Winkin', blinkin' ... and Todd?

Unless you have "been doing a Saddam" and hiding in a spider hole these last few days, yesterday evening, October 2, the North American Continent had two political debates on National television.

Here in Canada, as I stated in an earlier post, I believe that the majority of Canadians who were looking for an evening’s entertainment, watched all or part of the US Vice-Presidential debate from St. Louis, MO as opposed to the Canadian English-language leaders’ debate from Ottawa, ON.

While the VP debate was not the anticipated train wreck, early on, I had a sense of things to come when Governor Palin, turning to Senator Biden said,”I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record also."

And so it was.

While Palin’s handlers are to be commended for the job they did in the days leading up to the debate, it soon became obvious that she was not as well briefed on some things as others. Her record on the national energy issue was trotted out so often that it was becoming as tired of being presented as we were in hearing it – regardless of the questions proffered by the moderator, Gwen Ifill, whom, I do not believe did a particularly stellar job in handling Palin that evening.

Let’s get back to her just-plain-folks approach to this debate. If I were a middle-class American parent, I would be very resentful of Palin's comments regarding "Joe six-pack” and hockey moms. She is suggesting that only Mothers do the parenting thing with their children while the fathers sit at home drinking their beer. Fortunately, there are many families in America where both partners take parenting very seriously. Unfortunately for the NHL, but fortunately for the US and the rest of us, there are not enough hockey moms to get Governor Palin elected to office.

Do Americans really want a VP who will speak with world leaders using home-spun homilies and speeches loaded down with colloquialisms such as "you betcha", “we’re gonna”, “go get’em” and "doggone"? Oh, right, George W. – and he is President!

And, the Palin train really veered off the tracks when Palin suspended the debate for a few seconds to send a, “Shout out to the 3rd graders at Gladys Wood Elementary School…” Excuse me? Shout-outs to 3rd graders are performed by weathermen during the local news, not something that happens in a very important political debate. It was not at all endearing.

Let me present a scenario: what if Obama/Biden lost (note, I cannot bring my self to state McCain/Palin win)? McCain, shortly after assuming the Presidency, takes gravely ill and dies. VP Palin steps into the role as commander-in-chief. Stepping up to the podium for her first Presidential news conference, a switch is flicked in a backroom somewhere and the TelePrompTer in her glasses commences to run…

“Todd and I are just so gosh darn sorry that Senator, er, President McCain passed on. Heck, we were at Sniper’s, er, Piper’s soccer practice when me and Todd were told John had kicked the bucket! Anyhoo, my first order of business, I’m gonna get on the phone today and talk to that funny little man from North Korean, King John Eel, an’ I’m gonna tell him to just back off, buddy. No one likes a bully! Stop your new-cue-leer testin’ an’ such. Todd! Get me my Visine. I just can’t stop goldurn blinkin’ and winkin’!"

A possible heartbeat from doomsday. Anyone remember Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove?