Michael Krumbine

Ok, so Sarah Palin is dangerously close to being, quite literally, a heartbeat away from presidency. I'm not sure that this is something that I, or the American people for that matter, are ready to stomach. I absolutely commend what Palin has done in Alaska. Under her leadership, Alaska invested $5 billion in state savings, overhauled education funding, and implemented the Senior Benefits Program that provides support for low-income older Alaskans. She created Alaska’s Petroleum Systems Integrity Office to provide oversight and maintenance of oil and gas equipment, facilities and infrastructure, and the Climate Change Subcabinet to prepare a climate change strategy for Alaska. As Mayor, she was able to reduce property taxes significantly. All of things things are fantastic for the State of Alaska, and shows that Governor Palin definitely has potential in the political world. However, I don't feel like these things qualify her to be the next VP of the United States.

Palin is a great speaker, and she knows how to woo the crowd, when she has a script. When she is unprepared, all of the sudden, she doesn't know how to answer the important questions. Take her interview with Katie Couric for instance. She was asked several questions several times in a row, that she could not answer. One specifically is examples of how McCain has support more oversight on Wall Street to which she replied, after the 4th time, "I'll try to find you some I'll bring them back to you." Clearly the woman does not know what she is talking about. She was given talking points that she was supposed to mention, and she did, but she couldn't elaborate on a single one of them when Katie asked more questions about them. The VP debate was more of the same, although she was better prepared this time. In this case, she was able to avoid the questions all together because they could not be asked again.

Presidential candidates aside, I'm not willing to take a gamble on putting Sarah Palin in the White House. I feel that this would be a grave mistake.

With all of that said. I pray for whoever America votes into office come November 4th. I pray that God will give them the wisdom and strength neccesary for this job. I will also respect the vote, and give all of my respect to the new President and Vice President of The United States.