Well, I Have Made My Decision

Senator McCain's choice of a woman did not surprise me. It makes sense that he would choose a woman to try to pick up a few Clinton supporters who might not like Obama. If McCain had reached in the other direction, to pick a middle-of-the road woman, it might have made a difference to me, because I am not happy about Obama's choice of Senator Biden.

At first glance, Gov. Palin's credentials look pretty good. Good administrative experience. Personally, I'd prefer to see our president come from the ranks of governors or CEO's of corporations as opposed to the steady stream of legislators trying to make the switch to administration. A non-lawyer would be an extra bonus. She's three for three in those areas.

However, she is in favor of drilling for oil in the ANWR (although she does get a little credit for charging the oil companies higher taxes for it); she scores very low on environmental issues; she is militantly anti-abortion.

All of that would weigh heavily against her in my eyes.

But, the number one reason why I absolutely, positively will not vote Republican this year is that immediately after McCain announced his decision, James Dobson endorsed the McCain/Palin ticket. That is all I need to know.

Now, I absolutely must not read anything about Obama's campaign from now until I cast my ballot. I definitely won't vote for McCain, but Obama could (and Biden probably will) do or say something that will make me mad. I absolutely cannot allow myself to get mad enough to stay home. The stakes are too high and the election is likely to be too close.