Disclosures on Palin Raise Questions on Vetting Process

[Zenlitened]

Source: New York Times

A series of disclosures about Gov. Sarah Palin, Senator John McCain’s choice as running mate, called into question on Monday how thoroughly Mr. McCain had examined her background before putting her on the Republican presidential ticket.

On Monday morning, Ms. Palin and her husband, Todd, issued a statement saying that their 17-year-old unmarried daughter, Bristol, was five months pregnant and that she intended to marry the father.

Among other less attention-grabbing news of the day: it was learned that Ms. Palin now has a private lawyer in a legislative ethics investigation in Alaska into whether she abused her power in dismissing the state’s public safety commissioner; that she was a member for two years in the 1990 of the Alaska Independence Party, which has at times sought a vote on whether the state should secede; and that Mr. Palin was arrested 22 years ago on a drunken-driving charge.

Aides to Mr. McCain said they had a team on the ground in Alaska now to look more thoroughly into Ms. Palin’s background. A Republican with ties to the campaign said the team assigned to vet Ms. Palin in Alaska had not arrived there until Thursday, a day before Mr. McCain stunned the political world with his vice-presidential choice.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/us/politics/02vetting.html?hp

---

Mission accomplished, huh? It's out there now, all of it. And it's all about McCain, as it should be.

McCain's blunder: Choosing a running-mate whose phony, fragile, manufactured image couldn't even hold up to a few days' scrutiny.

For his "soft" supporters, it's really got to call his judgement into question.

He's lost whatever touch he may have had, and could very well go from Media Darling to Laughingstock before he even makes his acceptance speech later this week.