"It's the Judgment, Stupid."

While I and many other people with a clue and a conscience have been railing about Sarah Palin quite a bit of late, it's important to remember that at its heart, the problem is not Palin -- it is McCain. I won't say that it doesn't matter whether she eventually turns out to be someone competent, or just the incredible lightweight, purely-politically-motivated pander that she appears to be right now. The point is that, whatever she may actually be deep down, we do not know -- and he doesn't know either. John McCain wants us to trust the fate of the free world to his judgment when he's shown that he is severely lacking in this regard.

Andrew Sullivan has been making this case for some time on his blog, and has written up an excellent full-length article that should be a must read for any American who cares about his or her nation's direction:

Who does John McCain think he's kidding? And what on earth was he thinking? This was a rash, impulsive, reckless pick. We have no idea where it's headed - and i wouldn't hazard a wild guess what we will have found out about Palin in a week's time. Maybe it will win some votes from evangelicals. Maybe Palin will reveal herself as something more than a former sportscaster who can deliver a speech. But it shows a deep unseriousness about governing the most powerful nation on earth at a time of great peril.

If you thought a president who went to war on flawed intelligence with no plan for the aftermath was reckless, then I have news for you. You haven't seen anything yet. Imagine the kind of decision-making McCain has just demonstrated applied to ife-and-death decisions with respect to Iran and Russia.

Yes, you have permission to be afraid.

Don't worry, Andrew. I am.