This article from the Washington Post

gives us a great deal to be nervous about. The familiar tones of Arrogance, cronyism, close ties to oil money, surrounding herself with only people who agree with and defend her sound a lot like 'more of the same' and less like the promised 'reform.'

If is troubling to me that her only record of employment and involvement in the world outside her family are political positions where her record of 12 years is more spotty than we had been lead to believe.

I almost believe that she sees herself as a reformer and she reflects a tone that sounds too much like a mission. There seems to be an almost admirable optimism that allows her to jump forth with a 'yes I can' and 'yes I am' attitude about any challenge including: would would you be willing to seerve as Vice President and are you prepared in that role.

The problem is one we have seen before- A president gets elected based on drive and enthusiasm that is inflated compared to his actual experience- he surrounds himself with like-minded people who shelter him from anyone who disagrees (even to the extent of attacking voices of dissent) and moves forward with an intended mission without consideration of facts to the contrary.

This matches (too closely) the legacy of GW Bush and it matches the profile we have come to know of John McCain. Combine that with the well-honed political cynicism of the right-wing machine and it doesn't look at all like reform.

It would be overstated to say that this person scares me. It would not be overstated to say that this ticket scares me a great deal. McCain Palin would be wrong for America in ways we have not yet calculated.

It is clear that GW Bush pandered to the religious right in order to get elected- a move McCain was making that was not working among most fundamentalists (fool me once...). But what is not clear is whether Sarah Palin is also pandering or if (more likely) she is a true fundamentalist who believes she is part of "God's Plan" to Christianize the world.

If she is such a person- that would put her in an elite group of people who either does not care that GW Bush lied to get their support or believes the lies he told. Either way, such a person should make us nervous.

Our nation, and in fact our world are probably strong enough to survive a McCain presidency and we could probably survive too if Sarah Palin tragically had to step in to the role. After all, we (to date) have survived Bush/Cheney even as it spiralled into something far worse than anyone imagined.

But do we not deserve better? Do we not have an obligaton to do better for ourselves and for the world?