They don't know what the Vice President does.

They don't know what the Vice President does.

Sarah Palin isn't quite clear on that.

In a television interview with CNBC recently, Palin indicated that should wouldn't be interested in the position until someone tells her exactly "what is it exactly that the VP does every day?"

They aren't loyal to America.

They aren't loyal to America.

Palin seems to fit this description, too.

During the 1990s, Palin was a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, an organization whose motto is "Alaska First, Alaska Always." The group seeks to essentially secede from the United States, forming an autonomous nation from the Alaskan territory.[1]

In fact, earlier this year, she recorded a welcome message to the group:

As if that were too large a goal, Palin has also taken actions which call into question American values. While Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, Palin reached out to the town librarian to figure out how some books might be banned, because of language that conflicted with her religious beliefs.[2]

They use political positions for political retribution.

They use political positions for political retribution.

That's Sarah Palin.

Shortly after becoming Governor, Palin apparently decided to use her position to exact personal revenge. Her sister was getting a divorce from her husband, an Alaska state trooper. According to multiple sources, Palin, her husband and her staff repeatedly insisted that the Commissioner of Public Safety fire the trooper. When he refused to do so, he was relieved of duty.[3] State officials are currently investigating the matter, and Palin has retained counsel in Alaska to defend herself.

This action is not without precedent for Palin. When she was elected Mayor of the small town of Wasilla, she quickly decided that the police chief and librarian were not acting as political allies, and quickly moved to oust them.[4] The librarian was later reinstated, after Palin faced recall action. In a quote given to the Anchorage Daily News, Palin stated: "You know in your heart when someone is supportive of you."

They have close ties to corrupt politicians.

They have close ties to corrupt politicians.

Again, Sarah Palin.

Ted Stevens, the senior Senator from Alaska, has been indicted on felony charges of filing false financial disclosures. Long a poster boy for political corruption, Stevens hired the then-unknown Sarah Palin to lead a political action committee he was founding called Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc..[5] Stevens subsequently endorsed her 2006 bid for Governor, loyal despite her claims that she sought to weed corruption out of Alaska politics.

The similarities go deeper. During a 2002 run for Lieutenant Governor, Palin generated campaign contributions using the same mechanism for which Stevens now faces indictment.[6]

They're clearly not ready to be President.

They're clearly not ready to be President.

Clearly, Sarah Palin.

Two leading papers in Alaska, after John McCain announced Palin's role in his campaign, were quick to offer their feedback.

The Alaska Daily News said this: "[I]t's stunning that someone with so little national and international experience might be heartbeat away from the presidency."[7]

And the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner echoed: "Alaskans and Americans must ask, though, whether she should become vice president and, more importantly, be placed first in line to become president.... Most people would acknowledge that, regardless of her charm and good intentions, Palin is not ready for the top job. McCain seems to have put his political interests ahead of the nation's when he created the possibility that she might fill it."[8]

Apparently, Palin's 20-month stint as Governor didn't compel her local papers. Her turn as MAyor of Wasilla probably didn't help much, either, as she managed to rack up a $20,000,000 operating deficit during her tenure there - an amount equal to several thousand dollars per resident.[9]

The lack of foreign policy and governance experience is clear. But Palin has also failed personally. Recently, it was noted that a business in which she and her husband held a major stake failed to file appropriate paperwork or pay state fees, eventually being "involuntarily dissolved" by the state.[10] The paperwork, announcing these actions, bore the state's letterhead, with Governor Palin's name prominently displayed.