Can Palin pull an Obama?

8220;There are two questions we will never have to ask ourselves, 8216;Who is this man?8217; and 8216;Can we trust this man with the presidency?'"

8220;There are two questions we will never have to ask ourselves, 8216;Who is this man?8217; and 8216;Can we trust this man with the presidency?8217; 8220; This was the most effective line of the entire Republican convention: a ringing affirmation of John McCain8217;s authenticity and a not-so-subtle indictment of Barack Obama8217;s insubstantiality. What8217;s left of this line of argument, however, after John McCain picks Sarah Palin for vice president? Palin is an admirable and formidable woman. She has energised the Republican base and single-handedly unified the Republican convention behind McCain. She performed spectacularly in her acceptance speech. Nonetheless, the choice of Palin remains deeply problematic.

It8217;s clear that McCain picked her because he had decided that he needed a game-changer. But why? He8217;d closed the gap in the polls with Obama. True, that had more to do with Obama sagging than McCain gaining. But what8217;s the difference? You win either way. Obama was sagging because of missteps that reflected the fundamental weakness of his candidacy. Which suggested McCain8217;s strategy: Make this a referendum on Obama, surely the least experienced, least qualified, least prepared presidential nominee in living memory.

Palin fatally undermines this entire line of attack. This is through no fault of her own. It is simply a function of her rookie status. The vice president8217;s only constitutional duty of any significance is to become president at a moment8217;s notice. Palin is not ready. Nor is Obama. But with Palin, the case against Obama evaporates.

So why did McCain do it? He figured it8217;s a Democratic year. The Republican brand is deeply tarnished. So McCain gambled that he could steal the change issue for himself 8212; a crazy brave, characteristically reckless, inconceivably difficult manoeuvre 8212; by picking an authentically independent, tough-minded reformer.

The problem is the inherent oddity of the incumbent party running on change. Here were Republicans 8212; the party that controlled the White House for eight years and both houses of Congress for five 8212; wildly cheering the promise to take on Washington. I don8217;t mean to be impolite, but who8217;s controlled Washington this decade?

Palin8217;s selection negates the theme of readiness. But she does bring important constituencies. Normally the wing-nut candidate alienates the center. Palin promises a twofer because of her potential appeal to the swing-state Reagan Democrats that Hillary Clinton carried in the primaries. Not for reasons of gender 8212; but because more culturally conservative working-class whites might find affinity with Palin8217;s small-town, middle/frontier American narrative and values.

The gamble is enormous. In a stroke, McCain gratuitously forfeited his most powerful argument against Obama. And this was even before Palin8217;s inevitable liabilities began to pile up 8212; inevitable because any previously unvetted neophyte has 8220;issues.8221; McCain has one hope. It is suggested by the strength of Palin8217;s performance Wednesday night. In a year of compounding ironies, the McCain candidacy could be saved, and the Palin choice vindicated, by one thing: Palin pulls an Obama.

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Obama showed that star power can trump the gravest of biographical liabilities. The sheer elegance, intelligence and power of his public presence have muted the uneasy feeling about his unreadiness. Palin does not reach Obama8217;s mesmeric level. Her appeal is far more earthy, workmanlike and direct. Yet she managed to banish a week8217;s worth of unfriendly media scrutiny and self-inflicted personal liabilities with a single triumphant speech. If she too can neutralize unreadiness with star power, then the demographic advantages she brings McCain 8212; appeal to the base and to Reagan Democrats 8212; coupled with her contribution to the reform theme, might just pay off. The question is: Can she do the magic 8212; for the next nine weeks?

The Washington Post