off
from an aircraft carrier.

Moderate Republicans were stunned when McCain announced on Aug. 29 that what’s-her-name would be his running mate. The woman has absolutely no qualifications for high elective office, a fact that
mainstream voters of both political parties will hold against her in November. What happened to Mitt Romney? Tom Ridge? Mike Huckabee? Jim DeMint? These men are infinitely more qualified to be vice
president than what’s-her-name.

The fact that Sarah, 44, is a first-term governor of Alaska doesn’t qualify her for anything. Despite the large physical size of the state, it has a population of only 670,000 — about the same as Memphis.
In our area, Fairfax County by itself has 50 percent more people than the entire state of Alaska.

Before being elected governor, Sarah served for six years as the mayor of the tiny city of Wasilla, population 6,715. That’s on a par with Galax or Lexington in our state. Interesting facts about Wasilla: it
has a 21-member police department (including the chief). The city’s annual budget is less than the amount Prince William County spends every year just on its libraries. And, according to the city’s Web
site, only 746 households have public water service and 523 households have sewer service.

In an interview with a reporter from Newsweek, Sarah said “It [Wasilla] was a sleepy town, run by good old boys.”

Republican strategist Karl Rove reportedly dismissed Virginia Governor Tim Kaine as a candidate for vice president on the Democratic ticket because Kaine was a first-term governor who had previously
served two terms as mayor of Richmond — a city of 188,100. Curiously, Rove has not made any similar comments about Sarah.

The only persons who are happy with the selection of Sarah what’s-her-name are those on the far right and, of course, the Democrats. The right-wingers like the fact that she is adamantly anti-abortion
rights and pro-gun rights. Also, according to the Anchorage Daily News, Sarah stated that creationism should be taught in the public schools, right along with evolution. That will make the right-wing
extremists squeal with delight.

The Democrats like Sarah for just one reason: they see her as a permanent drag on McCain’s campaign for the presidency. Nothing could make them happier.

Del. Jeff Frederick, R-Woodbridge, now chairman of the state’s Republican Party, told the Washington Post on Aug. 30 that Virginia’s Republicans are so happy with Sarah’s inclusion on the ticket that
they were “high-fiving, giving each other hugs, smiling from ear to ear. It was euphoria.”

Frederick added that with Sarah’s selection, “John McCain hit it out of the [ball] park.” Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. As MASH 4077’s Col. Potter would say, such statements are “pure
horse hockey”.

Gary Jacobsen lives in Woodbridge. Contact him at gary.jacobsen@live.com.