Does Palin Lack the Moral Authority to be Vice President?

Shortly after the bi-partisan committee issued its report that noted Palin violated Alaska’s Ethical Act McCain issued a statement decrying the report as being an overreaching report that is making a tortured argument which is a result of as a partisan effort by the Obama and the Democrats to disgrace Palin. McCain’s statement is more applicable to his and Palin’s dismissive reaction.

McCain and Palin wants the country to believe that this report was a witch hunt over nothing as Palin did nothing wrong. Their goal is to have the country to believe that this is process was driven by Obama and his minions of political purposes. McCain and Palin want people to turn of their intellectual capacities and accept their claims uncritically for that is the only way that I can see accepting the McCain and Palin charge.

McCain and Palin want us to forget that the inquiry was a started as bi-partisan vote well before she became McCain’s running mate. They want us to ignore that Palin retracted her promise to cooperate until she became McCain’s running mate. They want us to ignore that the fourteen member committee was made up of four Democrats and ten Republicans. They want us to ignore that the vote was 12-0 for issuing of the report (two members abstained). The Republicans knew that report could impact the campaign but they still issued it. This speaks volumes for the Republicans on the committee and the Governor’s conduct should be viewed with askance.

Instead of recognizing what happened, and accepting responsibility, Palin and McCain are doing their version of Nixon. Nixon was not responsible for the planning or implementing of the Watergate break-in. He became swept up in not being forthright when wrongdoing was discovered.

On the whole, Palin has not committed a criminal act. She violated an ethical code and behaved in a manner that is not becoming of a Governor or Vice-President. Though it was an significant error of judgment, it is not necessarily a character flaw if she was forthright in accepting responsibility and confessing that she has not upheld the high standard. If she had accepted the responsibility for her actions, and those of her husband, the whole matter would not only blow over quickly but she would also demonstrate depth of character. A person of significant character would admit their error and actively seek to do a much better job. By accepting responsibility she would be living out in her own life “telling it as it is” that she made a mistake in trying to use her office for personal purposes.

Instead of “telling it as it is” she tells it as she wants it to be even if the evidence says otherwise. She is behaving like so many other politicians in Washington. She faults the press, the Democrats, Obama and Biden, and anyone else rather than admit that what she has done was wrong. Her response and defensiveness demonstrates lack of character. Her actions Palin indicates lack in depth of character. More importantly, the question now must be asked whether she has the moral authority to be Vice-President.

Unfortunately for McCain, his statement couples his credibility to hers. I now must ask myself whether he has the moral authority to be President. I am wondering more than ever if he has the balanced judgment to be President.