Why did the Republicans lose the election?

For a start, take a look at the guy at the top of the GOP ticket.

Now, don't get me wrong - I admire John McCain; and he wasn't the only reason they lost.

McCain has been a wonderful servant of his nation in peace and in war. He wanted to do what is right for the American people by serving as their President. Whilst he must shoulder some blame for not winning the Presidency, it was, as I said, by no means entirely his fault.

Whilst I'm talking about blame, I want any liberal or faux-conservative who is reading this to expunge from their mind immediately any notion that the Republicans lost this election because McCain chose Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin, to be his running mate. Without Palin, McCain might have won Oklahoma, but precious little else. His choice of running mate was inspired. The GOP's choice of Presidential candidate, however, was not. And it is the GOP at whose feet the carcass of this election campaign now lies.

I refuse to believe that there is such a paucity of talent in the Republican party that it thought its best chance of winning was with a (then) 71-year-old Senator from Arizona. For all his graces, experience, and wartime service, he was, throughout this campaign, immensely uninspiring. Sure, he tried to rouse the faithful with his "stand up and fight" mantra - but it was never going to cut it.

In a perfect world, McCain should have won this election despite his shortcomings. But the final result vindicates my belief that voters are naive and easily conned. Any savvy they have sadly does not extend to understanding political philosophies and ideologies. For such people, personality will always win over political substance. This, however, is by no means a trait exclusive to American voters; my own country, in its last federal election in November 2007, is case in point. And Australians are already asking themselves what on earth it was they did twelve months ago.

After any election defeat - for whichever is the vanquished party - there will always be cries that their time is over, or this is the end for such-and-such.

This, of course, is utter garbage. Defeats, whilst unpleasant for a team's members and supporters, are often the only time parties can take stock, and do some soul-searching.

It was always going to be a tough ask to get the GOP across the line when it has already had eight years in power; but, elections are cyclical things. Political parties change like the seasons, and the Republicans' time will again come.

One saving grace out of all this is that John McCain has drawn back the curtain on a shining Alaskan star. And for that, all Republicans should be forever grateful to him.

Let's hope for some new lines from Sarah

There is a lot to admire about Sarah Palin, and also a lot to digest about her; but each time I see a video of her speaking at rallies across America, she seems to be repeating large chunks of her speech from the GOP convention. It was a stunning speech that has earned its place in the annals of American politics, but I'm craving some new material.

I realise there will be some people at each rally who didn't hear her speech in St. Paul, however, with a TV audience of 37 million, I can't imagine it would be all that many.

Charles Gibson from ABC America will interview Palin in Alaska across two days. Apparently the McCain-Palin team has said there have been no discussions about specific interview material and, at this stage anyway, all questions are on the table.

This will give interested observers such as I, a fresh look, and hopefully some new insights, into the person who could be about to become the most powerful woman in the world.

Palin To Significance 2

Sarah Palin has become something of an internet phenomenon. Apparently on Friday she became the most Googled politican in history.

I found this internet radio chat yesterday. It's quite long, but the first 15-20 minutes or so is very interesting. The host talks with the author of a blog (when he can get a word in) who, back in February 2007, started a blog supporting the enlistment of Sarah Palin as the GOP VP.

That's quite a remarkable effort - especially considering the blogger in question, Adam Brickley, is just 21 years old.