Gustav! Palin! Bush! Hoorah!!

Stormy Weather in Minnesota . . . But for Republicans or Democrats?

Not more than a few hours after the exhilarating Democratic National Convention ended, things have turned around for the GOP. Barack Obama's campaign had better have something special planned for the weeks and months ahead.

Sarah Palin is a brilliant choice. Democrats will hit her on lacking experience and Republicans will come back and hit Obama for lacking experience. Democrats will say that the fact that she is a woman is irrelevant and that Hillary voters wouldn't be so stupid as to vote for someone just because she is a woman. But Republicans will know that not all Hillary voters were Democrats and therefore will be attracted to the idea of a woman vice president (and won't appreciate being called stupid for supporting Sarah Palin).

Sarah Palin is known to have an independent streak (she opposed the bridge to nowhere - showing strength enough to deny her own constituents and stand up to the, until recently, powerful Senator Stevens), which will help to distance the pair from George Bush and Dick Cheney. This will re-emphasize McCain's old maverick side. And the Palin pick has energized the campaign - no small thing.

To top all of this off, disaster may have a silver lining for the GOP. Gustav is bearing down on the Gulf Coast and John McCain is there, meeting with Mississippi's Haley Barbour. Gustav may head for the Republican convention after doing its worst down south - the Republican party is considering raising money through its convention for victims of this next storm. Even better, President Bush won't be able to make it to the convention - talk about a blessing (McCain doesn't have to say he doesn't want the President there, yet the President won't be there)! And, of course, McCain, with the help of Sarah Palin, will show compassion and competence and further distance himself from President Bush.

Now, time will tell how this will all turn out. Sarah Palin's inexperience is a real problem that Republicans will have to address, but because of Obama's inexperience, it is not disqualifying. I believe this will be a race. I believe that choosing Palin makes McCain as competitive as he can be. He has even made himself look younger by choosing someone young and exciting and by making the not obvious choice. We shall see if the Maverick is back, but if he is, Obama is in for a very tough fight. I hope he is up to the challenge and doesn't underestimate his competition. I hope that the country really is ready to elect a Democrat to be our next president.

Post Script

As I watched Bill Clinton's speech at the Pepsi Center in Denver, I got very sad. I became sad because we were watching a great president and his incredible wife and senator leave center stage, at least for now. I was sad because I saw the difference between Bill Clinton and Barack Obama - that Clinton spoke to each of us, one to one, as though he were right there in our living rooms while Obama spoke to us as a group, as though he were addressing a congregation that is supposed to react to him in concert. I miss the brilliance and earnestness of Bill Clinton.

But after leaving that speech, I went to an Obama event that showed me the great power he has over people. The way he can arouse people to care and participate. This is also a very good thing. If used well and if not abused, it can be an incredible thing. Now I just hope he wins.