The last presidential election was scary. Even if you don't believe the unflattering characterization of Sarah Palin in the HBO movie "Game Change," an honest reflection of her qualifications makes you think twice about the process for selecting and vetting the VP candidates. It is probably true that she had more administrative experience than did Barack Obama, but the big difference is that Mr Obama was chosen by voters, not a secret committee behind closed doors.
To be honest, I was not encouraged by the selection of Joe Biden either. Despite his many years of experience in the congress, he has distinguished himself as a buffoon because of his penchant for the gaffe.
Another previous VP nominee, John Edwards, is currently on trial for misuse of campaign funds (although his real crime in the opinion most everyone is that he was carrying on an affair with a campaign aid while his wife was struggling with breast cancer.)
It all makes me wonder why nobody seems to think the system for finding a presidential running mate needs to be fixed. Why should the party nominee for the highest office be the one who chooses the successor? Rather than an afterthought to a campaign, VP candidates should be vetted and selected by the same process that should elect the president - popular vote. Yes, that reminds me, the Electoral College is another concept that is astoundingly irrelevant to modern times. Let's get rid of that while we are tweaking things, shall we?
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