Palin worry?

Bob Herbert:

The country is understandably focused on the financial crisis. But there is another serious issue in front of us that is not getting nearly enough attention, and that’s whether Sarah Palin is qualified to be vice president — or, if the situation were to arise, president of the United States.

History has shown again and again that a vice president must be ready to assume command of the ship of state on a moment’s notice. But Ms. Palin has given no indication yet that she is capable of handling the monumental responsibilities of the presidency if she were called upon to do so.

In fact, the opposite is the case. We know that there are some parts of Alaska from which, if the day is clear and your eyesight is good, you can actually see Russia. But the infantile repetition of this bit of trivia as some kind of foreign policy bona fide for a vice presidential candidate should give us pause.

The McCain campaign has done its bizarre best to shield Ms. Palin from any sustained media examination of her readiness for the highest offices in the land, and no wonder. She has been an embarrassment in interviews.

But the idea that the voters of the United States might install someone in the vice president’s office who is too unprepared or too intellectually insecure to appear on, say, “Meet the Press” or “Face the Nation” is mind-boggling.

The alarm bells should be clanging and warning lights flashing. You wouldn’t put an unqualified pilot in the cockpit of a jetliner. The potential for catastrophe is far, far greater with an unqualified president.

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Does anyone really Think that an Obama supporter like Bob Herbert is really concerned about replacing Sarah Palin on the GOP ticket? Come on. She has energized the Republican base and helped get McCain up in the polls and removing her from the ticket would help Herbert achieve his objective of Obama winning.

How many Presidents appear on Meet the Press or Face the Nation? Any such appearances are so rare as to be insignificant. Palin's strong suit may not be in interviews with liberals, but that does not mean she does not have good judgment and executive abilities.

I guarantee you that Obama would not look good in an interview with Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh. In fact he would not look very Presidential or even qualified to run for the office. That is why he does not submit to that type of interview. The Palin team should consider a different format for future media availability.

I know Kathleen Parker, a conservative, came to the same conclusion after the Couric interviews, but I just disagree with her. How you do under a hostile cross examination is not a measure of your executive ability. Some are better at verbal sparring than others. It does not mean you have better judgment.

If you want to consider uneven appearances consder Obama's "uhhs" and "ahs" which can consume 15 percent of his media conferences.