She was mayor of a small town 20 months ago, and if McCain/Palin somehow won she could be the president in 6 months. That math has Republicans like Ramesh Ponnuru, “one of the smartest guys writing on the National Review’s Corner” very worried.
So is the macho bluster that you read from Republicans on this site is not typical of the GOP’s reaction to Pailin ?Political Buzz reports that it is not:
Ambinder has some fresh reaction to McCain’s running mate choice from a few very concerned Republican strategists and insiders. These are no doubt very wise folks, because they express the doubts that make Palin a colossal gamble and a likely mistake that will haunt McCain for the rest of the campaign.
A few are cautiously optimistic that it’ll turn out OK, but most of the strategists and consultants I’ve spoken to, e-mailed with, or read/watched are struggling with it. They expect her to have a good week… and then to crash and burn when she hits the campaign trail as scrutiny catches up with her.
Some of these strategists are close to those Republicans who were vetted but not picked, but many of them aren’t. “It’s like playing poker blind,” one strategist said. Another e-mailed: “Obama’s lack of readiness was THE only way to win.” When these Republicans ask the McCain campaign for guidance, all they hear back is: “She’s more experienced than Obama is.”Don’t try to gauge the success of the pick y listening to the conservative talking heads or reading the like-minded commentators. They all love it and will proclaim that McCain is now invincible for having bowed to the Right’s collective will. Too bad they don’t exist in reality…