I can understand why diehard Hillary supporters would be miffed,
but Kristol's argument is mostly nonsense. First, the Democrats
shattered their "glass ceiling" in vice presidential nominations 24
years ago by nominating Geraldine Ferraro in 1984. Will Kristol
complain about a glass ceiling if the Republicans nominate
McCain-Romney, McCain-Pawlenty or, perhaps his personal favorite,
McCain-Lieberman? I think not. Nor should conservatives start
advocating gender quotas.
Second, while it's strange to pick a running mate who finished
so poorly in the presidential primaries, this isn't the pre-Twelfth
Amendment Electoral College. There is no rule that the runner-up be
given the vice presidential nomination and Hillary isn't entitled
to the nomination. The last three vice presidents didn't run in the
primaries at all, and two of the three had no prior presidential
campaign whatsoever.
Third, Biden's claim to have more foreign-policy experience than
Obama or Clinton doesn't look much different than McCain's: He has
served decades in the Senate focusing on these issues and serving
on relevant committees. Biden has chaired the Foreign Relations
Committee. You may not like what he has done foreign-policy-wise
and McCain's military service may give him the edge, but you can't
argue that McCain's Senate record gives him foreign-policy
experience and Biden's doesn't.
Finally, if idiot feminists want to elect a pro-life Republican
president or Obama wants to throw the White House away in a fit of
anti-Clinton pique, be my guest. It shouldn't concern conservatives
in the least. The people who voted for Hillary in places like West
Virginia, on the other hand, were mainly voting against Obama and
would not necessarily be moved by an Obama-Clinton ticket. All that
being said, if Hillary supporters want to take Kristol's advice,
hey, knock yourselves out.
topics:
Military
