They're calling it "The Palin Plunge"

[BadGimp]

I remember thinking through why McSame picked Caribou Barbie the day after Barack Obama's amazing convention ending speech. It occurred to me that it was a move designed for maximum impact and intended to blow Obama off the new radar. It worked. But like all decisions made in haste and out of desperation it had it's own unintended blowback: "The Palin Plunge".

I remember talking to a friend (Dave Johnson), who runs the SeeingTheForest.com blog that the major outcome was that now the issue would ultimately shit from Palin's complete lack of qualification for the job to the more critical issue of McCain's poor judgement.

Seems I was right. You be the judge. Evidence this bit from a post on HuffingtonPost.com:

The Palin Plunge: Voters Sour On McCain VP Pick

"out of nowhere, and without proper vetting, the impetuous McCain picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. She quickly proved grievously under-equipped to step into the presidency should McCain, at 72 and with a history of health problems, die in office.

More than any single factor, McCain's bad judgment

in choosing the inarticulate, insular and ethically challenged Palin disqualifies him for the presidency." The Kansas City Star

[BlooInBloo]

1. Not to mention she's a blithering idiot.

[Lisa0825]

2. LOL! Another meaning for plungers at the rallies!

:rofl:

[dkf]

3. "Ethically Challenged" FINALLY someone says that.

Dang it took long enough.

[Rabrrrrrr]

4. Part of me wonders if they chose her precisely to guarantee a loss,

so that a Democrat would inherit this giant fucking mess and have to run the risk of looking like an ineffectual doofus by the next election, setting the Republicans up very well to take another election.

I think they thought that, but I also think that now they're realizing that Obama actually can pull off raising us up from the muck and getting through this shithole mess Shrubbie has left us, and now they're worried that Republicanism as it's been known since the gilded age of Fuhrer Evil Bastard Reagan is all over.

[MrModerate]

7. Naaah . . . McCain really, really wants to win . . .

And thought he could.

He expected to wipe the floor with Hillary because so many people "dislike her intensely;" anticipated nullifying Obama because he's young, gifted, and black; and thought the 'Lican machine could crush anybody else.

Unfortunately, he failed to master the greatest enemy to his campaign success: John McCain. Problem is, he's angry, impulsive, vindictive, grating, way too old, anticharismatic, and full of really bad ideas (which he makes up as he goes along). Ya know, as in "unfit for the office of the presidency."

(And for that matter, he didn't do so well against Enemy No. 2, George Bush.)

And what demonstrates that unfitness more than any other factor? The selection of the Albatross from Alaska, the Wackco from Wasila -- Sarah Palin. Had he picked Huckabee (not much of an improvement over Palin, but enough to get by), we'd be looking at an entirely different race.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

8. The financial crisis came too soon

It blew up on the Pukes' watch and they are stuck with it. Four years from now things should be recovering nicely thanks to the forceful and thoughtful leadership shown by the entire Obama Admininstration. A grateful and calmed nation rewards That One by re-electing him in another landslide. The pukes are headed for the wilderness for a long, long time. This election is increasingly looking like 1964. Shit, Mike Barnicle, of all people, shoveled the dirt on Grampy over at HuffPo and squarely blamed Schmithead and Davis, though not specifically by name. He's dead, Jim.

The awesomeness that is Barack Hussein Obama will not be denied.

[political_Dem]

5. One of the trends this year is that people are sick of dumb politicians.

And Palin is the epitome of that notion. She doesn't reflect on many things. She doesn't read. And she spews what is fed to her between campaign stops. She lacks grace. And, she is simply abhorrent to listen to--especially with her accent and "ideas".

In our complex world, we can't have a someone like that at the helm of the ship. We need someone who is thoughtful, empathetic, strong and a good leader.

[Trajan]

6. Excerpt from The Kansas City Star endorsement

http://www.kansascity.com/340/story/845717.html

Barack Obama for President

These are anxious times for Americans. A faltering banking system, plummeting stock prices, difficult conflicts abroad, huge federal deficits, rapidly escalating health expenses . . . the list of troubles seems to go on and on, and public faith in our national leaders and key institutions has suffered.

But the six issues highlighted below illustrate why we believe Sen. Barack Obama is the right person to lead the country forward. He is a man of strength, empathy, energy and intelligence.

The Illinois Democrat understands the challenges that await George Bush’s successor. A gifted public servant whose roots extend to his mother’s birthplace in Kansas, Obama has a rare ability to encourage hope among the dispirited and to inspire young people.

Obama’s sound judgment is reflected in his choice for a running mate. Sen. Joe Biden is a passionate advocate of ordinary Americans and a foreign-policy expert who would be prepared to assume the Oval Office on a moment’s notice.

-snip-

[BadGimp]

9. and now this from Colin Powell

"he said McCain’s choices in the last few weeks — especially his selection of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his vice presidential running mate — had raised questions in his mind about McCain’s judgment."

[Arugula Latte]

10. Plunge and FLUSH!