If nothing else, election is historic

As I sit here at home Tuesday night, debating whether to watch the Republican National Convention or reruns of “The Office,” I am struck by several thoughts.

The first is how wonderful it is to be alive right now. Sure, the political pundits have been beating it into our heads for months, but that fact is, we are witnessing a historic presidential election.

When John McCain selected Sarah Palin to be his running mate, it guaranteed one of two things will happen come January: If the Democrats win the election, we will have our very first African-American president; if the Republicans are triumphant, we will have our very first female vice president.

Whatever your politics, I think you’ve got to admit that this marks a watershed moment. America is supposed to be a place where little kids can grow up to be whatever they dream of — even president — no matter if they’re black, white, boy or girl. Even a couple of years ago, I doubted whether or not I would ever see such a circumstance in my own lifetime. Yet here we are … eyewitness to history.

Most of all, I am thankful that my children will grow up thinking that such things are normal. They won’t have to wonder when the white-male monopoly on the highest offices in the land will break. It will have already happened for them. And when I tell them that they can grow up to be anything they want, I have just a little bit more credibility.

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I’ve got to take a moment to brag on the Sarah Palin pick.

Months ago, when McCain and Obama had pretty much wrapped up their primary victories, but the convention were still weeks away, the national political punditry kicked off its quadrennial veepstakes. Columnists and bloggers everywhere threw together lists of possible VP picks for both candidates, explaining the various pros and cons of each.

Having read a handful of articles, I decided that McCain’s best choice would be none other than the little-known governor of Alaska, one Sarah Palin. She was pro-life, pro-gun, and sure to be a darling of the conservative right, a key faction with whom McCain needed to make inroads. I figured she would bring a youthful vibrancy to the ticket, and as a woman, she might even help McCain pick off a few disgruntled Hillary Clinton backers.

Late last week, it looked like McCain was set to tap Mitt Romney or Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and I was poised to join the rest of the electorate with a collective yawn.

So it was amazingly refreshing when McCain seemingly called a sudden audible, and threw the long ball, tabbing Palin for the job.

The only problem with the pick is that having placed someone with so little experience a heartbeat from the presidency, it kind of hurts McCain’s ability to wage the “dangerously inexperienced” argument against Obama. And of course McCain is learning all about the intense public vetting that is inevitable when you make a surprise pick for VP.

Nonetheless, it was a pick that breathed a whole lot of excitement into the campaign. All I have to say is that if McCain is going to keep taking my advice, he’s going to have to put me on the payroll.

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For the record, my pick for Obama's VP was retired Gen. Wesley Clark. My argument was that Clark would bring unparalleled military and foreign policy heft to the Democratic ticket. As an Arkansan, he could help Obama in the South. And since Clark had been a Hillary booster, it would have been a way to heal a major party rift.

But then Clark went on national TV and, while speaking of John McCain, said “I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.” He was probably right, but it was a slow news day, the national punditry beat the “Clark insults McCain” story into the ground, and that was the end of Clark’s VP hopes.

Maybe I was just a homer for the Arkansas boy, but I still think he would have been a good pick.