I don’t get into politics much on this blog, but I have to mention the tumult surrounding John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as his vice-president. Now, as a libertarian, there are many issues on which she and I must disagree. But she strikes me as a person of character and principle, unlike especially Obama and Biden, career lawyer-politicians whose only objective has been to be elected and enjoy the perks of public life. Experience? Neither of them has any executive experience, they’ve never even held a real job. Nor is there any principle. Obama himself says “I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views.” Sounds like the classic from the South Seas Bubble: “scheme of great benefit, but no-one to know what it is.” At least Palin isn’t a blank screen. I may not like the picture, but at least I know what I’m getting. If I had to pick a President out of the four, I would pick her. As it is, I’ll be voting for Bob Barr, in the absence of Ron Paul. Although that is more of a protest vote, thankfully there is no chance of Barr actually being elected, which would be  a disaster.

My protest is against the “two-party system,” which somewhere along the line replaced “democracy.” The two entrenched parties control the ballot and the media to effectively trivialize and exclude all others, while they divide the spoils between themselves. This oligarchy is ruining the US. I expect hope the coming depression will force change.

Edit: From the NYT: 

“Let me tell you something,” said Luanne Van Werven, a Republican delegate from Lynden, Wash., as the convention closed late Thursday night. “I secretly think Hillary loves Sarah Palin.”

Why?

“Because she wants Barack to lose, so she can run again, of course!” Ms. Van Werven said with a laugh. “I just bet Hillary was watching Sarah’s speech on T.V. Wednesday night and cheering, ‘You go, girl!’ ”

Luanne, I think you understand ol’ Hill pretty well. As Napoleon said to Talleyrand, “Vous êtes de la merde dans un bas de soie”