Why Palin ensures I can't vote McCain

I've already been an Obama supporter for quite a while now, but I did have a certain amount of respect for McCain. He was my candidate of choice back in 2000, but I just haven't felt he's the right guy for the job this time around.

However, while his VP selection of Sarah Palin has been news-grabbing, the things I've read about her actual decisions and governance style leave me certain I could never support a ticket that includes her.

Personally, I find her strong support for killing wolves the most offensive. I like wolves, and I've studied enough to know that killing wolves is very rarely necessary. They moderate their populations themselves, tend to stay clear of people, and prefer to hunt sick and weak animals. They are apex predators, and messing with their population tends to mess with the entire ecosystem.

Below are a few quotes and links to some articles on Palin I find particularly relevant.

"Many lawmakers contend that Ms. Palin is overly reliant on a small inner circle that leaves her isolated. Democrats and Republicans alike describe her as often missing in action. Since taking office in 2007, Ms. Palin has spent 312 nights at her Wasilla home, some 600 miles to the north of the governor's mansion in Juneau, records show.

"During the last legislative session, some lawmakers became so frustrated with her absences that they took to wearing "Where's Sarah?" pins." http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/us/politics/14palin.html?em

"Governor Palin is an active promoter of Alaska's aerial hunting program whereby wolves and bears are shot from the air or chased by airplanes to the point of exhaustion before the pilot lands the plane and a gunner shoots the animals point blank." http://www.defendersactionfund.org/newsroom/sarah_palin.html

"The cunning of the Palin choice as a political strategy is that a candidate who embodies fear of change can be sold as a "maverick" simply because she looks the part. Her marketers have a lot to work with. Palin is not only the first woman on a Republican presidential ticket, but she is young, vibrant and a Washington outsider with no explicit connection to Bush or the war in Iraq. That package looks like change even if what's inside is anything but." http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/opinion/14rich.html?em