Forget vetting, McCain chose blind date

Turns out Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Sen. John McCain’s vice presidential running mate, has more baggage than an airport carrousel at rush hour.

We’re finding out by the day what a slipshod vetting McCain and his people did, and how flaky his judgment is — not what this country needs in a president.

No sooner had McCain announced Palin’s selection, and she proudly proclaimed she had opposed Sen. Ted Stevens’ infamous bridge to nowhere, than we learned Palin was for that boondoggle before she was against it.

Then Palin revealed her 17-year-old daughter is five months pregnant. That’s not necessarily a bad reflection on Palin and her husband. Millions of good parents the world over have had that happen.

The problem in this case is that by accepting McCain’s job offer, Palin had to know her daughter’s situation would become national news. The potential for embarrassment is colossal — far greater than other girls would have to endure.

Thus, the governor’s willingness to sign on with McCain strikes us as spectacularly selfish.

Sen. Barack Obama said yesterday this family matter isn’t political and shouldn’t the subject of criticism or comment. That was decent and we wish it could be so.

If the daughter’s pregnancy was Palin’s only problem, we would agree completely. However, Palin has problems all over the place. Taken together with the pregnancy, those problems raise extremely serious questions about McCain and Palin’s common sense, honesty and judgment.

After nearly eight years of President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and their neocon cabal’s terrible misleadership, our country desperately needs a president and vice president who exhibit common sense, honesty and sound judgment.

More about the McCain-Palin debacle in our previous post, “Palin qualifies as princess of pork,” wherein we look at growing evidence Palin is plenty ambitious but not very honest.