Sarah Palin should not be second in line to presidency

It was bound to happen. Reality politics has followed the overwhelming trend called "Reality TV." A person who had absolutely no identity factor on the national level became the Republican nominee for vice president of our United States of America.

She could as easily have played her flute on "American Idol" or talked to Dr. Phil about her pregnant unwed daughter or how to raise her son who is afflicted with Down syndrome. She might even have appeared on "Survivor" as a tough outdoorswoman.

Any of those would be logical and believable. Is she, however, a viable candidate who could, at a moment's notice, become president of the United States?

Did Sen. John McCain sit with his team and say, "Hey, can we find a woman and take advantage of the momentum established by Hillary Clinton?"

Did one of the advisers respond excitedly with, "Great, that will counter the novelty of Obama's race enthusiasts? Be certain that she's young enough to balance the age factor."

And did they conclude that they needed a centrist who has Democratic attitudes inside the Republican label? How about that adorable Alaskan live wire, Sarah Palin?

Palin is much less prepared than most would like to admit. Yes, she is a governor. In her 2006 campaign she promised "transparency and trust" in her attempt to eliminate political cronyism in Alaskan government. How does she then justify the closed, protected, opaque weeks she has spent since the nomination? If she were both trustworthy and transparent, she would have been somewhere on the airwaves and in the print media 24/7.

Of course, she is a "breath of fresh air" as so many have written. She is the consummate cheerleader: cute, bubbly, energetic. With her TV news reporter background, she knows how to read from a teleprompter. She has one-liners like the "pit bull" reference that endear her to Comedy Central fans. She is glib, not always accurate, but glib.

No matter how intelligent, no matter how many causes she could represent, no matter what she has done in Alaska, Palin is a lovely person who should not be second in line to the most powerful position in our country. McCain made a mistake. He opted for the shock factor, and it worked. We have spent a month trying to learn anything we can about Sarah Heath Van Palin. (I don't know where the Van went, but it is their child's name.)

There is a hint (no proof of this yet) that Palin does what many seasoned politicians do, promise what people want to hear. Her problem is that she is not yet good at manipulating the words so they can be more nebulous. Thus, Alaskans, and now U.S. citizens want to believe that she is being forthright and honest. They admire her for the "real" that we all long for. It won't work. The reason she is being sheltered is a concerted effort to obliterate the real.

Every ounce of my being wants a qualified, dynamic female to win the presidency. With equal fervor, that dream for the future cannot be just any woman. Gender is not a qualification.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and U.S. Sen. Joe Biden will debate today at 9 p.m.