Greetings. This isn't a political blog per se, but I just can't let this one pass by.

It's been interesting watching interviews of Republicans attempting to justify McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his V.P. running mate. Their obvious discomfort at repeating the official talking points regarding a person that most of them had barely heard of until a few days ago is palpable indeed.

This quote from Cindy McCain to ABC News really got my attention though. When asked about Palin's seemingly total and utter lack of any national security credentials, the Republican presidential nominee's wife replied:

"Alaska is the closest part of our continent to Russia. So, it's not as if she doesn't understand what's at stake here ... "

I love the "proximity theory" of expertise. By the same reasoning, it implies that living in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant magically imparts a college-level nuclear engineering degree on nearby residents.

It should be immediately apparent to everyone how Alaska's geographic position has provided Sarah Palin with comprehensive knowledge regarding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, international terrorism, and the vast array of other international security issues about which anybody who could become President of the United States should be little short of expert.

A Republican friend of mine yesterday pointed out to me what he sees as a bizarre similarity between the Republican ticket and characters from Gilligan's Island. I think he went a bit over the top with that comparison, but it's certainly true that this political season is getting more surrealistic by the minute.

And that's no three hour tour.

--Lauren--