Is Sarah Palin the best McCain can do?

A 3 1/2-year member of the US Senate and 8-year State Senate alum who has shown high character, sound judgment, and selflessness is not as qualified to be President as a former beauty queen whose political experience includes being mayor of a town of 6,500 and governor of the third-least-populous state in the union.

At least that's what the McCain campaign wants you to think.

Meanwhile, here are some other things to think about regarding the Republican candidate for VP:

Here's a compendium of problems and controversies surrounding Palin.

Palin was nearly recalled as mayor of Wasilla.

McCain's pick has been criticized by Paul Begala...

For months, the McCainiacs have said they will run on his judgment and experience. In his first presidential decision, John McCain has shown that he is willing to endanger his country, potentially leaving it in the hands of someone who simply has no business being a heartbeat away from the most powerful, complicated, difficult job in human history.

...and plenty of conservatives:

It doesn’t seem as though McCain knows Palin well. Do we have much reason to think they would work well together?

She is younger and less experienced than the first-term Illinois senator, and brings an ethical shadow to the ticket. Just 20 months ago, she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a town of 6,500 where the biggest issue is controlling growth and the biggest annual worry is whether there will be enough snow for the Iditarod dog-mushing race.

She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president?

And here's the Daily Show's perspective:



But really, folks, what does it say about the Republican Party today when John McCain thinks Sarah Palin is the best person to be one heartbeat away from the Presidency?