As we recently noted, John McCain's age is no joke - no matter how many times he goes on late-night TV to joke about it.

And since McCain's father (70) and grandfather (61) both died suddenly of heart attacks, the idea of a Vice President being "one heartbeat away from the Presidency" isn't just a slogan.

If John McCain and Sarah Palin win in November, the odds of "President Sarah Palin" are very high - 1 in 3, according to actuarial tables. Isn't that a terrifying thought?

Thanks to George Bush and Dick Cheney, America is facing profound problems on every front: two hot wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and two cold wars with Russia and Iran; mortgage and dollar meltdowns; and an energy/environmental crisis.

Amidst these and many other crises, why did McCain choose Sarah Palin? For one reason: she opposes abortion in all cases, even for rape and incest or to save the life of the woman.

She has no other qualifications. Until two years ago, she was the mayor of a small town and left behind a budget disaster. As governor, she fired Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan because he wouldn't fire her ex-brother-in-law, and she has lied about it ever since.

Palin's adamant opposition to abortion made her "fully qualified" to be President in the eyes of the "Taliban wing" of the Republican Party, led by James Dobson and Rush Limbaugh. And that was good enough for John McCain.

In 2000, John McCain famously denounced Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell as "agents of intolerance." But the religious right got even by smearing him in South Carolina and making George Bush the Republican nominee. So now he's on his hands and knees begging for their forgiveness and support.

Everyone who has not been brainwashed by the Religious Right should be horrified by McCain's choice - and do everything in their power to elect Barack Obama.

Update 1: When McCain introduced her to the nation, she lied about opposing the infamous "bridge to nowhere." She ran for Governor in 2006 as a supporter of the bridge, and still supported it when Congress cancelled it.

Update 2: McCain calls Palin his "partner and soulmate" even though he only met her once before choosing her.

Update 3: Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert were in comedy heaven.

Update 4: Is Palin more in synch with Cindy Sheehan than with John McCain?

“I’m a mom, and my son is going to get deployed in September, and we better have a real clear plan for this war. And it better not have to do with oil and dependence on foreign energy.”

Update 5: Palin's presumed appeal to evangelicals might not be so strong after all because they believe God ordained woman's place to the home, not the workplace - let alone the White House:

The home, the family, the raising of children--it is the zenith of human accomplishment. It's a full-time job, requiring full-time attention if it's to encompass all God intended. [...]

The message is "women can have it all"...and it is a lie, because they can't.

The message is "men and women should have equal access to the same roles". The reality is, that's not how God created HIS universe to run. He created them male and female, and yes, by their very biological design, nature screams at our dull senses "YOU ARE DIFFERENT"! Created for different purposes, created to compliment one another in their life work.

Update 6: On the other side of the mommy wars, working moms view Palin's selection as an insult:

I found Palin's selection, and her calculated shout-out to unhappy Clinton supporters, insulting. In that sense, Palin's selection seems less like Quayle and more like Clarence Thomas for the Supeme Court. "She's exactly who I need," McCain said -- but the notion that Palin, like Thomas, is the best-qualified for the job is ludicrous.

Clinton's candidacy was attractive to me because it was not premised on gender. "I am very proud to be making history running as a woman for president of the United States, but I'm not running because I am a woman," she said. "I'm running because I think I am the most qualified and experienced person to hit the ground running in January 2009."

Update 7: JedReport caught McCain staring at Palin's bod and fingering his ring while his face twitched. Was I right when I said McCain chose his third wife?