Not only has McCain proven himself to inconsistent, unpredictable, lacking in judgment, hotheaded and out-of-touch, he’s a jerk, too. Witness his unnecessary behavior at the first Presidential Debate. His demeanor was condescending, dismissive, and paternalistic. He’s repeatedly lashed out at journalists who have tried communicating with his poor VP choice, Sarah Palin. I thought that Rudy Giuliani’s performance at the Republican Convention won him the asshole of the night award (and that’s some stiff competition), and that his speech was unbecoming of McCain’s candidacy. But I realize now that he wasn’t an aberration  - he was the warm-up act.

 However, his predilection towards being a jerk has been overshadowed by his erratic behavior over the past two weeks. Where are the Republican cries of flip-flopping now?? McCain has demonstrated exceedingly poor strategic (or tactical???) judgment in navigating through this horrible economic crisis. First the economy is strong, hours later he’s claiming we’re in for an impending disaster. He ‘suspends’ his campaign to go to Washington to ‘fix America’, detours through the East Coast and makes some calls, and chastises Barack Obama for ‘phoning in’ his support? He’s against bombing Pakistan, but his VP isn’t.

 The McCain – Palin ticket is in a desperate situation. The Republican Party is divided, and there is a conspicuous lack of leadership. The same dynamic that occurred out here in California with respect to the failure to pass a State budget, wherein the Republican governor worked out a deal with the Democrats but couldn’t get his own party in line is playing out on a national scale with respect to the bailout plan. Some key Republicans are even calling for Governor Palin to step aside for the good of party, given her abysmal performance in recent interviews. McCain went on air with her and Katie Couric to defend Palin’s description of how she would support attacking Iran, explaining that it didn’t count because she was just talking to a voter who was asking her from across the room. The lesson to be learned, apparently, is not to listen to Palin or trust what she says if there are any voters around. One thing is certain – she is in absolutely no position to be anywhere close to being in line for the Presidency. With McCain’s sophisticated diplomatic ‘I’m not going to look at you’ style, and Palin’s incompetence, the country is in for an miserable four years should the dreadful happen and they are elected.