Re-thinking the “heartbeat” question

Clark Coleman writes:

One thing I really don’t understand is the negative reference to Sarah Palin as being a “heartbeat away from the Presidency” if McCain wins. I don’t want Sarah Palin as president, but out of Obama, Biden, McCain, and Palin, she would be my first choice. If McCain died in office, Palin would almost certainly nominate a Senator experienced in foreign policy. That would leave us with the normal pattern: President with prior executive experience as a governor (and mayor), vice president already up to speed on foreign policy. Why is this so scary? Isn’t the scary possibility the scenario in which McCain does NOT die in office, leading the GOP into McCainism for 4-8 years?

How do you rank the four candidates as presidential preferences? Obviously, you rank McCain below Obama. Do you really rank Palin below McCain? If not, why keep repeating the “heartbeat” cliche?

Personally, a McCain victory will be a test of my Christian faith. I will have to fight with all the strength God can give me NOT to wish that he keels over.

LA replies:

Yes, I dislike the three others a lot, and (notwithstanding the charge that I’ve been waging a campaign of hate and vilification against her), I like Palin a lot and think she is very talented with good instincts, as I’ve said repeatedly since August 29. And those positive things are not canceled by my view that she lacks a thoughtful intelligence and an informed political view of the world (let alone a reliably conservative view), or by my opinion that her family situation sets a bad example for the country and would help advance feminism. So, yes, if I had to choose a president from among the four, I would definitely choose her.

However, “a heartbeat from the presidency” is a generic description of the VP’s job. When I say she should not be a heartbeat from the presidency, I’m not comparing her to the president whom she’d replace if something happened to McCain. I’m simply saying that, in her own right, I don’t think she is right for the job. However, if it were to happen, she would bring her good qualities to the office and would be far preferable to McCain (or Obama).

Posted by Lawrence Auster at October 19, 2008 09:14 PM | Send