Musings on Sarah Palin, VP candidate for the Republican Party:

From over here in Australia, I have been following the American election season with some interest.

I am particularly intrigued by the choice of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate.

I overheard a radio personality here in Melbourne talking about Palin - in particular her views on abortion and the fact that she is a hunter ("There is a picture in the paper of her standing over the carcass of what appears to be Bambi's mother!" was the direct quote) with absolutely no comprehension of how such a person can be nominated for such an important position.

We're talking about an American election. Were you expecting Shimon Peres? Seriously, I understand the worry, but I think it would be worthwhile to take a moment to put some perspective into this VP choice.

To understand Palin, you have to understand Alaska, a frontier state but no less part of the Union than the 49 other states. Alaskans, more or less, are a rougher, tougher version of Midwestern people. Many Alaskans are in fact former Midwesterners and not surprisingly, Palin's family is from Idaho. She went to college there.

Does Palin hunt? Yes. And hunting seems bloodthirsty and cruel and is tough to comprehend. But before you go ballistic, consider that hunting is part of the Alaskan heritage and that the animals that Palin hunts are used for food, not merely sport. Do you eat meat? If you do, then your meat is processed through mass production methods. The animals that gave you your meat had a hellish life compared to a wild Alaskan moose or Caribou. But your slaughterhouse, hidden away, allows the "dirty work" to go on behind closed doors where you can't be bothered by it. Give Palin credit - she may eat meat, but she has the "kahones" to go out and kill it and prepare it herself.

Is Palin anti-abortion? Yes. But that question is less important than this one: Have her views on abortion manifest itself to date in her governing? Not that I've heard. It's important to draw a distinction between one's personal beliefs and the way they act in positions of responsibility.

Lets also take a moment to examine how abortion rights are managed in the United States.

Does any President have the unilateral authority to decide abortion law? No, but the President can, when a vacancy arises, appoint a Supreme Court Justice who potentially can tip a balance in a decision on the issue. However, a Supreme Court Justice appointment must be ratified by Congress. And Congress is made up of representatives who are elected independently of the President.

Put another way: There have been many presidents whose personal views are pro-choice and many who have been anti-abortion, and none of them have really influenced this issue all that much over the years.

John McCain's policy statement says he favors making abortion law a matter for the individual states instead of a federal issue. Basically, this position allows him to ride both sides of the issue. He can turn to the pro-choice people and say that he is not for outlawing abortion, just shifting the responsibility for the decision to the individual states, and he can go to the anti-abortion camp and say he's for overturning the (national) Supreme Court decision, essentially telling both sides more or less what they want to hear.

From his perspective, it's probably a good tactical move. It's a way to sidestep the issue, anyhow. For people who depend on the stance on this issue for deciding who to vote for, it's a bit of a cop out.

Barack Obama's policy is, of course, staunchly pro-choice, but we can't look upon a governing track record or even a lengthy voting record to say what he would do in a position of power. This is not a criticism, but simply an observation.

I've digressed, but getting back to Palin, her accomplishments as Governor of Alaska have included bipartisanship, cleaning out political corruption and squeezing more money out of the pockets of the oil companies that are using Alaska's resources and putting that money into the pockets of Alaskans. The people of her state aren't complaining. She has an 80 percent approval rating there, which is a remarkable statistic. It also means a lot of pro-choice Democrats in Alaska approve of her. So unless she does a Jekyll and Hyde if she became president, there is no reason to believe she cares about using her office to promote an abortion agenda.

This is not an advertisement for Sarah Palin, and I am not telling you whom I am voting for or whom you should vote for. However, Palin's narrative is undeniably compelling. Her bona fide credentials both as an effective Governor and as a member of the real world are a stark contrast to the power-craving, mutant political creatures that we Americans are usually forced to choose from in a Presidental election.

So, what I'm really trying to say here is that Palin is a legitimate candidate for the office and not a reason to panic, no matter who you intend to vote for. Melbournians, take deep breaths!