John McCain is NOT George W. Bush Come Again. Sarah Palin is.

It bothers me when people say John McCain will be a continuation of Bush’s policies.  Up until this election, he clearly was willing to make stands on beliefs and principals (shockingly, in hindsight) that caused friction between him and the President, as well as his Republican party colleagues.  Albeit he did so far less frequently than his (former) ‘Maverick’ title would suggest, he did so against a backdrop of bobblehead high-profile Republicans (with a few exceptions) who managed to excel in obsequiousness to such a manner that a man like McCain is the rebellious teenager of the party.

Too bad the title was wasted on McCain as Sarah Palin is in fact The Lady Bush.

• Sarah Palin is a relative novice in politics (6 years as mayor, 20 months as governor.  George W. Bush was governor for jsut under 6 years)
• They are both good-looking (Sarah Palin: I won’t even bother arguing it.  She would be, by far, the most attractive VP we’ve ever had.  George W. Bush was an oafish, but handsome man, in that “pull my finger” sort of way)
• They have made an image for themselves as regular folk by playing up their outdoor hobbies (hunting for Palin, brush clearing ranch-life for Bush)
• They both emerged on the national scene suddenly (as far as I can recall) and with a near immediate embrace by their party
• They have both squarely targeted the religious base of the Republican party (Sarah Palin’s views on abortion were discussed somewhat at C&L and her early adventures in book banning were documented by Cernig)
• They both feel utterly at peace speaking blatant falsehoods about themselves or the state of the world (of a few falsehoods stated so far by Palin, here is a Reuters article about her claimed opposition to ‘The Bridge to Nowhere’)
• They were both among the very few middle-aged Americans who had hardly traveled outside of the USA until shortly before their rise to national prominence (sorry, I can’t find a citation for Bush’s international travel prior to becoming President)
• ADDED (how could I forget?): Their careers are heavily intertwined with the oil industry (Alaska’s most important export is oil.  Bush, of course, is famous for his failures as an oilman)
• They both shared arguably bogus claims of experience with the National Guard to give the impression of a military background (C&L commentary about claims made by Palin surrogates that she was, effectively, the head of the Alaska National Guard for defence issues.  Bush’s Texas Air National Guard controversy need not be referenced, I believe)
• They both wear their ignorance on their sleeve, almost as a point of pride (Palin’s famous declared ignorance of the VP’s duties on video can be found at The Huffington Post, among many other sites.  Once again, I feel Bush’s examples are numerous and salient enough not to warrant referencing)
• Most importantly:  They both resemble the ideal of The Average American, if you’re a disdainful elitist/foreigner like I am (interpret that comment however you wish).

Please feel free to criticize me harshly for any of these points.  I know I was vague and short on references, but would be happy to remove any points that aren’t really supportable.

As much as I hate to overemphasize this point (as it’s already been overemphasized, I feel, and voters hardly need to be reminded when every television appearance confirms it), John McCain is not a young man.  Or even an old man.  He is a very old man.  And I can easily see a McCain victory in November leading to a nearly 8 year term for The Lady Bush.  We’ll finally have broken that barrier for women, at the expense of becoming Western Zimbabwe.

… and the cow goes moo