PERRYSCOPE

PERRY DIAZ
Palin effect

When Republican presidential candidate John McCain picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, a lot of people wondered if Palin was qualified to become Vice President of the United States. Having been a mayor of a small Alaska town of 9,000 residents and governor of Alaska with a population of 700,000 for less than two years, was Palin ready to take over the presidency should anything happen to 72-year old McCain if he were elected president?

McCain was criticized -- particularly by the media -- for his choice of a seemingly inexperienced politician with no evident exposure to foreign policy or world affairs. But as soon as Palin was presented at the Republican National Convention last September 3, 2008, she became an overnight sensation.

Instantly, she boosted McCain's presidential stock and reenergized his campaign. McCain wouldn't go anywhere without Palin in tow. Palin -- who calls herself "pit bull with a lipstick" -- was very effective in getting the Republicans excited. In effect, Palin became McCain's ultimate "weapon of mass deception" which he needed to torpedo and derail the turbo-driven campaign of Barack Obama.

Palin was so effective that some people started making reference to the McCain/Palin ticket as the Palin/McCain ticket as if she was the one running for president, which in a sense she was. In his campaign rallies, McCain would make a short introductory pitch and then let Palin do the talking... and attacking. Enthusiastically, she would do the dirty job of smearing Obama for McCain. And McCain would just stand grandfatherly- like behind her, happy as a clam. It was a great script.

Within a week of the emergence of Palin from nowhere, McCain obliterated Obama's nine-point lead. In recent polls, McCain had surged ahead of Obama, thanks to the entry of a "super star" into his campaign. Indeed, the presidential campaign was beginning to look like a Palin vs. Obama contest.

Why not? Given McCain's age and health issues, Americans could be electing two Republican presidents in this election. But this could also cause the voters to take another hard look at the real Palin -- not the stunningly attractive and sweet-talking "hockey mom" that they're seeing in scripted appearances.

That first opportunity to see the real Sarah Palin came when she was interviewed by Charles Gibson on television. Gibson was selected in the belief that he would give Palin an easy pass. Wrong! Gibson seemingly knew Palin's weak and vulnerable areas. So when he asked Palin if she agreed with the "Bush Doctrine," she paused for a few seconds, breathed deeply as if she was going to perform a triple-somersault dive, and then asked, "In what respect, Charlie?" Gibson then asked her: "What do you interpret it to be?"

Dumbfounded and with eyes agog, Palin said, "His world view," which sounded more like a question. She then tried to wing it but it was one of those moments when you don't know the answer, it's better not to give an answer. However, to admit ignorance would have been more disastrous for a person seeking the vice presidency.

The second test came when Gibson asked her how Alaska's proximity to Russia would give her an "insight" into that country. Palin responded: "They're our next door neighbor and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska." Now, is that the extent of Palin's foreign policy experience and world view?

Gibson's interview with Palin has put an indelible black mark on Palin's façade.

Consequently, tons of information surfaced when an army of media people and researchers descended on Alaska turning over every stone under the artic tundra to unearth the trail that Palin left behind before catapulting to the national scene. And lo and behold, there were enough damaging and disparaging information that painted Palin quite differently from her "star power" image.

Interviews with people and public officials revealed more about the "Troopergate" scandal in which Palin allegedly fired the Public Safety Commissioner when he refused her demand to fire Palin's former brother-in-law from his job as state trooper. Other scandals and anomalies involving Palin's public and personal life surfaced and inundated the media as well as the late-night shows.

She became staple for jokes by Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Craig Ferguson and others. Sarah Palin cartoons and funny pictures mushroomed in the Internet. But the final test of Palin will come during her debate with her Democratic vice presidential rival Joe Biden on October 2. Their debate would be the defining moment for Palin. A mediocre performance could repel a lot of her supporters and put McCain's candidacy at risk.

Although McCain's selection of Palin momentarily boosted his candidacy, at the end of the day the American people will reserve their final judgment on which presidential candidate is best suited for the job. On November 4, 2008, the American people will troop to the polling booths to decide once and for all whether McCain or Obama should lead the nation -- and the world -- in the next four years or probably eight years.

And like every U.S. presidential election, there are two criteria that the voters would use to decide whom to vote for: Character and Leadership.

Palin and Biden would become incidental to the voters' choice for president. With less than six weeks left in the campaign, a lot of things could happen that could sway the Americans' preference for president, particularly at a time when the country is experiencing a financial meltdown which could be worse than the Great Depression 80 years ago. And whoever that person is, there are two things he or she must possessed: strong character and great leadership. (PerryDiaz@gmail. com)