Apparently Governor Palin Makes Bad Decisions

And I'm not even talking about the banana clip that she was wearing when she was announced as the VP candidate. Who would wear one of those for any reason, not to mention the most important day of her political life? Apparently it is a ploy to attract the soccer moms -- women who have not felt attractive since the 80s when banana clips were acceptable to wear to, ahem, the Sadie Hawkins Dance.

But I digress from the real reason I hesitate to applaud the Republican choice in this case. Reader, she flew while she was in labor. More specifically, she flew from Texas to Alaska, all the while leaking amniotic fluid. In fact, she did not inform the flight crew that she was far along in her pregnancy. Worse, she didn't go to the hospital right away after she landed. Instead, she drove to her home town so that the baby could be born there. How did she get into this predicament in the first place? She was at an energy conference in Texas and scheduled to give a speech. She did not want to miss giving the speech. Um, your water is breaking and you elect to give a speech rather than get your laboring self to a hospital? Um, you choose to speak in front of people while leaking amniotic fluid?

Does the fact pattern suggest that we want her a heartbeat away from the presidency?

Frankly, I am skeptical of the rumor that she wasn't even pregnant in the first place, and that the baby is really her 16 year old daughter's baby. The evidence is too circumstantial, and besides, it just seems so tabloidy. Take this skepticism as you wish. I didn't believe that there was any sort of problem in the marriage of the prince and princess of Wales until the very day that they announced their separation.

I am more appalled by the idea that she would do to her unborn child what the Republicans did to New Orleans -- postponing help and refusing to acknowledge the extremity of the situation. Reader, Governor Palin is pro-life. Here I am, pro-choice and so shocked by her behavior in the face of a high risk (she's 44 -- any pregnancy in a woman over 35 is considered high risk) delivery that I can't even pick my chin off the floor. It seems to me that her actions are saying that it is wrong to terminate a pregnancy, but it is right to endanger yourself and your unborn child by misrepresenting your condition to a flight crew of a commercial airline and not seeking medical attention immediately?

But that's not all. Even if you think it's okay that she behaved as she did in regard to herself and her unborn child, what about her responsibility to her living family? She had minor children. Shouldn't she have acted with more concern for her health at least for their sakes?

I am hoping that you see as clearly as I do the danger in having her in such a high elected office. If her poor judgment extends from matters of personal health and family welfare to matters of leadership, we are really in trouble.

She does seem to be better spoken than Dan Quayle, but it looks like the GOP is going in that direction again.