If raw political knowledge was all it took to be a leader of a free country, we could select them with a battery of tests.

I also pay attention to what a person believes about the roles of government and the individual citizen, the role of America in the world, the foundations of our political ideas, and where we should go from here.

I have always known who McCain is in this area, and thanks to the virtual colonoscopy given Palin by a furious and hysterical press, I know who she is, too. Neither are close to my ideal from a point of view of principles and political ideology, but they are better--BOTH of them--than the opposition by a country mile.

Obama's allies, including many news sources, have bent over backwards to conceal his background, his activities, his history, his ideas, his political record, and yes, his lack of knowledge on "statecraft."

Does it bother you at all that what pops up here on his background most often is "President of the Harvard Law Review?"

The man is selling "politically-moderate genius" now, and doing it quite well, but you really have to not be paying attention to believe that this is who he really is.

I don't like his view of what America ought to be. I suspect neither would most Americans if this election was being dealt with on a deeper level than being able to answer gotcha questions on "statecraft" or being able to easily pronounce the name of the leader of Iran.

And although I shouldn't have to keep pressing what should be an obvious point, Obama is running for the TOP of his ticket. We KNOW he's going to be trying to run things if the Democratic ticket wins.

McCain is in good health, as has been certified several times. My grandfather had the same health issues, and lived well into his nineties. The idea that Palin will certainly be president early in the term is a red herring, and always has been.