American Idol This isn't

On Sunday I got two forwarded e-mails, saying that PBS was doing an on-line survey. The question was, "Is Sarah Palin qualified to be vice president?" There are boxes for yes, no, and undecided.

These forwarded e-mails had an air of urgency because the yesses were outnumbering the nos by something like a 56 to 42 percent margin, and that the "no" side better get organized because the "yes" side is mounting a successful campaign. Of course I voted. If you have been reading Coughswitch, you probabloy know where I stand.

And then I thought, hang on a minute. A poll is just a poll. I'm not faulting PBS for conducting one. But is it really a matter of such urgency that one side wins or loses one of these things?  All the pundits, after talking about polling data for hours, end up in the same place: The only poll that counts is the big one in November.

Now I also hear all the pundits talking about all those undecided white women out there who could swing the election. It's assumed that almost all Republicans will vote Republican but that only some Democrats will choose Obama/Biden and that the white women and "real people" Democrats will be so disgusted that Obama didn't pick Hillary that they'll vote Republican.

But I haven't heard much about a segment that I belong to. What about Republicans who are so angry at the selection of Sarah Palin as a vice-presidential candidate that they'll either vote for the Democrats, or, if they can't bring themselves to do that, not vote at all?  Don't some Republican women find it a little insulting that experienced, intelligent Republican female candidates were passed over for Sarah Palin? Anyone hear of Kay Bailey Hutchinson or Christine Todd Whitman, just to name two?

The object of the race is to win, but Jeez Louise,  is Sarah Palin the best the GOP can do?  Louise wasn't busy -- maybe they should have put her on the ticket.

There, now I've said it.