Is Palin really qualified?
By John Campbell | Winona

Right now, and into the near future, Americans will be debating whether Sarah Palin has enough experience — mayor of a town a bit bigger than Lake City, 18 months as Alaska’s Governor — to become not just vice president but, if something happened to John McCain (were he elected president), president as well.

Whatever one thinks of this experience controversy, it is important to remember that raising the possibility of her ascending to the presidency is no mere theoretical exercise or idle speculation. We should all keep these parts of the factual record in mind.
Fact No. 1: More than 20 percent of individuals who served as president failed to complete their term in office (Presidents William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, Warren G. Harding, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon). Thus, even before we get to a consideration of Sen. McCain’s own personal situation, there is a one in five chance that he — or, Sen. Barack Obama, for that matter — would not finish out his term in office.

Fact No. 2: McCain just celebrated his 72nd birthday, which means that, if elected, he would be the oldest individual to become president.

Fact No. 3: McCain has survived two bouts of cancer.

Fact No. 4: McCain released a medical report earlier this year stretching beyond 1,000 pages.

Viewed objectively, these four pieces of evidence should make any reasonable person conclude that Gov. Palin would, as vice president, stand a better than 20 percent chance of becoming president. If so, Americans are well-advised to seriously consider whether she does, indeed, have the qualifications and experience necessary to be an effective president.

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