Re: “The Palin Debate” in Tuesday’s Oracle

I watched the Sarah Palin interviews and I am not impressed by her abilities to answer tough questions or her abilities to conduct herself. She seems to be dodging the heart of the questions asked with a lot of campaign rhetoric instead of her own clear and thought-out answers, and she physically appeared to be holding back on what she really wanted to say.

If you pay attention to the way in which she holds her mouth, sets her eyes, how she focuses or avoids direct contact during questions and, specifically, the ways in which she carries her body and shoulder movements, it is apparent that she is either uninformed and making it up as she goes along, or simply reciting the party platform’s line — or flat-out not telling the truth.

This judgment that I am applying is particularly in regard to those questions asked of her the “Bush Doctrine” — she didn’t seem to understand the question even when Charles Gibson repeatedly tried three times to pin her down to a response, which is a bit scary. Also, about ways in which to improve the economy, social issues such as abortion and her views on alternative lifestyles, she says she’s not going to “judge,” but I interpret by her responses that she, in fact, “judges” plenty. The more I think about it, I just don’t like her and, even more, I fear that she will be a destructive force in government.

I do not believe from examining her record of public service that she has the experience or even tact or facility to handle the issues that we face as a nation presently, nor do I believe that she would make a well-rounded representative of government either at home or abroad.

As an independent voter, I was leaning strongly toward committing myself as a John McCain supporter mainly because of his service, patriotism and his life-long dedication to the country. However, now I have very serious reservations because of McCain’s decision to select Palin as a running mate.

I am deeply questioning what the structure of a McCain government would be and whom it would serve. It appears more and more to be a ticket whose intentions will be to continue to pander to business and special interest groups, expanding government control over the financial markets, making our financially strapped states carry even more of a burden, cutting services and support for American citizens, and carrying our nation’s young to battlefields around the world.

I sometimes think of it this way: If I wake up the day after the election and McCain and Palin have won, how would I feel about our future leadership and the direction of the country?

Honestly, the answer is, “Very afraid.”

Steven T. Williams is double majoring in art history and art studio.