In all the analysis, commentary, reaction, second guessing and prognosticating on the impact of John McCain’s choice of Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, her most obvious area of experience and expertise is being strangely negelected: She is the only candidate among the four on the major party tickets who has a firsthand understanding of the energy sector. That is an important credential in a national campaign where anxiety over energy issues now surpasses even war fatigue among voters’ top concerns.
Indeed, Congress, lead by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is now going to try to cram some kind of fig-leaf legislation through in the last 10 days scheduled for this session. Pelosi has even come up with a plan to have some–but not full–debate on off-shore drilling issues. That discussion, of course, has federal versus state implications with which Palin is quite familiar. The irony is that, despite the scripted disparagement from Democratic politicians and operatives about Palin’s experience, she happens to be one of the most experienced elected officials in the nation on the very issue the Democratic House Speaker now deems the top priority for the “last act” of the 110th Congress.
