I often wish, in hindsight, that McCain had taken Lieberman as his running mate. Not because I think Joe is better than Sarah (he’s not!), but because I believe McCain was doomed to defeat no matter what and Palin was irreparably damaged from her association with it.
If I could somehow have a “Do-over” of the 2008 GOP convention, I would have had Palin’s role be that of a keynote-type speaker. She would have been able to introduce herself to America, showing off her potential, while continuing to learn and grow as a governor back home without 24-7 media attacks.
Palin’s strength and ability to lead has never been in doubt in my mind. But I believe her lack of experience in 2008 left her unprepared for the endless partisan attacks from the MSM and the backstabbing from McCain’s own people. True, she came up to speed quickly enough. By election day, she was the one bright spot I saw in an otherwise disastrous campaign. But I still have to wonder what might have happened if Sarah had entered national politics with two full terms of experience as a governor.