I’ve tried.

I’ve tried long, and hard.

When Hillary announced her candidacy, I tried.

I love Bill. And, I love him with full knowledge that the stage was already set for most of the gains he afforded us. I love him anyway.

I love him because he cared.

And, I love him because he tried.

And, I love him because he projected an image that most of the world could love along with me.

I love him because he is me.

So…Hillary announces.

I should say, at the forefront, that her handling of Bill’s promiscuity left me with a bad taste in my mouth. President or not, a philanderer is a philanderer, and should be handled as such.

That said, as Hillary announced, I realized the historic repercussions of her candidacy. A woman was running for President of the United States of America! The simple fact that she could do so, was testament to all those who came before her. It was historic! It was histrionic! It was catastrophic!

She was shrill. She was lame. And, most obviously, her husband could not bring himself to support her. Said simply, watching her upset me.

Turn now to our third (Lest you forget Geraldine!) female candidate, Sarah Palin.

I watched her acceptance speech, and as I watched, I became entranced. I listened, as did most Americans, to her tough talk, and her folksy phrases, and I smiled. The day after, I sang her praises to my Republican colleagues, and they smiled, knowingly, smugly.

And, then I read.

I read about the “Bridge to Nowhere”, and the funds that where allocated, elsewhere. I read about her daughter’s pregnancy, fed by Sarah’s unrealistic no-tolerance policy, and the young father, whose future, and theirs,will most certainly, be determined by his decision to forego education for income.

I watched interviews, in which she invoked kitchen window views, in an effort to explain foreign trade policies, and, yet, was unable to name the title of a book or a magazine.

I listened as she tried to tie an opponent to subversive activities which took place when he was eight years old, and as she promised to correct record deficits in a matter of days.

But, here’s what will surprise you…

As damning as all of the above is to a candidate’s ability to serve, it is her absence as a mother that disturbs me, most of all.

At the age of forty-four, Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, and staunch anti-abortion advocate, chose to have a baby with known genetic defects.

Now, a little over a year later, she has shirked her responsibility to that child, and the others born before him, for the sake of ambition.

Any, and all, scientific studies support the idea that parental involvement makes the difference for children with disabilities. Sarah Palin is shirking that, and in my opinion, her God-given responsibility to all of her children. Because disabilities, however severe, do not affect only the children carrying them, they affect us all.

She is female.

She is attractive.

She is a gifted speaker.

She is also a wife, and a mother; and those contracts were cemented many years ago….

As she struggles to answer the most inane questions, I am embarrassed; not just for her, but for us all!

This is the face we will put forward to the rest of the world! Sure, we can rely on good looks. But, for how long?

My father, a proud independent, accused me of being jealous. He pointed out her rise; Hockey Mom, PTA Mom, Governor of Alaska, Vice-President.He likened her experience to mine.

I’m a football Mom. I’m a PTA board member. But, I can promise you, before I run for a higher elected office, I will prepare. You will have your answers. I will not rely upon my stilettos, designer glasses, and form-fitting suits to win you. I will study, and not just for an upcoming debate…

Before I accept your nomination for vice-president, I will be sure that I have a handle on the issues; domestic and foreign.

But, first, and foremost, I will make sure that the contracts I have executed before…before…when I was nothing but a Hockey Mom, or a PTA Mom…Those contracts will be fulfilled, because, by doing that, and just that, I can be the best example I can be, and I will give back, and somebody will pay attention, and we will matter….

© Copyright 2007-2008 Stacye Carroll