TPM: Face It: They Didn't Vet Her

[dkf]

By Josh Marshall

Earlier I noted Andrea Mitchell's reference to reports that the McCain camp had just sent a team of GOP lawyers up to Alaska to do what I guess you'd call a post-vetting of Sarah Palin. Now George Stephanopoulos appears to have more. George says the McCainers are sending a "rapid response team of about ten operatives that includes lawyers" to do the aforementioned deeper vet. A lot of attention is being given to Gov. Palin's daughter's situation. The much bigger deal is the expanding trooper-gate investigation, the fact that Palin lied in her Friday speech about her purported opposition to the Bridge to Nowhere, her apparent former membership in the secessionist Alaska Independence Party, and more. Individually, you can come to your own judgment about how consequential these stories are. What they show pretty clearly now -- in addition to the news that the McCain campaign is only now sending in a vetting team -- is that John McCain didn't do any serious vetting of Palin before he invited her to join his ticket and, he hopes, become Vice President of the United States.

Fundamentally, of course, this is about John McCain. And the real issue here is what this slapdash decision says about his judgment.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/212192.php

[stray cat]

1. How long ago was Palin campaigning to succeed from the US?

[WeDidIt]

2. SECEDE, not SUCCEED

Sorry.

[intheflow]

9. It looks like she was a member until she became mayor

of Wasilla, when she switched to the Republican party for political expediency. So that was 1996.

In related news, that means she's a person who will change political parties in her quest for personal power. Just as valid a concern as her secessionist tendencies.

[WeDidIt]

3. DUers have been saying this for days

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=6854854&mesg_id=6854854

[dkf]

6. It was obvious. The question is if the MSM will take it up.

I'd like every Republican operative to have to answer this question regarding the quality of McCain's vetting.

[Epiphany4z]

4. Ya canj't help but wonder

why no vetting?...the good news is maybe Obama scared the caca out of McCain and made a hail mary vp pic..it would explain why no leaks ..she was not a top choice

[live love laugh]

5. eGGszactly. WHY not? The only logical answer to me is to upstage Obama. n/t

[NotThisTime]

12. You are exactly right.... He made this choice Thursday night I'd bet

[lurky]

7. To me it reeks of a last-minute pick.

Like everyone else said no, and they were running out of time.

[DCBob]

8. This is amazing. How dumb can they be?

Apparently Tim Pawlenty is also extremely pissed he was passed over for a flawed VP candidate. Looks like the wheels are coming off the McCain wagon.

[glitch]

10. They had their buds the dominionists vet her, and all the dominionists need to know was

are you a fundy? These are not complex people, they only see black and white, and she was determined to be... white. Stamp her Approved!

[Ichingcarpenter]

11. He had the longest time in US history to chose his VP - this is what he chose

He had the longest time of any US candidate for president, to chose his VP and
then made a quick, rash, uneducated guess without proper investigation and vetting
and picked a manager of a pizza hut.